Choosing a saddle

Choosing a Saddle

Finding the right saddle for your horse can sometimes be daunting. Due to the advancements in saddle technology, choice in the market and the internet, it can seem like a confusing time. There is so much information out there now that can both help and hinder the process. But if you follow a simple formula, you can often narrow down to closely what you need for your horses saddle.

Probably the most defining factor in choosing the right saddle for your horse is your budget.  A general rule of saddlery is the more features a saddle has, the more expensive it is. In saying that though, some very good middle range market saddles have lots of features that won’t break the bank and will be wonderful saddles if looked after, will last a lifetime. It is about weighing up what you are willing to spend and researching what you need out of your saddle for the best fit. Most places have great payments options like Afterpay and Zip pay which allow you to pay overtime. Other stores such as Aussie Saddlery have extended layby options for saddles which can paid off at your desired rate. Check out their page here 

Seat Size

Seat size on your saddle will mostly depend on your preferences and comfort. It will also hinge on what sort of saddle you are looking at as different styles are measured slightly differently.

English saddles such as dressage, jump and all purpose measure their seat sizes from the front button (which is located either side at the front) to the cantle. (straight).

Western, stock or half breed saddles are mostly measured from halfway down the pommel of the saddle to the cantle. Some brands measure slightly differently as they like to measure right from the front of the saddle but traditionally speaking, the first way is most common. Some people confuse this measurement of size with “inside seat saddle measurement” as well where a measurement is taken only between the end of the pommel and the front of the back of the seat. Essentially, measuring traditionally leaves less to confusion.

A good place to start when finding out what seat size you need is looking at your height and pants size. In terms of stock or western saddles, normally a 15” seat would suit a youth, a 16” would suit a lady and a 17” would suit a gentleman. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule as some ladies are more petite and like a smaller seat or some men like a more “held in feel”  and so this is where the rule diverges from standard. Most Syd Hill Saddles will follow this rule well and if you are looking for a half breed, check them out here

English saddles also follow similar rules. Most children’s saddles are 16” or smaller. Once seat sizes go from 16.5” and up they are usually for adults. Most brands will go up in half inch increments so there is a good range of sizes to get just the right amount of room in the saddle you need or feel comfortable with.

Choosing a seat size also needs to take into consideration the horses size. Depending on the height and back length, the saddle you choose for your horse needs to be appropriate for their size as well. Some breeds of horse such as gyspy cobs or many pony breeds are quite short in the back, so a large seat size with long panels is not ideal for them It also works the other way, as we don’t want to put a tiny saddle on a very large horse as the weight is not distributed evenly across their back.

Choosing the right seat size saddle is paramount for the comfort of the rider and horse. A saddle that is too small for a rider will be uncomfortable and often the rider will spill over the cantle putting extra pressure on the tree in parts that don’t normally experience such strain. On the other hand, a saddle that is too large for the rider will often find them unable to find balance and fall all over the place looking for equilibrium.

Choosing the right seat size and following these points will benefit both you and your horse for the better.

Style of Saddle

Choosing a style of saddle for your riding will reflect your ambitions with your horse. Have a think about what you enjoy doing with you your horse? Are you a pleasure rider that loves going out on trails on a weekend?- maybe a Stock Saddle is something to consider. A stock saddle with swinging fender is built for comfort and puts you in the classic relaxing “arm chair position” for walking or faster paces through the bush. If you get yourself a synthetic saddle, it will be lightweight and easy to clean especially if you want to go swimming with your horse. The Wintec Pro stock fender is perfect for this. We found one here.

If you like to do a bit of everything with your horse, maybe an All purpose saddle is for you. These saddles are also sometimes called a general purpose saddle. The slightly forward cut flap on this saddle allows the rider room to try many disciplines with their horse comfortably. All purpose saddles are very popular with pony club, riding schools and people who like to dabble in a bit of everything such as flat work, small jumps or trails. The Eurosport GP saddles are a fantastic saddle that is lightweight, inexpensive and very durable. Check out the design here

If you are strictly an arena person,, then a Dressage saddle is all you will ever want!! Depending on what level you are competing at, there are many thousand designs out there that will suit you and your horse. Some dressage saddles have large knee rolls that many riders prefer to hold them in. Some dressage saddles have adjustable stirrup bars that help you get the ultimate shoulder, elbow , hip knee ankle outline as a rider. The Bates saddles range offer many designs like this including all the features you would ever need in a quality leather dressage saddle. Visit some of the options here

Campdraft Saddles

Campdraft riders usually prefer a saddle with a fender and an ox bow style stirrup and particular models such as the NRD Campdraft saddle have a slightly deeper seat than a typical half breed. Half breed saddles are still used and a popular style for campdrafting. Campdraft riders require a saddle that will keep them grounded in the seat when stopping and starting, turning and reaching.

Event Saddle

Eventing riders have three phases of discipline being, Dressage, Cross country and Showjumping so they usually require two types of saddles. The first being a dressage saddle for the dressage first phase and a jumping saddle for the cross country and showjumping. Depending on the level you are competing at, the features of these saddles will vary to what you need. Typically a more advanced event rider will have a 7 hole difference in their stirrup length between Cross Country riding and Dressage.

A great starting out range of saddle is the Arena Range which do a beautiful dressage and jump saddle. Check them out here.

The Bates Victrix jump saddle and the Bates Artiste Dressage Saddles are favoured by Olympian Shane Rose and his results speak for themselves with his recent win at Adelaide 5 star event Whilst another of our World Champion riders Hazel Shannon prefers the Bates Innova for Dressage and for jumping the Bates Advanta

Jumping Saddles

If you like to jump, you will want a saddle that has a very flat seat and profile which is of course a jump saddle. Jump saddles are cut with a forward flap designed to allow your knee to come forward onto the horse’s shoulder when in your 2 point seat position. Depending on what level you are competing at, some riders prefer features such as close contact jump saddles which have very thin panels allowing the rider to feel closer to the horses back. The top of the range Victrix is one of those but some riders will also prefer some support with knee blocks and even the more affordable synthetic saddles such as the Wintec Close Contact Jump Saddle have rear blocks which you can angle behind your leg to give you the ultimate hold in the seat.

Barrel Racing Saddles

Barrell racers are fast and furious and need a saddle that will keep you seated well when going around the barrels. Barrell saddles are typically modelled off a western saddle but have a deeper seat and a thinner higher horn to hold onto. This is generally a ladies sport but hold onto your hats they certainly go fast. 

Endurance Saddles

Designed to be lightweight the synthetic range of Wintec Endurance Saddles are worth taking a look at . We also have more detail on Endurance saddles in the page dedicated to them 

Horses Shape

Horses much like people come in many different shapes and sizes. So when choosing a saddle it is important to consider the shape of your horse in relation to the fit of the saddle. There are a number of things to consider when talking about the shape of your horse but the first and easiest way to consider your horses shape is by eye.

When looking at your horse, you can decide on a general body condition. Does your horse look like a leaner type or a rounder appearance?  A good tip is to check if their 18^th rib is palpable to touch. This is the last rib in their rib cage and horses that are a healthy weight, their 18^th rib can be felt but not necessarily seen. Horses that are leaner, you will see this rib, horses that are rounder the rib will not be easily felt.

Some breeds of horses are typically either a narrower or rounder type. For example, TB or stock horses are usually leaner and quarter horses or Welsh are rounder types. There are of course always exceptions to the rule.

If you are not sure what size gullet your horse needs Bates makes a gullet gauge which for a reasonable price you can buy and help decide about the shape of your horse. You can purchase one here

We then can take a look at the shape of their back. In particular, it is important to take note of the shape of their wither. Is the wither high and long, does their wither slope? Or when you look at them, do they seem to be completely flat with no wither? These types of observations will determine the best type of saddle for your horse. Horses with flatter backs and minimal wither will enjoy saddles such as a half breed or western saddle. For those extra wide horses, Wintec saddles make a western saddle on a full quarter horse bar such as these here

Horses that are a narrower type will benefit from types of saddles such as stock saddles or English types. These tend to have narrower gullets and a fuller panel that helps the saddle sit well positioned on the horses back.

There is always exceptions to this rule with many brands of saddles that cater for different shapes to achieve the saddle you need. It is just a matter of deciding what you need and want.

Gullet Size

After determining your horses shape, it is important to gauge the gullet size they need. Gullet size is measured at the front where the saddle sits on the horses wither. There are a couple of ways you can get a good estimate on what size gullet your horses saddle should be.

The easiest way is to get what is called a gullet gauge like the one designed by Bates/Wintec saddles here 

If you place the gullet gauge over where the saddle would sit on your horse, you can adjust it in or out to lie flushed on your horses wither. This will give you an approximation of size.

Another quick way to get a size estimate is to take a piece of wire like a coat hanger and bend it over the same area. You can draw this on a piece of paper and take this to help find a horse saddle that is the right size for your horse.

It is important to remember that gullet sizes, like clothing for people is not universally sized. So, you may have for instance a “medium” sized horse when measuring according to your gullet gauge but in a brand such as Cavalier Saddles, their medium is equivalent to a wider fit approximately medium wide/wide/

Other factors that can impact gullet size is the panelling underneath the saddle. Sometimes for example, a Kieffer saddle may have a medium set gullet that has been adjusted by a cold press machine. But as this brand of saddle is flocked, it may have an extensive panel of flocking which will be thicker impacting the gullet depth. New saddles or recently flocked saddles will often be fuller and thicker in the panel so if this is the case, the “medium” set gullet may in fact turn out to be a medium narrow.

Other things to consider are how thick your saddle cloth is underneath your saddle. Some saddle pads such as western pads are made from high density , shock absorbing foam that does not compress with the weight of the saddle on top. This will definitely affect the depth of the gullet in regards to the fit of the saddle.