New Saddle!! How Does It Fit?
 

Hello fantastic people of Horse Forum :)

I just got a new saddle today, and I LOVE it!!! :D It's SUPER comfy, and it seems to fit Cowboy ^.^ It's only on trial right now, but if it seems to fit us both well, I'll be buying soon. It's a 'M. Toulouse Laura B.' Printed Leather version. Pretty much what I'm asking here is does it fit my leg/butt?

I can fit 4 fingers behind me, even though it doesn't look like it in the pic ... I'm really asking if my leg (knee) is in the right spot. Do stirrups need to go up or down? Is the flap not forward enough? Is it perfect? Like I said, I haven't bought the saddle yet, so if it doesn't fit let me know. Excuse my rather large thighs ... they are muscle, but they are quite unsightly :oops:

Thank You!!

Muscular thighs are never unsightly. A fit, strong woman is never unsightly.

Just my personal experience: I've found that for jumping, different saddles fit very differently and are balanced differently. Stirrup bars are in different locations. I can't have the same stirrup length in different saddles. When I go to do a little jumping, I have to get up in my 2-point and jumping position to feel where the stirrups give me the right balance and position. Try that. Get up in your jumping position and find the stirrup length that gives you the best stability and position. Then see how the flap feels in the seated position. Are there knee blocks? If not, then your knee is on the flap, so OK. If there are knee-blocks, are you on top of the block instead of behind it? That would be less than ideal. Where is the flap and knee-block when you're in your jump-position?

LOVE your pad! Did you make it yourself. If not, what brand is it? I NEED one.

Thank you! When I two point, I really like where I am with the stirrup length shown. I feel very balanced and secure. There are knee blocks, but they are moveable. Should I move them up or down?

Thank you so much!! I get compliments on that saddle pad all the time!! :) It was a gift quite a few years ago, and I simply adore it!! At the moment the brand name escapes me ... I'll run out to the barn and check now, it will bother me all night :-P

Sorry for double post, can't edit anymore ... It's a "Roma" :) Dry n Cool, Wick n Dry, something like that ...

I don't know if you should move them or not. I can't see them (X-Ray vision is turned off for the night) :-) When in your jumping position, they should be located so that you feel supported by them. Your knee should be behind them, not on top of them "fighting" them. If you're on top of the blocks, they won't give you anything to brace against when you need something to stop you from going forward. And if you're on top of them, you're losing contact with the horse, since your leg is getting pried away from the horse. Get in your jumping position and have someone on the ground move them to where you feel nicely supported behind them, and see what you think.

Have to agree with freia - ladies look great in breeches, though the majority of them don't think so, which is a shame.

Sorry if that sounds sexist but it's true :-)

freia - thank you very much for all of your help!! It has helped greatly :)

unclearthur - lol thank you for the comments, I'm sure 99/100 ladies are pretty self-concious no matter what they are wearing - I'm one of those 99.

I've decided to keep the saddle. It fits great with freia's suggestions, and Cowboy is comfy in it! Thanks again for the help!

It looks too small to me. There's not nearly enough room behind you and your knee is almost over the flap. I would go up a size.