Make Sure Your Jumping Saddle Fits You, Too

Once you are in the balance point, have your coach or a friend push your foot up until she has formed a 90-degree angle behind your knee. You should now feel that the knee roll is in front of your knee. If your knee is over the knee roll or more than two inches behind the knee roll, the saddle does not fit you.

The relationship between the balance point and the shape of the flap is complex, and we need to think about it for a moment. The shape of a dressage saddle's flap is quite straight due to the deep leg position we need for dressage. When we ride with long stirrups, the saddle's balance point should be just behind the stirrup bars. As we shorten our stirrups for jumping, the balance point of the saddle must move farther back—and the shape of the flap must be shorter and more forward if we are to remain in balance in the saddle.

Another factor that will affect the fit of your saddle is the length of the flap relative to your leg. I have always wanted a supple, thin, sensitive connection between my leg, my saddle and my horse, so I am very aware of the feel that all my saddles give me in my calf area—especially my show-jumping and cross-country saddles. As the length of the stirrup shortens, the length of the saddle flap also should shorten, or your saddle will interfere with your lower leg connection. The flap should extend only about 9 inches below the point where the inside of your knee connects with the flap.

This is a 2-pound flat racing saddle. It is really just a steel arch with stirrup bars to attach your leathers. It is not designed for the rider to sit down on as jockeys ride the entire race in what we call a two-point. The next time you watch jockeys ride around the saddling enclosure before they are led down to the post, take a look at their thighs as they sit on these.

Now a word on knee rolls: Although many saddle designs are advertised to give additional "security" because they are padded in various places, more knee roll (or other padding) does not necessarily mean more stability. The only things I want between my knee and my horse's shoulder are two supple pieces of leather and a soft fleece pad. In fact, if there is a lot of knee roll directly under your knee, it will make your knee turn out, cause your lower leg to pivot backward and interfere with your feel of your horse.

Make sure the knee roll stops at the point of your knee. If the knee roll continues down and around toward your shin, it will cause your lower leg to slip back. Especially when you land over a jump, you want your knee and thigh to fit under a small ledge formed by the knee roll, not to have a large knee roll pressing back on the point of your knee as you land. As for "rear thigh blocks" located behind the rider's leg, I see them on saddles all the time and I dislike them. They're especially bad for cross-country because they interfere when you jump up big banks—your lower leg can't remain vertical to the ground because the block interferes.

Finally, a word on saddle size: The seat-size measurement given for a saddle (for example, 17 inches) does not mean much when it comes to trying one out. The width of the tree is a much more important measurement because it tells you how the saddle will fit your horse. Use seat size as a general guideline, but also make sure to perform the saddle-fit exercise I described above.

This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.