Comparison of English Saddles

Choosing the type of English you need can be as easy as deciding which discipline you ride, but even amongst disciplines you can find some variations. The most important thing to consider as you compare English saddles is to decide what saddle best fits your needs. Whether you do some (or a lot of) jumping, work at fast speeds or concentrate on flatwork will decide what characteristics are most important in the saddle you ride in.

  1. Dressage

    • A dressage saddle is good for riding on the flat only. The long, straighter flap of the dressage saddle enables the rider to use a longer stirrup, which allows the rider's leg to better communicate with the horse. The deeper seat allows closer contact with the horse's back, also for better communication, and helps the rider keep a correct position. The knee rolls (the padding at the front of the saddle flap) under the flaps are often generous.

    Jumping Saddles

    • The most important aspect of a jumping saddle is that the flap is shaped to extend over the horse's shoulders. This, along with the shorter flap, keeps the rider's stirrup length shorter so that the rider's center of gravity can shift forward with the horse's center of gravity (which is around the horse's shoulders during galloping and jumping). Some jumping saddles have deeper seats and larger knee rolls than others, with the deeper-seated saddles being preferred by foxhunters, eventers and show-jumpers. These disciplines all tend to have higher fences and faster speeds than show hunters, which tend to prefer a flatter-seated jumping saddle with smaller knee rolls (often called a "close contact" jumping saddle). However, some foxhunters, eventers and show jumpers prefer a close contact-style saddle.

    All-Purpose Saddles

    • All-purpose, or general-purpose, saddles are similar in design to deep-seated jumping saddles, but are shaped to have slightly longer and straighter flaps to allow the rider to do some flatwork as well. These saddles may also have even deeper seats than jumping saddles. This is the preferred saddle type in Pony Club, and is used in lower-level eventing and by some foxhunters.

    Show Saddles

    • The saddles used on American Saddlebreds and similar breeds in saddleseat competitions are called show saddles, cut-back saddles or Lane Fox saddles. These are very flat saddles with no knee rolls, and often have the pommel placed very far back so the horse's shoulders can move in a way that create the exaggerated knee action seen in the arena. This design came about so the riders can sit very far back, also to allow the high knee action.

    Racing Saddles

    • The lightest of all English saddles, racing saddles are designed with very forward-shaped flaps and flat seats. The very forward flaps allow the incredibly short stirrups of jockeys so that they can balance over the horse's center of gravity. Steeplechase saddles are slightly larger and heavier than flat racing saddles to support the jockey more during jumping.

    Endurance Saddles

    • Though some endurance riders choose to ride in all-purpose, dressage, western or Australian saddles, there are English saddles designed specifically for endurance racing. These saddles are shaped similarly to all-purpose saddles, but may have more and larger "dee" rings (the D-shaped metal pieces that hang off the saddle's front or under the seat) for attaching trail equipment. The seat may offer more support for the rider during long rides, and the flap may be slightly longer and less forward to allow for a longer stirrup length, since endurance riders do very little jumping.