# English saddle for gaited horse



## Trinity Ridge (Nov 27, 2013)

I trail ride a single foot speed racking horse. Generally I ride in an endurance saddle. But ive been thinking about trying an English style saddle. I'm looking for suggestions. I know next to nothing about English saddles or riding.


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

Here's a photo of mine. We used to call them "flat saddles". They were used almost exclusively on gaited horses. You'll more often see them with a cutout at the pommel to accommodate high withers. 



Many folks like the Buena Vista or plantation saddle. I'll try to find a pic of that.


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

buena vista saddle images - Bing Images


----------



## Trinity Ridge (Nov 27, 2013)

Thanks for the reply...

I'm very familiar with the buena vista. My first horse was a Morgan and I used a buena vista on her. 
I've seen saddles like the English one you posted. Would a saddle like this work on horse that can rack 25-30 mph? 
How about on mountainous trails, a lot of up and down terrain?


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

The flat saddle works pretty well on those saddlebreds that fly around the arena. It's built to put the rider back a little farther than other saddles, and for that straight legged style common for gaited horse riders. 

For mountain trails, you'd have to be the judge. Mine has almost no padding on the seat. None of the modern ones I've seen have much of a cantle to them. I don't recall seeing any with attachment points for breast straps. The old, old ones, built in the 1700's and 1800's were for riding in more varied terrain. They tended to have a pretty good cantle on them. You can look for a repro made by Stuart Lilie. He was, and may still be a saddler in Colonial Williamsburg. Fair warning, those ain't cheap!


----------



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I'd go with a deep seated dressage saddle as it is more comfortable than the flat saddleseat which would give little rider support on the trails. Saddleseat is fine on fairly flat land but if you're riding hills the dressage will keep you from sliding forward or back. The endurance is a bit of a spin-off of dressage.


----------



## Trinity Ridge (Nov 27, 2013)

On a racking horse you ride with your legs straight and forward. Some folks ridiculously lean way back. I'm not that extreme, but still .....

Is the dressage or the cutback more appropriate for this style of riding


----------



## Trinity Ridge (Nov 27, 2013)

How would u size an English saddle? 

I'm 5'8. 175 lbs. I'm guessing a 20" -21" saddle???


----------



## Natasha55 (Aug 12, 2014)

Trinity, that would be humungus. Your about 80 kilo so I'm guessing you be in a 16.5" or a 17" 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

How to measure seat size on an English saddle | EquestrianHow2

Hope this helps.


----------



## Trinity Ridge (Nov 27, 2013)

From what I've been reading a cutback flat saddle is big. One source even said they start out at 21" and other types of English saddles are about 2" larger than a western 
Am I misunderstanding something??

My endurance saddle is 16 "


----------



## Trinity Ridge (Nov 27, 2013)

Saddlebag said:


> I'd go with a deep seated dressage saddle as it is more comfortable than the flat saddleseat which would give little rider support on the trails. Saddleseat is fine on fairly flat land but if you're riding hills the dressage will keep you from sliding forward or back. The endurance is a bit of a spin-off of dressage.


Would the dressage keep me too centered? I know this is fine typically even for gaited horses, but when racking at a fast clip it's nice to lean back,sit on your back pockets and slide your legs forward.


----------



## Idrivetrotters (Jan 5, 2013)

First, sitting on your pockets is not correct for the rack, it only puts the horse in a hollow frame and sets the horse up for a sore back. You can still rack in a centered seat even speed racking. The more centered you are the better the horse can balance and use their whole bodies properly.

Second, a saddleseat saddle is only for the show ring and is not at all supportive for either you or the horse on trails. I would highly recommend either a dressage saddle or an all purpose saddle although they will put you in a more forward seat than you are used to so you may not find it very comfortable.

Endurance saddles run the same way as most English saddles and good luck with the saddle hunt!


----------

