How to Choose the Right Saddle for Your Horse?

We all know how good of a sport horse riding is, but in order to safely ride a horse, there is some equipment that you may require. A saddle is one of the essential tools that provide safety, comfort and ease to the rider as well as the animal. Popularly, you can find the best saddles online at the best cost but before that, learn how to choose the right saddle for your horse.

So, give it a thought before you buy a saddle!

It can be a bit of a task; first, choose the saddle and then confirm if it’s the proper fitting as per your horse. The management can even be more challenging for new riders and their horses. Likewise, you need to look for a perfectly fitting saddle alongside other minor details. Also, keep a minimum budget, so you don’t spend too much on a saddle.

Read Also: Shopping Guide for Leather Horse Saddle Bags!

What Type of Saddle to buy?

The foremost thing that you can keep in your mind is that a horse saddle is one item that can be relatively more expensive than the rest of the other tools. It won’t be wrong to say that a saddle is the second most expensive thing after your horse! Therefore, always give much thought to buying saddles online – at the best price and quality.

Now, the first thing you must be clear about is what type of saddle you want to purchase. It’s evident that a rider will buy a saddle as per their riding discipline. Therefore, they first need to confirm the main category – English Saddle or Western Saddle. Under these two classes of saddles, many other sub-categories include – dressage saddle, jumping saddle, and several others.

Here are a few points that you can consider –

• The first thing that any rider looks for is the saddle fitting, its look and shape, and lastly, whether it actually fits on the horse.
• Most riders prefer to buy trail saddles or jumping saddles. Also, these days’ people are purchasing fewer all-around saddles for various reasons.
• For those who prefer to have proper balance with the high jump, they may look for a dressage saddle as a good option.

Importance of choosing the Right Saddle

Points to consider before choosing the right saddle for your horse –

• If your saddle is not fitted correctly on the horse, that’s the leading cause of why some horses start to behave differently.
• There can be specific attributes of the horse that may define the discomfort. More so, it includes – horses not moving freely, stopping at fences, refusing to move, etc.
• When the saddle is not properly fitting, the horse may start biting its girth. Also, it may start running away, and you won’t be able to put the saddle on its back.
• A saddle that’s badly fit will show ruffle hair under the saddle on the horse’s back. In addition, your horse can be sweating too much, and you must pay attention to all these signs.

Moreover, if your horse is not behaving improperly, you can certainly sit on the saddle. Also, remember to get your saddle checked once every year for its maintenance and expanding life span.

See More: Are Saddles Not Good for Horses?

Factors to consider for Right Saddle selection

It’s quite exciting to buy a saddle online once you know all the essential aspects. But, as we know, there are several options available for choosing different saddle and their brands. So one thing you can do is choose the saddle you want and compare its essential terms afterward.

Some of the factors that lay more emphasis include –

• Size of the saddle: It’s essential to know if the saddle that you are choosing is of the right size or not. The commonly available saddles range from 15’ to 19’ depending upon the rider’s fit. Also, some riders may require a 17’ or 18’ saddle for their desired riding purpose. To sum up, it’s highly impactful for you to choose the right saddle that fits you and the Horse correctly. If you are unable to fulfill the task by yourself, you can also take help from a saddle fitter.
• Its Tree size: Now, this one can be a bit more professional and requires deep knowledge of a saddle fitter. Just beneath the saddle is your saddle tree that needs to be correctly fitted in the acute size and measurements of the saddle. Also, in this, you need to measure where the Horse’s rib cage ends in order to accommodate the saddle adequately.
• Style of saddle: As you have the proper measurements of the Horse’s saddle, now you can choose the style of your saddle. For example, the most popular saddles of all time can be – all-purpose saddles, jumping saddles, dressage saddles, and many others. Meanwhile, you can select the one that’s more desirable for your taste and requirement.

Difference between Leather saddle & Synthetic saddle 

In the past, people were not so much into synthetic materials; due to their bright colors and unfinished looks. Now that material is really in use for various reasons. Talking in terms of synthetic saddles, they are hardly any different from leather ones. Hence, many people are purchasing them for their low cost and maintenance.

Still, many people are more inclined towards buying a leather saddle for their goodwill. More so, they last for even a decade, and with time, the texture of leather saddles improves a lot. Similarly, it’s also essential to be careful while choosing a leather saddle. The reason can be that it’s hard to differentiate between real and faux leather with leading technology. Thus, if you invest so much money in a leather saddle, make sure it’s high quality.

Conclusion

With all these tips and suggestions, we request horse riders take good care of their horse and its saddle. Also, if you are looking to buy saddles online, you can definitely refer to our website for various products. More so, if everything is in place, there will be no issue with the saddle.

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https://horsesaddleshop.org/treeless-english-saddle/
https://horsesaddleshop.org/different-types-of-horse-saddles/
https://horsesaddleshop.org/how-to-measure-a-horse-saddle/