Understanding the twist in an English saddle, and how it relates to rider comfort
It’s my personal mission to help riders understand that they can and should have excellent saddle fit, and not just for their horses. If you compromise your own comfort, it will be difficult to sit in balance, or to give quiet and effective aids. It’s well worth your time to figure out the elements of saddle design that support your unique body, because the payoffs in actually riding better are real, and the twist is a crucial piece of that puzzle. All too often a rider gets used to a saddle that isn’t ideal, and doesn’t understand that riding could be much easier. I hope this post will help you determine if the twist of your saddle is delivering the support you need to be a balanced and effective rider.
First, a definition: the twist of the saddle is assessed at the area where the two seams that attach the seat to the skirts come closest together. Often those seams define the twist, but not always. In terms of your anatomy, the twist is under or slightly in front of your pubic bone, and it should support the tops of your thighs. It is also critically important to realize that the twist includes the swells of the skirts, which have a great deal to do with the support you will - or won’t - get for your inner thighs. There is no such thing as a standard twist; the shape of the twist is dictated largely by the shape of the saddle tree, but also can be modified, possibly a great deal, when a saddle is built.
So, it’s clear that there are major variances in the shapes of saddles’ twists and swells of skirts. Let’s hold on to that understanding for a minute, and take a look at the shapes of riders’ pelvises. The intention is to understand enough about the shapes of saddles and shapes of riders to be able to match them to each other.
There are four different types of pelvises, so four people of the exact same height and weight might need four different twists. This is dictated by the bodies we are born with, and not our riding ability. The chances are extremely low that any other rider can predict what saddle seat will fit you based on their own comfort, yet so many riders or trainers will try to tell you what’s comfortable. Finding a saddle seat that’s just right for you is an individual journey.
Why is the twist so important? Because the goal in riding is to sit in neutral pelvis (not tipped forward or back), and to internally rotate our thighs so that the flat of the inner thigh is against the horse. The twist of the saddle is key to optimizing the way that your thigh is supported, and to making sure that your leg falls comfortably around the barrel of the horse.
In the image below, the drawings represent four women of exactly the same height (and for this example, let’s presume the same weight). The differences in how their legs come out of their pelvis and hip sockets, combined with the shape of their thighs, means that they may each need a different twist in their saddles.
The shape of the pelvis and width of the hips combine with a rider’s thigh gap to create the angles of the thighs, and all these factors influence the optimal shape of the saddle’s twist for a given rider. To help relate these images to the way that riders might sit in the saddle, check out the drawings below.
Three riders with identical waists, hips, and thigh angles have different thigh gaps and differently shaped inner thighs:
Take a look at the saddle “shape” between the riders’ thighs. It would take three different twists to make each of these three riders maximally comfortable and functional. As a fun exercise, try to match the shapes of riders 1-4 with the space their inner thighs might create when they are on a horse (A, B, and C, above), and then with the twists of the three saddles!
What should you expect the twist of your saddle to deliver?
Support for your inner thighs
Comfort for your pubic bone
Mobility and comfort for your hip joints
Natural drape of your leg around the barrel of your horse (though the shape of the barrel has some responsibility here, too)
The ability for you to find and stay in neutral pelvis
Natural vertical alignment, with your heel underneath your hip.
If the twist is too narrow, or too wide, what happens to the rider’s body and position in the saddle?
If the twist is too narrow:
An excessive amount of the rider’s weight will go onto the pubic bone
The saddle may feel wide between or just above the knees
The lower leg may be unstable and the rider may feel insecure
If the twist is too wide:
The rider is likely to be put into chair seat, with the lower leg too far forward
There may be strain or pain in the hip joints
There may be tension in the gluteal muscles
If the area of the saddle is wide just behind the twist/directly between the rider’s thighs, there might be pain in the hip extensors or the psoas muscles.
Not all riders have shapes that require a seat modification or specially-fitted twist. Fitness, flexibility, and riding ability all have an effect on the way that we sit in the saddle, and may mitigate the need to precisely match your body to your saddle. Yet, when you simply can’t progress in your riding, it’s worth using this information to see if perhaps your saddle is preventing you from advancing your skills. I do a fair amount of rider biomechanics coaching, and it is extremely challenging (or sometimes impossible) to help a student who is hampered by the saddle design to the point that they can’t sit correctly or communicate quietly and effectively with their horses.
As always, if we can help you directly with your specific situation — or if you’d like to test an EQ science-based saddle — please reach out to our team of saddle experts.
Thanks for reading!