Showing in a dressage saddle

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asterid

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How many of you show in a dressage saddle? I did local shows last year in mine, but my girth straps were cut short so had normal girth.

Can you get away with showing in a dressage saddle? I've bought a new horse so will be at the beginning again as she is very young, but just thinking about the future and if I need to buy two saddles! (The old dressage saddle with short straps has been sold now :( )

Thanks
 
weeeeeeell....if you are thinking of multi discipline then my personal advice would be to invest in a good working hunter saddle.....can show, jump and straight enough to do dressage in too.....be very wary of putting a youngster in a dressage saddle, they can be very unforgiving for developing babies x
 
Depends on what level you wish to show at. At local level you can pretty much get away with anything, but if you want to get serious and show affiliated or county level a dressage saddle is a big no no!

I second sarahdante, working hunter saddles are a good compromise...I had the Welsh Cob in one until I forked out for his show saddle, it was lovely to ride in and I almost regret parting with it :)
 
I show in (horrors) a black, dressage saddle. The straps can't be cut short either because it's a mono flap saddle. :(
If a judge is to ride your horse, they will want to see either a WH or a show saddle, complete with big stirrup irons.
But - if the judge is not going to ride, then I can't see how it makes any difference. They are straight cut so show off the shoulder.

Mine is a WOW, so I can swing the flaps as far forward as they can go, and take the knee blocks out to give it a neater, less dressagey appearance.
I suppose huge blocks might not help your cause though.....
 
Local you can get away with it if it is not to drastic in cut. Higher and it will count against you.

As others have said, I have a WH saddle which for me is great as I can go out and do local dressage in it, jump happily up to 3'3, hack out if I want and also show my traditional cob at county level.

Ideally depending on the colour of the horse, and some are shown top level in black, traditionally brown is the correct colour for showing.
 
As above really- think it depends on level of show and also the style of saddle. Last season used a dressage saddle on my section d and it looked fine. However it was one of the older style Ideal saddles with very little knee blocks so a very discreet profile. Didn't look out of place at all. Have a Susannah now with mammoth knee rolls which def wouldn't look as 'correct'.
 
I have shown at county level in a close contact pessoa saddle and judges seem to like. Personally i wouldn't like to see a dressage saddle but a VSD or GP saddle is acceptable to me.
 
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