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  Discussion on What size jumping saddle?
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Posted on Tuesday, Dec 12, 2000 - 8:11 pm:

I have been riding western for a while, and want to develop a better feel for my horse so I wanted an english saddle- Plus a friend of mine has a warmblood meant for jumping I might borrow- so I found a killer deal on a jumping saddle on ebay, and bought it! But it is a 16"- How will I know if it will fit me? How are english saddles sized? Thanks for the help, I may be selling this as soon as I get it!!!

Posted on Tuesday, Dec 12, 2000 - 10:02 pm:

A 16" saddle is very small. An English saddle is usually measured from the nail (on the side of the pommel), diagonally to the middle of the edge of the cantle. To find out what size you need, measure your thigh length from hip joint to knee. Note here that IF you are overweight, or otherwise have a big fanny, OR get a saddle with a deep seat, you'll probably be more comfortable in a larger seat size than indicated by your thigh measurement. To check fit, you should be able to get your hand (held horizontally) between your backside and the cantle when you are mounted.

To make matters more complicated, very few mfg's. use the same standard for measurements.

In my opinion, you should worry more about whether the saddle fits the horse for which it's intended. There are some basic fitting guides on the internet. Do a search on equestrian saddle fitting for some help. If you get in a bind, e-mail me.

Posted on Thursday, Dec 28, 2000 - 2:26 pm:

Anne Kursinksi's book Riding and Jumping Clinic gives the best description I've come across for fitting an English saddle to both horse and rider:

"1. Place the saddle farther forward on his back than normal, with the pommel just behind the peak of the withers. Then move it back by firmly pressing the pommel down and back until his conformation stops the progress.

2. Standing at the girth, look at the relationship of pommel to cantle; the cantle should be an inch or two higher than the pommel. If the cantle is even with or lower than the pommel, the tree of the saddle is probably too narrow in front for the horse. (If the horse has high, narrow withers and a very downhill topline, move to Step 4. If there's adequate clearance, you may just need extra flocking inside the rear panels).

3. From the same spot, look for the deepest point on the saddle. It should be in the center; farther back, it will cause soreness.

4. With the girth done up and someone in the saddle, check for clearance under the pommel; you should be able to insert at least two but no more than three fingers in the gullet. More, and the tree is too narrow; less, and it's too wide.

5. Move to the rear of your horse and try to look forward under the saddle; if you can't see all the way to the front, the tree is either too narrow or too wide.

6. Stand by the shoulder and look at how the panels fit the sides of his withers and his shoulders. They should lie close, with no gaps just below the withers and no jutting out.

7. [While sitting in the saddle,] place your hand behind your seat; there should be about two inches between you and the cantle. If there's less, the saddle is too small; if much more, it's probably too big.

8. With your leg correctly positioned ... your knee shouldn't extend much, if at all, beyond the flap of the saddle.

9. Make sure your stirrup irons leave a little space between your foot and the outside branch."

Hope this helps!
Nancy
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