Getting great saddle fit for dressage riders: understanding seat size and shape
We spend a lot of time worrying about getting saddle fit just right for our horses, but what about great saddle fit for you? No matter how skilled your trainer or friends are, the chances that you will love a saddle that’s comfortable for them are no better than 50%. These posts explore the elements of saddle fit for riders, and will help you understand the features a saddle must have to fit your body.
When it comes to seat size and shape, here are the most important areas that vary widely from saddle to saddle:
Sitting room. Different from seat size, which is measured diagonally from the head nail at the side of the pommel to the center of the cantle, “sitting room” refers to the space from the pommel to the cantle. When you have the right amount of sitting room, you will be able to sit behind the pommel without undue pressure against your pubic bone, and you’ll feel the saddle’s rise to the cantle, but you won’t feel restrained. Being supported by the saddle means that you have security; being restrained means that you are wedged into the saddle in a way that makes it impossible for you to move your hips and pelvis, and once your hip joints don’t move, your horse’s back won’t either. When the saddle is the right size, you will feel that you sit IN it (not “on” it). Try to select seat size by feel, not by the size of the saddle, just the way you would select a pair of pants.
Slope to the seat. Understanding the floor of your pelvis is a key part of getting comfortable in the saddle. If you have a high pubic bone set, then you will need a saddle with a good deal of slope to the rise from the seat to the pommel, and you may be comfortable with a balance point that is slightly to the rear of center. Conversely, if you have a low set pubic bone, you will need a longer flat spot before the rise to the pommel in order to avoid banging or rubbing your crotch. If you’re not sure, sit on the very edge of a bench or other flat surface, and see how many fingers you can slide underneath your pubic bone; the range will be from zero to about four, depending on the size of your hands, of course. Choose a saddle seat slope appropriately.
Sitting Platform. Saddle seats are not all created equally. The platform that you sit on is defined by the shape of the saddle tree in your saddle, and also by the techniques that master saddlemakers use to build the seat. Saddles made on plastic or carbon fiber trees cannot be changed much or at all, but saddles built on conventional beechwood laminate trees can be modified extensively. To assess the sort of seat that you need, you must understand a bit about your seat bones (technical name: ischial tuberosities), and how you sit on them. Most of us sit on the rear branch of these bones, which can be more than 6” across. If you have narrow seat bones (most men, and some women), you’ll need a narrow sitting platform, and if you sit on a wide one, you’ll feel ridges at the outside of your thighs, and you might even feel stretched from side to side. On the other hand, if you have wide seatbones (like many women do), then a narrow seat will feel like you’re sitting on a 2” x 4” board, and it might even feel like it has sharp edges. Think of your pubic bone as the front of your own personal triangle, and your seat bones as the two rear points. The shape of your triangle will help you select the right seat in a saddle.
The very best way to choose a saddle is to compare them. Now that you know what to look for, take this list and go on a saddle sitting journey to see what suits your body best! Of course, if you’re interested in an EQ Saddle Science experience, contact us and we’ll help define all these points with you.
Read Carmi’s other posts in this series to learn about the twist of the saddle, thigh blocks, adjustable stirrup bars, and lots more than affects rider comfort in the saddle.