I’ve started the new year with looking for a new saddle. Boy it’s much more difficult than I thought – and expensive! My old saddle doesn’t fit Shah very well any longer, I think it’s pinching him as he seems a bit irritated around the withers/shoulders so I really need another saddle. The one I have now is synthetic and I bought it second hand three years ago so it’s not surprising that it’s coming to the end of its life.

First decision – what make/model? There must be thousands of various types of saddles, English, Western, Endurance, Treeless, GP, Dressage, Jumping, Racing etc. etc. I would like one that I am comfy in as well as Shah during our hacks, and potentially endurance rides. My preference is therefore leaning towards a western or endurance saddle, or even more preferrable a western endurance saddle! As I’ve never bought a western saddle before I asked my friends over at Arabianlines for some advice – and I’m glad I did. Turns out the tree in a western saddle is for the most part not designed to fit an Arab, it’s also much longer than most other saddles and Arabs are short backed so there’s the danger of them rubbing on their hips and affecting their hindquarters being able to move freely underneath them.

I also found another really good site for choosing western saddles – Western Saddle Guide. The site tells you that there are western saddles designed especially for Arabs, they have an Arabian tree which apparently is lower, shorter and wider to fit Arabs that normally have lower withers, rounder and shorter backs. This sounds really good, but unless you are able to try one out, how do you know they actually fit? We don’t have any western saddlers around where I live and most online western saddlers don’t have a ‘try before you buy’ policy. This is where treeless saddlers are very good, they will happily ship you a saddle to try out for a week (for a small fee) before you commit to buy. When you think about the investment, you might have to shell out over £1,000 for a new saddle, you really want to be careful. It needs to fit your horse well and it needs to be comfy for the rider too.

With regards to the investment I’ve learned that you basically get what you pay for. If you buy a cheaper synthetic saddle you get cheaper quality which is more likely to give your horse a problem. But on the other hand, not everyone can afford to pay thousands of pounds to get the right one. So what do you do?

Seems like most people try their way through several saddles until they find one that fits both them and the horse. What an expensive way of doing things! I’m seeing a friend this week to try out several saddles that she has to see if any of those makes and models will suit us. I then have to try and find either a second hand one of that model (eBay most likely) and potentially reflock it to fit well – or I have to buy a brand new one for mega money. Ok, I can always sell it one as second hand down the line, and as I do ride four to five times a week it’s an investment in our health, but I do think saddlers have riders over the barrel so to speak. Surely saddles should be produced that fit the horse and the rider’s wallet!!

What makes am I looking at? Several really, with or without tree. Ortho-flex, Reactor Panel, WOW, and Startrekk are just some I’ve considered. I’m also thinking I might get a treeless, cheaper, saddle to get by with over the next month or two until I’ve found the funds and time to have a saddle fitter come out and measure him up for an expensive treed leather saddle, be it western or endurance. Until then, I’ll just have to keep looking on eBay!