Aklah Arabians

Question -

I am about to embark upon the purchase of a Saddle for my 15.2h Arabian gelding and was hoping that you could provide me with some advice on what things I should consider. I do a bit of everything with him but predominantly, hacking, preliminary dressage and some local ridden showing.

Answer -

There are two main criteria that must be considered:

a)      The saddle must fit the horse.

b)      The saddle must fit the rider

If the saddle does not fit correctly then you will make your horse sore, possibly resulting in saddle marks and permanent white hair. The horse will not want to perform or move forwards if he is uncomfortable through his back. He cannot then show himself off to his best ability, so always make sure the saddle fits the horse, the best way to do this is to get a professional saddle fitter, and all good saddlers have them! Quite often saddle fitting comes as part of the purchase package if you are buying a new saddle.

If you are buying a second hand saddle, to save time of trying lots of saddles, you can take a template from your horses back using a wire coat-hanger. You can then transfer the template to paper and take it with you so you can get an idea of a suitable fit, but you still must try them on the horse and ride in them before making a decision.

Not only should the saddle fit the horse but the rider too. Making sure the size of saddle is suitable for the length of the horses back and a suitable size for the rider’s bottom! You must feel safe, secure and comfortable in your riding position to be able to ask the horse to perform in your chosen ridden discipline.

One of the elements when showing that the judge will look for is correct turnout and presentation of the horse. When you enter the ring first impressions are very important so pay particular attention to the turnout of your horse and yourself. The choice of saddle could make a difference to the final result, but if like most people you are on a budget and can only afford one saddle for your horse then you have to consider what disciplines you do with your horse and what is most important to you.

General Purpose saddle

A general purpose saddle is as it says, and covers all disciplines, it is forward cut to allow a change in position of the rider from flat work to jumping or hacking. It offers a secure seat for most disciplines with support from the knee and thigh rolls. But the size and shape of the general purpose saddle makes it look bulky and restricts the view of the horses the shoulder. This spoils the overall picture when the horse is presented for dressage or showing.

Dressage saddle

A dressage saddle is straighter cut so the shoulder can be seen and the horse is not restricted with
its movement. It is a very personal saddle and they are deep seated to help you keep a close contact seat.

This will help with schooling work and getting a better performance from your horse, however, depending on the level or standard of showing you wish to do, the judge may ride your horse. Show Judges come in all shapes and sizes and the saddle needs to accommodate all sizes of bottoms and lengths of leg, therefore a flatter saddle may be more appropriate.

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