From: Melanie
Hi Jessica,
I am about to acquire a new horse, and since the saddle I use on my current retired horse is too wide, I will be looking for a new saddle. I feel I can fit it to the horse, but I don't know how to tell if it fits me. I do know I like a wider twist (my current saddle is a 17" Passier PSL), but how do I determine seat size for me (I have an ample bottom :-)). Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Melanie
Ample bottom or not, its almost impossible for an adult to have a too-large saddle. It's difficult to find an adult rider who actually fits comfortably into a 16" saddle... but most riders, for some reason, favour smaller saddles that actually work against their own riding and their horse's comfort. Many riders with 17" saddles would be more comfortable, and ride better, in an 18" saddle.
A saddle may provide you with more room than you actually need, but that doesn't mean that it's too large. On the other hand, it's all too easy to get a too-small saddle. If your current saddle is comfortable for you, it puts you in the right balance, and it's easy for you to move around in it, that's great -- it fits, and you can look for one just like it. But if you find that your tailbone hurts after a ride, or that your pubis feels bruised after a ride, then the saddle is also too small! A saddle that fits should allow you to place a hand between the back of your backside and the end of the cantle; and you should also be able to shift your position forward without crashing into the pommel. Soreness in back OR in front is an indication of a too-small seat.
The things you want to think about when selecting a saddle to fit YOU are:
1) The saddle should fit your style and type of riding, and your level of riding. In other words, if you are going to be doing show jumping exclusively, you'll want a longer, flatter seat and minimal padding; if you are going to be galloping and jumping cross-country, you'll want a softer, slightly deeper seat with more padding. If you're doing dressage only, you will want a saddle that allows you to sit deep with a long stirrup and slight knee bend, but that still allows you freedom of movement -- you won't want to be "locked in" to a particular position.
2) The saddle should fit your body. This means that the length of the seat should allow you plenty of room to relax and move your lower body; the width of the seat should fit your pelvic conformation comfortably (more about this later); the flaps should be sufficiently long and full to accomodate your leg (adjust your stirrups higher and lower than you think you will ever want them, and the flaps should STILL accomodate your leg in those positions); the stirrup bars should be placed correctly so that you can easily maintain a correct position with head-hip-heel alignment.
A too-short saddle will either push your pubis against the pommel, your seatbones against the cantle, or both. In either case, you won't be able to sit comfortably and you won't be able to ride effectively. You won't be able to USE your seatbones, since you won't be able to control their position.
If you are a rider of average height, looking for a saddle with a long seat, you will have to pay great attention to stirrup-bar placement. Most saddles with long seats are intended for tall riders, and the stirrup bars may be positioned too far forward for you. You will never be able to achieve good balance and a correct position if your stirrup bars are set wrong; you will always find yourself "behind your leg," and you won't be able to catch up. If you look for a saddle with a long seat, look for a longer stirrup bar as well.
If your stirrups are correctly positioned, then your hip-heel alignment will not change whether you sit in your saddle with or without your stirrups. If the stirrup bar is in the correct place, you will be able to shift easily from a full seat to a half seat and back again without any movement of the lower leg. If your lower leg swings, or if you must make a great effort to move into a half seat position, then your stirrup bars are probably placed too far forward.
Pelvic conformation is often ignored, and this is a mistake. Women riders need to consider the width of the twist and how that relates to the distance between their seatbones (this varies quite a lot from rider to rider). If your pelvic arch is high, and the distance between your seatbones is narrow, you will be comfortable in most saddles. But if your pelvis is wide, with a lower arch and more distance between your seatbones, you will be more comfortable in a wider saddle.
Be careful not to get TOO wide a saddle, though! A too-wide saddle can force your legs into a position that will not allow you to use your leg aids correctly, or even to sit comfortable. A too-wide saddle can also force you to carry too much weight in your thighs, which will keep you from using your seatbones.
Look for a comfortable saddle that lets you assume and maintain a correct position, balance yourself easily, use your aids correctly, shift readily between full seat and half seat, and open and close your hip angle without affecting your lower leg or foot position.
Jessica
Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE is a free, subscriber-supported electronic Q&A email newsletter which deals with all aspects of horses, their management, riding, and training. For more information, please visit www.horse-sense.org
Please visit Jessica Jahiel: Holistic Horsemanship® [www.jessicajahiel.com] for more information on Jessica Jahiel's clinics, video lessons, phone consultations, books, articles, columns, and expert witness and litigation consultant services.