# How high can you jump with a dressage saddle



## Girl girly (Oct 21, 2012)

The horse I ride only has a dressage saddle that fit her because she is a bigger built because she is a Canadian. So I was just wonding how high you could jump without it bring unsafe. I have jump her like 2 foot before.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

I have never ridden in a dressage saddle, so I can't really answer that, but I am wondering if you could not purchase a CC or jump saddle if you plan on jumping regularly? Maybe I am misunderstanding your post but I have a larger mare and I'm not limited to what type of saddle I can use? Get a saddle fitter out and I am sure you can find a proper saddle to jump in =)


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## Girl girly (Oct 21, 2012)

I do not own the horse so I really do not want to buy a saddle for her. Since I will be jumping in my lesson and sometime in my practice rides I was wonding about how high would be safe?


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## EponaLynn (Jul 16, 2013)

Girl girly said:


> I do not own the horse so I really do not want to buy a saddle for her. Since I will be jumping in my lesson and sometime in my practice rides I was wonding about how high would be safe?


I'd ask your insturctor as she's most familiar with the situation.


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## Girl girly (Oct 21, 2012)

Ok I will do that


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

Jumping in a dressage saddle isn't "unsafe" it just isn't as comfortable as with an event or jumping saddle where the seat is not as deep. We have a trainer that schools the horse in dressage in a dressage saddle and than will pop over a 3 foot+ fence as a simple afterthought..it is all in the rider's balance.

There are even dressage tests out there, the Prix Caprillis, that have jumping within the test...granted the fences aren't extremely high, max is 2'9 I think, but the tests are most likely going to be ridden in a dressage saddle.


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## Girl girly (Oct 21, 2012)

Ok that good to know. I heard some where it was unsafe


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

For a bigger fence the stirrups need to be shorter, and at some point the knee would be over the knee role (unless of course you have a more traditional dressage saddle w/o them). I jump up to about 3' -3'6" before I worry about it.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

It is unsafe if the rider isn't well balanced. A Dressage saddle has straight flaps on it, as opposed to the forward cut with knee rolls on a jumping saddle. The reason a jumping saddle is forward cut, is to allow the rider to shorten the stirrups and use the leg to balance instead of the seat. This allows the rider to get out of the saddle and 'fold' over jumps.
In a Dressage saddle, you can't yank up your stirrups because your knees will go over the flap. Then you have no support for your leg, and therefore your balance is going to be severely effected. 

For people who are extremely well balanced and are able to ride with Dressage length stirrups over a jump, then this is not an issue. For someone who really needs to use their leg for balance over jumps, they are going to come unstuck. That's where the 'unsafe' aspect comes in. 

If you just want to pop over a few little jumps, a Dressage saddle will be fine. If you're wanting to jump bigger, then you're best to invest in a umping saddle. I wouldn't buy a jump saddle to compete in Dressage, and a jump rider wouldn't buy a Dressage saddle to compete in jumping.


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## Girl girly (Oct 21, 2012)

Ok thank you


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

It depends on the saddle, but my experience with my dressage saddle is that the rather large knee blocks are incredibly uncomfortable when jumping even smaller cross rails.


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## Viranh (Apr 7, 2013)

I popped over about 2'6" unintentionally while trying a horse two weeks ago. I was using my dressage saddle because it fit the horse better, and we went over a trail obstacle set up in the arena. I wasn't uncomfortable and managed to get in a passable two point for the stirrup length, so it can definitely be done. I don't think I'd do it on purpose, but if I was caught out on the trail and needed to make a small jump, I wouldn't feel unsafe. (Or if I'm trying random TB's that like to jump more than I realized)

If you're thinking you might encounter something that you have to jump riding out, a dressage saddle will be fine. If you are taking lessons and jumping in an arena, it depends a little on your experience and balance as a rider, but I think it's worth getting an older inexpensive jumping saddle. The balance of the saddle is completely different. Particularly if you haven't jumped before, it would be good to have as much help as you can get from the tack.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

As others have said, it's not inherently unsafe at any height. It only becomes unsafe if you can't ride effectively, which is dependent on your saddle, your balance and your position. 

I've probably jumped to around 3ft in a dressage saddle. If I was going to get serious about it though, I'd buy a CC saddle.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

I have jumped 1.10m with a dressage saddle.
Would I do it again? HELL NO.

If you are looking at doing jumping and dressage on a regular basis, it may be worth looking in to changing your saddle for a GP which will be more suitable.

If you are looking to pop a few small jumps every now and again, your saddle fits and you feel secure.. keep the dressage


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## MudPaint (Aug 14, 2010)

An experience rider with a well developed/educated seat can easily jump in a dressage saddle because they already have the balance and leg developed to stay in place. 

I'd caution against a person learning to jump in a dressage saddle as you will have to try doubly hard to keep your leg still. It may cause you to come loose or learn bad habits like pinching at the knee and swinging your lower leg back. 

If you can't use a different saddle, I would only jump in lessons.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Up until this summer I only had a dressage saddle, and while I'm not an experienced jumper by any stretch of the imagination I would have jumping play days in said dressage saddle. Since I wasn't planning on going anywhere in a jumping career I wasn't too concerned about my positioning provided that it was stable. 

I only would go up to about two feet, but I'd only jump a little higher than that anyway regardless of the saddle type. My piece of advice would be not to tackle anything crazy, shorten your stirrups, and don't be afraid to let your knee go beyond the knee roll/block. If you have one of those dressage saddles with ginormous blocks then I wouldn't even try it beyond something teeny. Your leg will be held back behind you, and there's no way you could have a stable position with your legs back there. 

If you plan on doing any serious jumping then I would look into acquiring a cheap, but reasonably good quality CC or perhaps an AP saddle. Nowadays plain flap saddles are out of style, and I regularly see reasonably quality saddles such as collegiates, crosby, etc with plain flaps going in the $200 range- even lower if the saddle is "well-loved". I got my Collegiate (with knee rolls and blocks- I didn't want something without) for $170 with fittings because of a small tear in the seat. I don't do anything that I wasn't doing in my dressage saddle, but if I know I'm going to be fooling around over some jumps then I'll pop it on and I feel somewhat more stable. If you keep your eye open for a good deal and use the dressage saddle in the meantime you can always resell if you need to once you are no longer with this horse.


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## ptvintage (Feb 12, 2010)

I used to jump exclusively with only a dressage saddle. It's the only saddle I had at the time. At the time, I managed, and really I guess I didn't care since I kept jumping in it with no issues, and never once got punched in the crotch. Heck, I even did a dinky cross country cross in it, consisting of logs and stone walls. I never jumped more than about 3 ft though.

Then a few years went by, and I got an actual jumping saddle. Rode in that exclusively for at least a year. One day I decided to ride in my old dressage saddle. Tried to jump in it. Got a stomach full of leather, got knocked forward... all areas of the seat where rammed by the saddle. 

So in conclusion, yes, you could jump in a dressage saddle. It just isn't as easy, and the saddle does not help your position at all. If it's all you have, it's not the end of the world. Just be careful with your body so you don't get smacked. 

Jumping in a dressage saddle ~10 years ago
https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/96_516710790952_246_n.jpg


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## Girl girly (Oct 21, 2012)

I do have some jumping experience and my trainer say that right now I am looking better then I did in a jumping saddle. So I was just wonding if it was unsafe but I see that it's safe. So thank you so much for posting something


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