Different Saddles for Different Disciplines

The most common are the dressage, general purpose, jump and cross- country saddles, but there are also endurance, showing, working hunter, VSD, Icelandic, polo, race exercise and race (both for the flat and for jump racing) and western, although I’ve probably still missed a few .

Why so many? Well, let’s concentrate on the most common ones listed at the start, says Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter Kay Hastilow.

Dressage saddles are usually manufactured with a deeper seat, straighter cut flaps and extended (longer) stirrup bars. This is so that the rider can sit in an upright position with a long stirrup leather that hangs straight down under their leg with their butt under them and legs back a little more than with most saddles, enabling a vertical line through shoulders, hips and heels. There is usually a large knee block to support the leg, but rarely a thigh block. Most dressage saddles have long girth straps which fasten to a short girth, so that the rider’s leg is close to the horse’s sides, unimpeded by girth buckles and the girth. The saddle encourages you to ride in an upright position with a strong leg contact to ride the horse forward into a good outline with the hocks really pushing the horse forward. That’s the plan, anyway!

The General Purpose is exactly that, something you could do most equestrian activities in without it impeding you, although you may find that this ‘jack of all trades’ is  ‘master of none‘ when you get beyond a certain level. However, a good G.P. saddle, perhaps with the emphasis on your favourite discipline is ideal for someone who hacks out and takes part in many activities at, say, Pony Club or Riding club level as you can lengthen or shorten your stirrups to suit the activity that you are taking part in and achieve some semblance of the position that you require. Some G.P.s these days have moveable knee and thigh blocks and these do help you to put the support where you need it, for which ever discipline you are taking part in at the time.  

Jump Saddles are designed for use mainly when show jumping, although there are as many different thoughts on what the design should be as there are days in the year. They allow you to shorten your stirrups without your knee going over the front of the flaps, which would alter your body position so that you are more ‘over the point of balance’ at all times. When I was jumping (okay, it was 40 years ago) I rode in something similar to the Pennwood lightweight. On a sloping head tree (the points were angled forward so that the rider’s leg wasn’t on them) These were a slightly dipped seat and the front of the panel had full length gussets to make a knee support, rather than an actual knee roll. Very comfortable and nice to jump in for the rider. Not so sure that the horses’ were so keen on the sloping head, as the ends of the tree points tended to hit the back of the horse’s shoulder. We knew no better then, but I wouldn’t be keen to use one now. Then came the Stubben Siegfried. A veritable bucket to sit in. Most top riders had something similar to this at one time or another.

Nowadays, the close contact is all the rage. Great for an experienced rider with good balance (and if your horse’s conformation will take such a saddle)  Not so good for a newbie showjumper without much balance or position. As they are unlikely to be jumping anything terribly big, they might want to stick with a more GP type saddle, but one with the emphasis on jumping, so that the flaps are a bit further forward to accommodate riding with shorter stirrups whilst having a bit more depth in the seat and larger knee blocks. Many close contact jumping saddles have foam or felt and foam in the panels. Whilst this is smooth and giving, it isn’t easy to adjust without major work (you can’t just add a little bit of flocking) and so, if they come down close to the withers (as often happens) you have to use a pad between saddle and horse to give clearance. Not always ideal !! 

Finally, the Cross-Country saddle. These tend to be on a flatter tree and further forward cut than a jump saddle as riders are encouraged to ride very short. This way, should the horse fall, especially a rotational fall, there is a good chance that the rider will be catapulted off and clear of trouble.  Often, these saddles have long girth straps to be used with a short girth, so that they can get closer to the horse’s sides. These saddles are lovely for riding at speed over the country, but you wouldn’t fancy doing a dressage test in one! As with the others, except the G.P, they are designed for a specific job and are best used for that. 

Whilst you are here, do watch the short trailer below for my two-part video series specifically for Riders and Trainers ...

Kay Hastilow’s Saddle Fitting Know How For Riders and Trainers is a two part video series, giving a fascinating, practical insight into saddles, correct fit and common problems.

Click to Buy Videos Now

Available to stream and download anytime, each video costs just £35 and together, will provide a reference source that you’ll want to re-visit time and time again. Watch the short trailer above.

What Response Time Should You Expect from your Saddle Fitter

I am aware that many saddle fitters are perceived as not returning messages as quickly as the client would like. This can be very annoying and frustrating. You’ve decided that you want to buy a new saddle or have your saddle checked, you have the money ready and you want a response. Now.  
Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter Kay Hastilow (pictured left with a client) shares an interesting insight from the other side of the equation ...

Unfortunately, much as we would like to get back to you instantly, it really isn’t possible. If it’s a larger company you've been in touch with, they may well have someone that deals with messages on behalf of a few fitters, but many are ‘one - man bands’, and must deal with all messages, as well as doing all of the fittings and administration work. I very much doubt that many clients have any idea of the amount of time taken by contacting clients, ordering up saddles and the like and making bookings. It was the one part of the job that I was happy to be rid of once I retired, much as I enjoyed speaking with my clients. 

The fitter must make a choice. Be out fitting for clients at weekends and evenings, as well as during the week, or returning all clients messages within an hour or so. You can’t do both. The problem is made worse by the number of methods of contact available these days. In the early days, I used to return home, listen to the messages on my answer-phone, eat supper (which my husband had prepared) then ring my clients back to arrange bookings. Usually all sorted within a day or so. Nowadays, you have mobile and landline where you can leave voicemail, texts, emails and Facebook. Unfortunately, many people leave messages on all 5 mediums, adding a great deal of work just to lift the messages! Added to that, many voicemail messages are spoken so quickly that it’s hard to follow them, and the number left is often gobbledygook!

So, whilst you might find it hard to sympathise, please can I ask the following of you when contacting a saddle fitter?

Please use only one medium to contact the fitter. They will get back to you. 

Please state where your horse is, and why you want a visit.

If leaving a message on the 'phone, please speak slowly, make sure that the number you leave is said clearly and repeat it. Often, it is impossible to decipher the number, in which case you won’t get a return call.

Please expect a couple of days' delay before the fitter contacts you. If they are working into the evening, they might have set times a couple of times a week to contact clients.

Occasionally, a message won’t get through, so, if you haven’t had a reply after 4 days, please use just one means to contact the fitter again. 

We really do value our clients and want to help you to the best of our ability, but are only able to do so much in a day. 

Whilst you are here, do watch the short trailer below for my two-part video series specifically for Riders and Trainers ...

Kay Hastilow’s Saddle Fitting Know How For Riders and Trainers is a two part video series, giving a fascinating, practical insight into saddles, correct fit and common problems.

Click to Buy Videos Now

Available to stream and download anytime, each video costs just £35 and together, will provide a reference source that you’ll want to re-visit time and time again. Watch the short trailer above.

Saddle Slippage And Much More Explained

Much has been written over the last couple of years about saddle slippage. There has been excellent work undertaken by Sue Dyson, MA, VetMD, PhDDEO FRCVS and her team at The Animal Health Trust. The conclusions seem to have been understood as ‘if a saddle slips over to one side, there is almost certainly an underlying lameness'.
Master Saddler and Master Saddler Fitter Kay Hastilow sheds more light on the discussions ...

All well and good, but let’s just think about this. I have been told by several eminent veterinarians that very few horses are truly one hundred percent sound. Certainly, in my 50 years as a saddler I have found this to be true. Most horses on a run-up or when ridden may show a slight asymmetry of pace, length of stride, elevation of each limb or straightness of movement. This is why saddle fitters should watch the horse move. Not so that we can ‘condemn’ the horse as being lame, but to note and bear in mind these slight abnormalities as they would impact on the way that the saddle fits.

However, there are many other reasons why a saddle can move off to one side. Let’s consider a few of these. 

Of course, the saddle might not be straight. ‘Twisted ’ trees are actually quite uncommon, but panels are often not in straight or level, either at the front or at the back. You can often see that when you look from the underside through the panel that it is not in line with the centre and side rails of the tree. In this case, of course the saddle will sit to one side. The flocking may not be even both sides, or not corresponding to the shape of the back. Uneven girth straps and webs can alter the way a saddle sits. There are many different reasons why the saddle won’t sit straight to start with. 

Many horses are asymmetric in the shoulders. It may be that one is higher than the other, more pronounced, or one is set further back than on the opposite side. This is generally skeletal and cannot be altered by working the horse in a certain way. If the saddle is placed a little too forward, this will push the saddle over to one side at the back. In actual fact, if I could just get people to realise that most of them put the saddle too far forward and get them to set it just a little further back, many of the fitting problems that we see would disappear overnight!

It may be that the shoulders are even, but development behind here is uneven. Often, horses have not built up so much on one side as the other. Usually, but not always, it is the left (near) side that is less developed and there are many theories as to why this should be so. Obviously, if there is less development on the left, the saddle will drop into this hollow and sit to the right at the front. Many feel that they want to lift the right front to balance it, but it is almost always the left front that you would add to in this case, either with shims or flock. What action the saddler would take would depend on the age of the horse, the time in his present ownership and the work he is doing. If it is a young horse in a new home where he will be worked well by a good rider, there is a good chance that the muscle can be built up on this side, but an older horse who mainly hacks out, with the rider almost always rising on the same diagonal at trot and allowing the horse to lead on his favoured leg in canter is unlikely to change, and so the best solution would be to add flock to the opposite side to the way the saddle moves.

Muscle development right through a horse’s back can be unlevel side to side (this is probably a result of a slight lameness, but the result is that the saddle moves)  You may wonder why your saddle fitter takes a good look at your horse’s conformation, does a ‘back assessment’ and watches him move. It is to find these facts out so that they, and through them you, are aware of any potential difficulties that may arise with the fitting. If your saddle fitter doesn’t do these assessments and just comes in and starts putting saddles on, I would question his or her ability. I call these people saddle sellers, not fitters, as recognising differences such as those mentioned above and their likely influence are essential to be able to achieve a satisfactory fit.

Kay Hastilow’s Saddle Fitting Know How For Riders and  Trainers is a two part video series, giving a fascinating, practical insight into saddles, correct fit and common problems.

Available to stream and download anytime, each video costs just £35 and together, will provide a reference source that you’ll want to re-visit time and time again. Watch the short trailer above.
Click to Buy Videos Now

Having seen the effect such conformational or development factors can have on the fit, let’s consider the rider. The rider that is straight and balanced is a rarity. Even those that look okay are seen to be slightly ‘squint’ when filmed wearing the Visualise’ jacket from Centaur Biomechanics. This excellent tool has stripes of fluorescent tape strategically placed on the front, back and sleeves. You can see how straight the rider is with the naked eye, but you can see more clearly when you film the rider from the front, back and side. You can replay and freeze frame where you are not sure. The deviation from straight and centre can be slight or marked, and can really affect the way a saddle sits. Of course, if a ‘squint’ rider uses a saddle for a while, that will alter it so that it will move to one side even when others ride in it. 

Take a look at yourself. If you ride down a straight road and a friend films from behind, you will see just how straight you are sitting. You might be in for a shock!! You would be surprised, I think, to find out how many people ride with uneven length stirrup leathers, either by design or ignorance, and many riders will have far more weight in one foot than the other. Try this. As you are riding along, half close your eyes. (Make sure that you are somewhere safe when you do this!)  Think about the weight in the stirrups. I bet one has much more weight in it than the other.

Hands and shoulders are another influence. Rein gauges used in testing have shown that very few riders have an even contact with their horse’s mouth. Add to that many ride with one shoulder higher or more forward then the other, and the imbalance can send everything off centre as the horse tries to cope with this.

A rider's legs are another problem. It is not uncommon for a rider to have one leg further forward than the other, with the knee sitting more forward or higher in the knee grip on this side. The lower leg may or may not be in the same position both sides, and the hips and seat of the rider are rarely completely square. All of these ‘rider faults’ can take the saddle over to one side, or unbalance the horse, so that in his effort to keep balanced he moves the saddle. 

Dealing with the above problems are everyday occurrences for saddle fitters. Is the problem solvable? Can the rider straighten out? Is a trip to the physio for both horse and rider necessary? It’s no point straightening one half of the equation if the other half is still squint - and any changes made to either will take time to bed in.

If it is something that is not going to be solved by training or treatment, there are many things that the saddle fitter can do to hold the saddle straight. The addition of an extra girth strap in the correct position, adjustment to the flocking in the saddle or the use of shims and other work can correct the saddle slip, and remember, whilst we would all like our horses and their riders to be completely straight and square, this is unlikely to happen. It is also unlikely to improve while the saddle is drifting off to one side, as the muscle will not re-build whilst there is excess pressure to that area. The saddle needs to be straight for this to happen.

The first video in Kay Hastilow's Saddle Fitting Know How For Riders and Trainers looks at conformation and its influence on saddle fitting, the movement of the horse, the different types of saddle trees, panel types, positioning of girth straps and how they can all influence a fit.

The second video explains how a trained and qualified saddle fitter will assess a saddle for straightness, soundness and safety, along with static and dynamic recognition of a good fit and how the balance of the saddle influences the rider. It also explores why saddles move to one side and looks at the influence of the rider.

Available to stream and download anytime, each video costs less than the price of a good quality saddlecloth at just £35.

Click to Buy Videos Now