What Size English Saddle for a Child

Allowing your child to ride in the English traditions means finding a saddle that not only fits the horse, but also fits your child. The size of your child's saddle depends on the English discipline she chooses to ride, writes Judith Draper and colleagues in "The Ultimate Book of the Horse and Rider."

  1. Types

    • Jumping saddles come with smaller saddle flaps, and lower pommels and cantles (fronts and backs) than dressage saddles because of the rider's half-seat stance in which the body is positioned standing slightly in the stirrups and over the horse's neck. The larger seat of the dressage saddle, along with longer leg flaps, accommodates the rider's deeper seat and long, straight leg.

    Sizing

    • When your child sits in the English saddle, he should be able to see two to three inches of pommel in front of his crotch and place four fingers between the back of his bottom and the cantle, advises veterinarian Joyce Harman in "The Horse's Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book."

    Warning

    • A saddle that is too large or too small for your child causes them to balance incorrectly, and be liable for falls and possible injury, warns Susan E. Harris in "The U.S. Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship."