Choosing the Correct Dressage Saddle for You and Your Horse

Though nosotros mightn't all be Olympic hopefuls, we all strive to ride to the best of our abilities. For some of the states, this may hateful pursuing western riding, jumping, general riding, hacking or dressage. Either manner, there is a type of saddle for each of those chosen disciplines and it is crucial to have the correct saddle. Here nosotros volition discuss the correct Dressage saddle: the importance of a correct fit, dissimilar shapes and types of Dressage saddles for different shaped riders.

The Importance of a Correctly Plumbing fixtures Saddle

A saddle is your equus caballus's most of import piece of tack, connecting horse and rider. Without a correctly fitting saddle, our horse is unable to find their utmost condolement, creating tension, soreness, sourness and fifty-fifty naughtiness. An incorrectly fitting saddle can have drastic long-term effects on a horse's back, including causing muscle deformity in extreme cases. Only equally you would want the correct fitting shoes, your horse needs a saddle that allows liberty of movement without sliding and causing rubbing or soreness. It is a fine line that requires a practiced eye.

Different Shaped Dressage Saddles for Dissimilar Shaped Horses

Every horse has a dissimilar shaped back, just as we practise! And then, information technology is essential that when searching for a saddle, nosotros take into consideration the shape of the saddle compared to the shape of the equus caballus. Dressage saddles tend to have a high cantle, a deep seat and knee rolls that go along a curve in the knee with the ankle in line with hip. Beneath this general shape is the saddle'southward panelling. This can come up in many different curves and shapes to fit various shapes of horses. Is your horse's dorsum curved or flat? Higher at the front or back? Do they have an unusual dip in the front, middle or back?

Some saddles are not designed to sit on certain horses. Mainly, this occurs in the panel expanse of the saddle, underneath the passenger'due south seat. If the saddle'southward panelling is curvaceous, this may work well on a equus caballus with a curved back or that is 'bum high', ensuring the saddle isn't digging into any parts of the horse's back. A straighter panelled saddle would be more suitable to a horse with a flatter back, to ensure fifty-fifty pressure from the panelling the whole way down the back. Having a curved saddle on a direct-backed equus caballus tin cause rocking, significant the saddle isn't stable on the horse's back.

How Do You Know If Your Saddle Fits?

There are eight things to consider when checking if your Dressage saddle is fitting correctly:

  1. Tree Angle. This refers to the bending of the tree nearest to the shoulder blades. The tree angle should run smoothly behind the shoulder blade when a hand is run down the panelling.
  2. Tree Width. This is the wideness at the front of the saddle, between the panels. The tree should be wide plenty to sit on either side of the wither, without being so wide that it sits downwards.
  3. Wither Clearance. Y'all must have two fingers clearance surrounding the wither, to a higher place and on the sides.
  4. Channel Width. The gullet must be wide enough non to interfere with the horse's spine. Ensure you accept a wide channelled saddle, three-5 fingers in width.
  5. Console Contact. In that location must be even console contact with the equus caballus'southward back the whole way down. At that place should be no rocking or parts of the saddle that curlicue away from the horse's dorsum. Saddle up with the girth done up and run your mitt from front to dorsum underneath both panels. There should be even pressure the whole style along.
  6. Panel Length. It is vital that the rear of the panels should non extend by the last rib of the horse when the saddle is sitting correctly. The loins must never carry weight every bit they are the weakest part of the horse'south back.
  7. Saddle Straightness. It is rare for a horse to be completely symmetrical. Usually, one shoulder is bigger than the other. The saddle must have sufficient padding or flocking on the less bulky side to prevent slipping.
  8. Girth Betoken Alignment. The girth points on a saddle should hang perpendicular to the ground when the saddle is sitting correctly. Otherwise, the saddle could end up moving forwards or backwards due to the girth trying to detect the correct girth groove.

How Can an Ill-Plumbing equipment Saddle Affect Performance?

A horse's performance relies on comfort and the freedom of the body to move. When a saddle does non fit the horse properly, it compromises the horse's ability to move evenly and loosely. A severely incorrectly fitting saddle can cause major pain throughout your horse, resulting in abnormal and dangerous behaviour, such as bucking, rearing, bolting or napping. Even if the saddle is simply mildly ill-plumbing equipment, it can still profoundly touch your horse'due south body and its performance. Spinal pressure, shoulder restriction, balance issues, uneven musculature and nerve damage are all possible side effects of an incorrectly fitting saddle. Some of these side furnishings tin can pb to long term damage and many of them will issue in an irregularly gated, potent and uncooperative horse.

Who to Speak To

The virtually cognition people when it comes to saddles are saddle fitters, making them the best group of people to contact. Unfortunately, it is difficult these days to find a trustworthy saddle fitter, so it is important to enquire people you know and trust, such as your coach or horsey friends, for their recommendations on the best saddles or saddle fitters. Once you accept received the recommendations, it is then in your best interest to complete some enquiry on the recommendation yous accept been given, to gauge the suitability for your purposes. A good saddle fitter volition be able to provide the best analysis on the brand of saddle that is nigh advisable for yourself and your horse, also as plumbing fixtures it correctly to your equus caballus's trunk.

The Importance of a Dressage Saddle That Suits A Passenger'southward Shape

Just similar horses, nosotros are all built in unlike shapes and sizes. Dressage saddles are designed to place a passenger in the general riding position: ear, shoulder, hip and heel all in line. This optimises the rider's power to influence the horse, while maintaining the best posture in their own trunk. I type of saddle may revolutionize one person'south condolement and stunt another's functioning. Hence, why it is so crucial to empathize what sort of saddle your body shape requires. Some of the factors that may affect a Dressage saddle's suitability for a rider include:

  • Rider'southward Length of Leg. This may affect the seat length, the type of knee roll and the length of the knee joint coil. A passenger with longer legs will require a longer seat, regardless of how slim or large they are, to let the angles of their legs to comfortably fit into the saddle. Riders with longer legs may also crave a shorter knee joint roll with a more open up angle, to allow the hip flexors to relax into the saddle.
  • Seat Bone Width. This will impact how you lot sit into the saddle and what parts of yous actually sit on the saddle. In the saddle, y'all should accept a "iii-plug" position, like an electrical plug connecting into a power point. Both your seat bones and your crotch must accept fifty-fifty, comfortable contact with the saddle. Your seat basic must be able to support you up off the saddle, to prevent whatsoever of the "important bits", equally they say, becoming squashed. On average, men's seat bones are usually between six and xvi centimetres broad, significant that they may non need a wide seat. Women, on the other paw, tend to accept broad hips and therefore, their seat bones are wider apart, between ix and seventeen centimetres apart. The wider the seat bones, the wider the seat required.
  • Thigh Length. A rider with longer thighs may need a more forgiving saddle length and knee roll, no matter the size of their seat. As they have long thighs, they may require more space to accommodate the severer angles. While a rider with short thighs may require a more contained seat length and knee rolls that are straighter, to ensure they are providing the most support.

Features of the Dressage Saddle to Assess

Some of the things to consider when choosing a Dressage saddle for yourself include:

  • Seat Twist and Width. The twist is the point where the saddle is narrowest. When choosing your saddle, you need to take into consideration the width of your hips.
  • Saddle Residual. Is the lowest point on your saddle the centre of the seat? If not, your saddle will constantly be causing you to fall too far forrard or too far back, compromising the correct rider position.
  • Knee Rolls. This part of the saddle plays a massive role in passenger condolement and position. A genu roll that is as well directly for someone with long thighs, will cause hip flexor hurting as in that location is no room for the length of the thigh. A knee whorl that is also long or angled for someone with a brusque thigh will allow as well much infinite, causing the rider to constantly be searching for purchase. You must choose a knee roll that allows room for your leg to sit down comfortably but is close enough to requite support.

Overall, you must listen to your equus caballus! Your horse'south body linguistic communication and behaviour volition give you a good indication of whether they are comfortable in a saddle. Sudden naughty behaviour can indicate an sick-fitting saddle and an improvement in operation can bespeak that yous have found the correct saddle for your horse.

Written by Tanisha Ryan

Experts in Equine Nutrition

Every production in the Ranvet range has been developed to run across a horse's well-nigh specific demand at any given fourth dimension, exist it in a grooming environment or on a breeding farm. Having pioneered the conception of specific medications and dietary supplements for horses, the company is now recognised as a leader in the areas of equine wellness and diet.