This is such a thorough and helpful explanation!! So with your initial explanation of the most common complaints with female riders, I’m built very narrow and slender and most saddles I feel like my hips/thighs are being ripped apart and I can’t lay my leg appropriately around the horse, it almost feels like I’m in my own little planet detached from the horse and saddle, I’m guessing most saddles are too big/wide in the seat and twist and that I need to look into something that is built more narrow! I feel like I finally understand the discomfort I’ve felt in the tack for so long!!
Very well explanation! Thanks. Question, what about the placement of the stirrupbar on the tree? I experience too often that the stirrupbar is positioned too far to the front of the saddle. This puts me in a chairseat. Gives me trouble to keep the stirrup on my foot. I have to force myself to hold my legs back. What is the reason that the stirrupbar in general is not more to the back?
Great question - this is often a problem when the deepest part of the seat is too far behind the placement of the stirrup bar. If this is the case a longer stirrup bar is needed or a saddle with a shorter pommel to bring the hips over the stirrup bar. Saddles where the deepest part of the seat that is far back can be problematic and often a huge thigh block is added to hold the leg back vs a better balance point for the rider. Some saddle companies offer different stirrup bar set ups and other different seat balances to solve this issue
This is such a thorough and helpful explanation!! So with your initial explanation of the most common complaints with female riders, I’m built very narrow and slender and most saddles I feel like my hips/thighs are being ripped apart and I can’t lay my leg appropriately around the horse, it almost feels like I’m in my own little planet detached from the horse and saddle, I’m guessing most saddles are too big/wide in the seat and twist and that I need to look into something that is built more narrow! I feel like I finally understand the discomfort I’ve felt in the tack for so long!!
Glad it was helpful!
❤ these are wonderful. And fun to see you at Rancho Union 🙏
Thanks so much!
Very well explanation! Thanks. Question, what about the placement of the stirrupbar on the tree? I experience too often that the stirrupbar is positioned too far to the front of the saddle. This puts me in a chairseat. Gives me trouble to keep the stirrup on my foot. I have to force myself to hold my legs back. What is the reason that the stirrupbar in general is not more to the back?
Great question - this is often a problem when the deepest part of the seat is too far behind the placement of the stirrup bar. If this is the case a longer stirrup bar is needed or a saddle with a shorter pommel to bring the hips over the stirrup bar. Saddles where the deepest part of the seat that is far back can be problematic and often a huge thigh block is added to hold the leg back vs a better balance point for the rider. Some saddle companies offer different stirrup bar set ups and other different seat balances to solve this issue