# Best type of English saddle for trail riding?



## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

Depends on your mom's "conformation". I like trail riding in a dressage saddle as long as it doesn't have killer blocks. My hips get tight, so I like to be able to pull my legs up sometimes to ease the tension. As of right now I ride trails in my AP saddle. It lets me get up for steep hills, lets me adjust my irons however I need to that day. 
It is very much reliant on rider preference. I would just go sit in a whole bunch, and see if you can try a few. Ideally on the trail where you can experience hills and different positions to see what is best for your mom.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Most people I know who trail ride English do so in a dressage saddle. 

They also make English trail saddles:









Are you going to Tack Solutions by Leslie, by change? ;-)

FWIW, I never felt like my Aussie saddle put me in a chair seat or forced my legs out in front of me. I've felt like that in western saddles before, but never my Aussie.


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## Prairie (May 13, 2016)

As others have said, it depends on your mother's conformation and preferences. The best English saddle is the one that fits both horse and rider and is comfortable for both! 


We usually ride on challenging trails scrambling up and down buttes, crossing flowing rivers, and blazing our own trails. If I ride English on these trails, I grab my CC --- it's a good fit for our mare and comfy for me plus I can jump in it if the opportunity arises.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

I have ridden in a variety of english saddles on trail. Our current saddles are Rubicons by Arabian Saddle Company. I guess they would count as APs, though they have a deep seat, slightly longer flap, and added D rings. [We don't normally use the front and back packs together, but this was my saddle as rigged for Tevis. I can't find any other pics atm.]












I agree with Drafty that you should have your mom go sit in a bunch as see how she feels. I have had both aussie and english saddles put me into a chair seat if the stirrup bars are too far forward (this is generally a function of the rider's thigh length).


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

Hopefully, she can test ride her new saddle for a bit before she has to commit. I have ridden in a saddle seat cutback saddle out on trails (and team penning, people thought I'd lost my mind) and dressage and a close contact jumping saddle. Gotta say, I preferred the saddle seat saddle to ALL of them. But I'm in love with my western saddle, so sold all the rest.


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

Yup, the plan is to try out a bunch and see what she likes. My cheap saddle (somewhere between a close contact and saddleseat look) has almost no padding on the seat and definitely makes me feel less secure than my dressage. She liked it though. She also really liked my dressage.

I'm thinking for her purposes she will probably end up with a dressage. She does have very long legs and I've seen her ride in an aussie before. That did put her into a chair seat. That's why I will be steering her away from the saddles with the flaps that are very far forward. She is not used to having her legs crunched up into a jump seat and has no need to ride that way, so those won't work for her.

We went riding the other night and she came off for the first time in I think two years (she was fine. It was like a slow-mo fall off the side of the horse, lol. she took it very well!). Just reaffirmed what I have told her, no saddle can really hold you in, its about your balance!

Phantom, that is a very nice saddle. IMO, its closer to dressage than all purpose, especially since the billets are so long.

Drafty, yes it is Leslies :wink: I have seen those specified english trail saddles, but rather than order online I always prefer to be able to actually sit in the saddle. They make saddlebags to fit on english that don't have dees, and mom doesn't plan on doing endurance, so I think she will be ok with a regular english.

Here is the shop website if anyone's curious. But as I said, we are not ordering online, going to the shop to try them out.

Tack Solutions By Leslie


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Me in one of my Aussie-style saddles:










That is a DownUnder Campdraft, a model they no longer sell. Riding their current version, the "Master Campdraft":










My leg in my current western roping saddle (although I don't rope):










It isn't the saddle TYPE that will cause a chair seat, but the fit on both horse and rider. Certainly a saddle that slopes down to the front will tend to cause a chair seat, but that is bad saddle fit on the horse. And the wrong size saddle for a rider can do the same thing.

BTW - if a rider starts to lose their balance to one side, a horn CAN be a good and simple fix. Been there, done that.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

I've always wanted to go to Leslie's!


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

I am super duper happy from our tack shopping trip. I've only been to Leslies one other time, when I bought my saddle.

For me, I got a fleece lined saddle cover, the slip on type, so I can put it on and ride with it for trail rides to protect my saddle, as dear Shan has acted stupid more than once and put a scratch on my Niedersuss! Then I got a dually halter. It looks like it has similar action to a sidepull, so I'm going to try it out for riding with, but at the very least it will cut back my haltering time as I won't need to stop and put the stud chain on. Then my mother was very sweet and bought me beautiful soft laced reins, which I am in love with.

Mom tried out several different saddles. Not as many as I would have liked her to, but quite a few. She decided to go dressage. One of her things was that she didn't want a black saddle since it wouldn't match her brown bridle (lol). I told her that the fit and comfort was more important, but it worked out anyway. I found a brown Niedersuss dressage that is 3 years older than mine (23). It is very well worn, but the leather does not have any spongy or dry areas and was very well taken care of! My own Niedersuss was over oiled by the previous owner, so now has stretch billets and two spongy seat patches. I was very happy for my mother that the saddle only showed normal wear.

I made sure that this was the saddle she wanted, and said that I am biased to Niedersuss as I have one lol. She did try out a stubben and said she could feel her seat bones too much in it so she didn't like it. Several saddles, and she liked the Niedersuss best. After she made her choice, I sat in it and said "oh my gosh, I think this is even more comfortable than mine!". I love that squishy armchair feel. I know not everybody does, but I do!

Then she got bell boots, cantle bag, english breast collar (I would say martingale, but I believe its only a martingale when it has the rein attachments), girth, irons and leathers of course.

Get to try out the saddle tonight. I can't wait! I get so excited, when its not even for me, lol. I could spend all day in the tack shop. That's the only kind of shop I can spend all day in, I hate clothes shopping, lol!


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Dang! I'm gonna have to come down there some time and we'll go there!


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

That would be awesome, Drafty! I got a GREAT deal on these reins. They are buttery soft and pleasant to hold and look practically brand new. They were $17! That doesn't even cover the cost of the leather used to make them. So yes, I am very happy. Used stuff is awesome! 
Most of the stuff is an average deal, BUT if you look around there is some awesome stuff that they have priced down because its been there so long. Hence these reins. BTW, I am totally jealous of my mom's fully adjustable martingale.

The only time I sound like a girl about shopping is when it comes to tack, lol!


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

My everyday saddle is a dressage saddle, I prefer them most out of the English saddles for all purposes.

Slightly off topic fact - you can, at least in Australia, get Australian stock saddles that put you in a dressage position. They're generally called a halfbreed saddle so they are a Western/Australia hybrid but the fenders on some of them hang back a little so you ride in a dressage seat.


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## horseluvr2524 (Sep 17, 2013)

I've always loved Aussies for comfort. I used to have one, but it reinforced my bad riding position so I got rid of it (and it didn't fit horse quite right).
I wonder what it is about Aussies that make them so darn comfortable? (after my dressage saddle... :grin


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