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Riding Saddles Guide – 4 Major Types of Riding Saddles You Need to Know About

There are numerous styles of horse riding saddles. What are the horse and rider trying to accomplish?  And, within each type, there are variations.

What you’ll learn is that there’s a REASON saddles differ from one another in the way they are structured. It is not merely an issue of style or fashion. It is a matter of utility.  Are they attempting to jump over a fence or rope a calf?  Saddles have developed over time to reflect the different things we do with horses.

There are four common kinds of horse riding saddles that you’ll most likely see in a riding stable. Be acquainted with their deviations and the reason they’re dissimilar.  Briefly, you are able to differentiate these saddles from each other by the way the appear.

The Hunt Seat saddle is utilized by riders who jump their horses.  They employ a shorter stirrup length when they are jumping and for this reason, these saddles have a forward-cut flap that has more cushioned knee rolls.

The Dressage saddle is configured with a very straight cut, long flap in front to suit the longer leg attitude that a dressage rider employs in their discipline, often with cushioning along the knee area and a very deep seat.

You’ll see the Cutback saddle (another English type saddle) utilized on horses with higher front leg action.  It is named for the cut back area in the pommel located at the withers to accommodate this shoulder action.  The seat is longer and flatter than either the Dressage or Hunt Seat saddle with virtually no cushioning in knee area, different than the other two just described.

At long last, we come to the Western saddle. This is a different animal from the three previously discussed saddles.  It was a war saddle, designed to suit a warrior on horseback.  At one time in this country, it transitioned from a military saddle into one used to oblige the demands of a working cattleman.

The most distinguishing difference with the Western Saddle is the presence of a horn which was used by cowboys to tie or dally a cow as they are keeping the herd.  And, since these saddles had to be substantial enough to handle another animal being tied to the horn, western saddles are bigger, stronger and more substantial than English saddles. Also, unlike the English saddles the stirrups are not detachable, so the stirrups are bulkier making it is unlikely that your foot would get hung or stuck.

Western saddles differ based on what they are used for. For example, Roping saddles have thicker horns for securing a rope. Cutting saddles have a deeper seat and wider swells allowing the rider to endure sharp stops and turns. Barrel racing saddles are more lightweight, with wide swells letting the horse perform fast sprints easier. And, of course, there is the western show saddle that is probably the most common.

There are plenty more kinds of great riding saddles, but this should get you started learning the basic horse riding saddles you will see in a boarding barn.

You can also see pictures and videos of these saddles for horses at the Horse And Rider Club site.  I hope this helps you make some decisions about the kind of saddle you want!

Lisa Blackstone
American Horse Association

www.HorseAndRiderClub.com

For more information on horse Riding saddles go to www.dressagetrainingguide.com and www.horseridingequipmentguide.com