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Ideal position - saddle question

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  CJ82Sky 
#1 ·
Hey guys, I was a bit torn about where to put this, but since this was geared towards jumping specifically I figured this would be the place vs. the tack section.

Anyway, I have been on a saddle search for a little over a year now, and I have finally found an older saddle that fits my guy relatively well as far as i can tell ( will be having a saddle fitter out before buying ). He has no issues with it, he's more then happy to work over his back and move around with it, showing no signs of any pinching, pain, discomfort, etc. So I'm really hoping that this saddle will work out!

The saddle is a Blue Ribbon close contact saddle, and since I have been riding in a dressage saddle 99% of the time for nearly 3 years, i really don't know how this saddle should be placing me as far as position goes.

The thing about this saddle is that it has a very flat seat, I feel very solid in 2 point, and my legs in general [ i think ] are in a good position. The issue though is that when sitting, my seat bones are torturous! I either have to sit kind of slouchy on my back pockets, or I have to sit more forward with my upper body wayyy forward (that's what it feels like anyway lol) and my thighs kind of 'reaching down' which pushes my lower legs back.

I know when jumping you need a more forward seat, but is it common or beneficial in anyway to be riding in a saddle that requires you to be in the very forward position or a very slouchy position constantly? How should a good jumping saddle effect your position, and is this saddle along those lines? Any other advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
 
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#2 ·
eeek that sounds bad bad bad bad bad to me. even when jumping you want your position to be balanced and centered, and if over the center of the saddle is the least comfortable place to be, that can not only through your position out of whack, but also throw your horse off up to, over, and after the jumps.

a properly fitting saddle should be balanced for you and your horse. i actually just had a saddle fitter out here today to help me with my horses as i have a few special needs guys. i used to highly recommend the Bates saddles because i've had great success with them, however the newer ones i'm really not pleased with at all (they went from making them in Australia to making them in Vietnam and it's really changed the quality of the leather, craftmanship, and CAIR panels imo and firsthand experience).

most importantly, find a saddle that fits YOU and your horse - compromising in one are of fit or the other can result in a poor position or balance, back pain, or a slew of other issues. i've found that if you're on a budget, waiting to find a used quality saddle within your budget is far better than settling for a saddle that only fits you or your horse and not both of you.

good luck! you can go to equi-eval.com for some saddle fitting ideas if you need! :) hope this helps!
 
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