Skip to content
Your saddle is a tool for connection and communication with your horse, just as much as your bridle. If it fits incorrectly, it can lead to all sorts of problems, from simply being a barrier to communication with your horse to causing serious injury and pain to your horse’s back. Because the saddle is such an important tool between horse and rider, there are a lot of myths floating around the internet and up and down barn aisles about what makes a good saddle versus a bad one.
Whether you ride in a jumping saddle or a dressage saddle, the following myths simply aren’t true. As the manufacturer of Henri de Rivel saddles, we’ve got the facts you’re looking for.
Myth #1: Thicker padding makes things more comfortable for your horse.
The thicker the padding under your jumping saddle or dressage saddle, the more comfortable your horse will be, right? Not always. This can be true in some cases, but in other scenarios thicker padding can exacerbate or create issues.
Think of padding in terms of shoes and socks. If your shoes are too big for your feet, thicker socks can take up room and make them feel better, remove friction, and prevent blisters and chafing. But if your shoes are too small, thicker socks are the last thing you want to put on, they’ll only squeeze your feet more.
For example, if your dressage saddle is too wide for your horse, thicker padding may help as long as it is applied strategically. But if your dressage saddle is too narrow, you’ll only make it feel tighter by adding more padding. Thicker padding also lifts the saddle farther away from the horse’s back, which can lead to balance and slippage problems and reduce your connection and communication with your horse.
Myth #2: If you need to use a shim, your saddle doesn't fit.
Jumping saddles and dressage saddles are designed to be symmetrical, with equal balance front and back and side to side. However, like humans, horses are not built symmetrically. They can have imbalances due to the way they move, their conformation, or health/hoof issues.
Consider this scenario: your jumping saddle may fit almost perfectly, except in your horse’s right shoulder, which is under-developed because of an old injury. In this case, a shim can fill in the gap and re-balance the jumping saddle while you work with your physical therapist and vet to correct the imbalance.
In this scenario, the shim helped correct the saddle fit. However, a shim should not be used to correct major issues with your saddle, like being too low in the cantle or being generally too wide. A qualified saddle fitter should always help you decide where to place shims. A shim in the wrong spot may worsen existing issues.
Myth #3: It’s more important that the saddle fits the horse, not the rider.
Many riders think that saddles must fit the horse, but pretty much any rider can ride in any saddle as long as the seat size is correct. While it’s noble to prioritize your horse’s fit, an ill-fitting saddle for the rider can also have serious consequences.
Riding in a saddle that doesn’t fit you can lead to overcompensating within your position and creating bad habits like leaning forward or backwards, swinging legs forward or backwards, and being generally unbalanced. Riders can do a lot to minimize the impact of being unbalanced, but the horse will still suffer as a result of poor riding.
When the rider is unbalanced, the horse has to compensate. This can lead to problems such as poor muscling and increases the risk of injury. Whether you have a jumping saddle or a dressage saddle, all saddles must fit both horse and rider for optimal performance and to prevent injuries from poor riding and poor saddle fit. Remember, the saddle is there to help you ride your best. If your saddle doesn’t fit both you and your horse, you’re going to spend your ride fighting with your equipment instead of improving your riding.
Myth #4: The more expensive the saddle, the better it will be.
Many people believe that the more expensive the saddle, the better. These same riders often look down on equestrians who can’t afford the “trendiest brand” on the market.
The simple truth is that the best saddle is the one that fits you and your horse.
This could be a second hand $800 saddle or it could be the latest and most fashionable brand name. In reality, there are many brands manufacturing high-quality saddles today at an affordable price, like Henri de Rivel saddles, which average around $1,000 in price. These are affordable saddles made from high-quality leather designed to withstand the test of time.
For example, take a look at this HDR jumping saddle– the Covered Pro Concept Close Contact Saddle. Great for any jumping discipline, this saddle features a medium deep seat, narrow twist, and forward flaps to keep you secure over any fence, no matter how high.
To learn more, visit the Henri de Rivel saddle collection online.