Understanding the following terms can help you make an informed decision. Call our experts at 1.866.880.2121 to discuss your next Endurance Saddle purchase. Saddle is very innovative thanks to used technology and materials. The Western-style trail saddle weighs just 24.5 pounds and has a soft, double-padded seat for rider comfort; it sells for $1,695. No matter which type your horse has, be sure there’s no pressure there either before or after you ride. How to Choose a Horse for Endurance. A Western saddle is designed for long work days in the saddle, giving both the horse and the rider greater comfort for those long days. Horses of just about any breed, age or gender can be found in this category. Best Endurance Saddle. The T8 saddles incorporate the same model design features as the T4 saddles but are made with a quality leather seat, knee pads and trim with a synthetic underside. Produced with the participation of the best endurance riders. Go to www.cashelcompany.com/catalog. Check our latest endurance saddles reviews. That kind of repetitive concussion can contribute to soundness issues down the road.”, Likewise, some behavior problems may be traced to discomfort related to saddle fit problems. Getting a saddle to fit him was tough. How To Choose A Good Saddle That Fits You, Your Horse And Your Style Of Riding - Part 1. Prices range from $670 to $1,500. “Duett saddles are designed for difficult-to-fit horses,” says Temple, “especially those with wide backs.” Sizes range from a medium 32 cm wide to a super-sized 42 cm. Many endurance riders choose saddles that are semi-custom; that is, they select the tree size that best fits their horse and the seat size that best fits them. Our reviews and guidelines will help you to find the right one for your horse. We carry the best saddles, tack, and equipment for you and your horse, including conventional treed and treeless saddles from quality saddle makers. They usually do better with saddles that have V-shaped trees—but not always. King Series Synthetic Trail Saddle If you're looking for a high-quality synthetic saddle that's perfect for endurance or trail riding then this one from Kings Series is the one to choose. The company sends out nine saddle forms, and the customer photographs and videos the horse wearing the forms, both standing and in motion. Endurance rides can be any distance, though they are rarely over 160 km for a one-day competition. Specifically designed for high-withered horses, such as Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods, with tree and panels specially shaped to give maximum wither clearance. If the saddle is not soft and light for the horse and the rider, it might be a problem. The first thing that can make or break the race is the saddle. Many Thoroughbreds and their crosses, Appendix Quarter Horses and other athletic riding types sport high, sharp---“shark”---withers that make saddle fitting tough. You can find many saddle for gaited horses and you might find it hard to choose as they all seem good and suitable. Not all Western saddles are as good as they seem. In terms of size, they are designed to effortlessly balance the rider's position during trials. The saddles are made in the U.S.A., priced from the $500s to $1,000. [Disclaimer: EQUUS may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through links on our site. Best Saddle for Trail Riding. With the free weekly EQUUS newsletter, you'll get the latest horse health information delivered right to your in basket! Front gussets are an additional piece of leather stitched onto the front, which allows for more flocking in this area. Luxurious suede-effect seat covering and knee pads are non-slip and really comfortable to ride on. You have to ride with longer stirrups in an endurance saddle. The bar can be changed, as necessary, if your horse changes in size. “A more angular horse with hollows behind the shoulder does better in a tree with a longer point,” says Anderson. • Bars (rails on an English saddle) are the two strips that run parallel to your horse’s spine and are connected in front by the fork or pommel and in the back by the cantle. Finding saddles for the hard-to-fit horse can be a challenge. Some trees offer a little flare in back as well to allow for a croup-high horse. Get our FREE Informational DVD! But that’s an all-too-common mistake. There are a whole lot of different models out there, varying enormously in terms of comfort, support, size, and suitability for different riding conditions, and you might be missing out or even putting yourself or your horse in danger and discomfort by using the wrong one! Some horses have shark withers that drop off sharply. However, the endurance saddle is only suitable for endurance and long distance riding because the rider must ride long. Models available include Western trail, Cascade Wade, renegade endurance and plantation trail, with different design choices including leather color, skirting style, rigging options and tooling. The general rule of thumb is to pick a saddle that is shorter in length and/or has a round saddle skirt. • Collegiate Saddles offers hand-crafted leather saddles for a variety of English disciplines---including dressage, eventing and jumping---all with the Easy-Change Gullet System, which allows you to select a gullet bar that best fits your horse. Now that I live in Montana instead of the flatland (errr, I mean Heartland), I’m lucky enough to be invited on trail rides to some pretty majestic places.I know better than to head up a mountain without ensuring my equipment is up for the rough and tough demands of trail riding. • The Cashel Trail Saddle, made by Martin Saddlery, is built on the Axis saddletree, which features bars that curve away from the horse’s shoulder to avoid interference and stirrup leather cutouts along the bars to allow for even pressure along the back. They can be used for different types of riding. Depending on model and customization, prices range from $950 to $1,729. Although the seat is true to size, it offers a different feel to our Original GP and petite riders or those with narrower hips may feel it suits them better.This saddle is ideal for shorter backed, high withered horses and those with wide spinal processes. If you’re unsure what tree is in the saddle, ask the retailer or manufacturer. This saddle has a short panel design which allows it to fit short-backed horses, a great saddle to try on those notoriously difficult to fit Arab types. Endurance Riding requires specialized clothing, saddles, tack and gear to go long distances. As a race horse galloper in Spain, I rode 4-7 horses six days a week, and of the hour or so I was on each horse, only a few minutes would be at a canter or gallop (standing in the stirrups). In a Western saddle, look for a wide bar spread throughout, a substantial bar width (to offer better weight distribution) and a flatter bar angle. Prices start around $2,300. High-withered horses will benefit from models with thicker gussets and trapezius or K panels, which fill in hollow areas behind the shoulders. Endurance riding has been around for 59 years now. Horses with broad backs and low withers often do best with saddles that have hoop-shaped trees. His front and back conformation don’t seem to belong to the same horse. Here’s how to choose the right saddle for three equine body types that are especially hard to fit. Now let’s take a look at three of the most challenging equine physiques and saddle suggestions to fit them. There are many companies today that produce saddle pads. Visit www.trailridingsaddles.com. Minor imperfections in fit that may have little or no consequence during an hourof arena riding can cause significant soreness for both you and your horse after a day on the trail over varying terrain. Endurance riding is a great challenge for both horse and rider. DESERT LIGHT is a very lightweight and comfortable endurance saddle made of a special, non-absorbing moisture, material. High-withered horses will benefit from models with thicker gussets which fill in hollow areas behind the shoulders. Make sure your trusty trail steed is covered with the best western saddle pad. Sometimes that broad back crops up in other types, like Baroque horses or gaited breeds. The saddle you use will depend a great deal on your style of riding. The bar can be changed, as necessary, if your horse changes in size. However, an English endurance saddle is also built for longer riding. A broad-backed horse will probably take a wide saddle, but be aware that those with very wide twists can be uncomfortable for the rider, so be sure to look for saddle designs that fit you, too. And much of that discomfort can be traced to poor saddle fit.”, But if your horse has a hard-to-fit physique, you might be asking the question: "Is it even possible to achieve a good fit for him?". “Now, for the first time riders can monitor these changes and even do something about them.” Prices range from $1,220 to $2,999. )” “Hey! He looks like a bulldog from the front, with a concave pocket behind his shoulders and a fairly average back. And sometimes saddle slips occur even after you’ve tried every­thing to prevent them: riding in a wide saddle, using a nonslip girth and pulling the cinch as tight as your core strength allows. There is so much variation in this group that you’ll want to consult a certified saddle fitter or speak with a few manufacturer representatives to be sure. Fortunately, there are literally hundreds of variations in bar spread, flare, width, rock and length that can enable saddletrees to fit the contours of any equine back comfortably. Super-comfy deeper seat that gives you a little extra in-saddle security and locates you centrally. The saddles are designed with flaps that will help with jumping, hunts, and dressage. A straighter cut flap allows for the longer, more relaxed endurance leg position. Obviously, long hours of preparation and training go into every event. It's made with a durable, scratch resistant material making it great for trail riding. Yes, there are all sorts of horses whose shapes make finding the right saddle difficult, and there’s a lot at stake. Although we all know the basic types of equine conformation, horses are as individual as we are. Note that many round-barreled horses are also short in the back so consider round-skirted Western saddles over square skirts if that’s the case for yours. [For your bookshelf: The Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book][For your bookshelf: The Western Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book: Soundness and Comfort with Back Analysis and Correct Use of Saddles and Pads], “I’ve always compared saddle fit to shoe fit,” says Dawn Anderson, a saddle fitter certified by the Society of Master Saddlers in the United Kingdom. • Bates Saddles offers high-quality leather dressage, jumping, stock, Icelandic and all-purpose saddles outfitted with both the Easy-Change Gullet System, with interchangeable metal gullets, and the Easy-Change Riser System, which allows you to switch the pads in the saddle panel as needed to adjust the fit as the horse’s conformation changes. Prices range from $430 to $1,450. • Bar angle is comparable to the pitch on your barn’s roof. 9 Best Endurance Saddle -Reviews And Buying ... - horse mania A narrow saddle on this kind of horse will probably cause pain. For more information or to find a retailer, go to www.thorowgood.com. Of course, non-endurance riders experience these problems as well. Whether your horse is the full-figured type like a lot of Haflingers and Fjords or angular and athletic like many Thoroughbreds, or even if he’s one of those in-between horses who’s either still growing or has conformation that doesn’t fit the mold of the average horse—there’s a saddle out there to fit him. Custom saddles endurance riders prefer include those made by Kanavy Endurance Saddles, the ReactorPanel Saddle Company, Sharon Saare Saddles, Specialized Saddles, SR Saddle Company, and Synergist Saddles, Many of these horses have withers that taper into a broad, athletic back with a well-sprung rib cage. Top 5 Best Saddle for Trail Riding 1. Take a look at The Saddle Bank’s. • Bar rock or sweep refers to the amount of curve in the bars from front to back. Traditional panels are more straight, therefore do not offer the option of adding additional flocking to lift the saddle off the wither. “One never knows what one’s horse is going to do over the years, and having a saddle that can be converted to adapt to changing shapes, or even fit a different horse down the road, is a wonderful thing.”. Challenge 3: The in-between or immature horses. We've rounded up our best collection of endurance saddles. Prices range from $670 to $1,500. Some angles are narrow and steep; others are flat. Eat properly, and try to go into the event rested. ... riding in a wide saddle, ... which allows you to select a gullet bar that best fits your horse. Go to www.blackcountrysaddles.com. My own gelding, Cappy, certainly does. When riding with a Western saddle, you will use your seat more. • Barrel racing or gaited saddles, available from many makers, tend to offer ample clearance at the withers. The answer is a resounding “yes!” Over the last several years, innovations in saddle making have made it possible. The leather models feature short, rounded skirts for the short-backed horse. • Allegany Mountain Trail Saddles offers a fully customized fit, starting at around $1,350. The endurance saddle is very comfortable for both the horse and rider during long periods of riding. Go to www.americansaddlery.com. It’s *free*! All Rights Reserved, We are an online retailer in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, If you are interested in trialling a saddle to see if its suitable for your horse. That doesn’t make for a happy horse.”. Endurance riding is gaining in popularity in the horse world but as Endurance GB says it isn’t for the faint hearted, and it isn’t for the rider who doesn’t actually enjoy being in the saddle for long stretches!. A selection of brands that accommodate the high withered horse include; The High Wither Standard GP is generous for its size, with a roomy seat, deep rear gussets and a slight curvature in the tree. The saddle is made in the United Kingdom but is available through U.S. dealers, priced around $695. On the other side of the equation are those shark-withered Thorough­bred types who sprout white hairs even under a sky-high gullet. Thorowgood T8 Endurance Saddle. Saddle fit starts in the tree. Then a saddle will be built around the Steele tree that fits best. It can become a little confusing about which one to buy. “Some of my saddles, like the Fidelio dressage model, offer a more sloping pommel shape,” says Temple. Many Thoroughbreds and other athletic riding types sport high withers that make saddle fitting difficult. Don't miss out! And finally there are the in-betweens, like my Quarter Horse, Cappy. If the tree fits the contours of your horse’s back, everything else will fall into place. *Also see my post on the Best Bras for Riding Horses. (Compare carrying a sleeping child, to one that is awake.) Too wide and it could sit too low on your horse’s spine. This saddle is especially good for horses with an apex shaped back and is a good start up saddle for new riders. When you are just getting started with endurance racing, you want to choose a horse that is conformationally correct and sound. For that reason, your saddle search begins with a solid under­standing of tree shape and how it relates to saddle fit. “But sometimes ear pinning, tail swishing, teeth grinding, evasion of the bit, and even difficulty with upward and downward transitions can be linked to discomfort in the horse. https://mailchi.mp/3e71a72e8c92/the-saddle-bank-fitting-guide. Endurance Riding is one of our specialties! If you are not sure what saddle to try, get in touch with our friendly team via email info@thesaddlebank.com or. A saddle that pinches a horse’s shoulders or presses on his withers can have all sorts of negative effects. This is great for horses with high withers, as it can be flocked to lift up the front, eliminating pressure on the withers. Even wider trees can be special ordered. For endurance riding, you travel very light, with pit stops along teh way, so not the same as truly trail riding, which is also not the same as just riding out a bit I want awell made saddle, that allows close contact, with that twist , which has those stirrups already hanging correctly. “There are, of course, certain breeds that are consistently wide, like Fjords and Haflingers,” says Nancy Temple, of Duett Saddles, a Massachusetts-based saddle distributor of saddles to fit wide horses. These saddles are made in Walsall, England. 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