The Right Saddle for the Aegidienberger

It is not often that a new breed gets officially recognised in the horse world. The Aegidienberger, bred only since the 1980s, has managed exactly that. As a cross between the Icelandic pony and the Paso Peruano, this handsome small horse comes with a rock-solid natural tölt gait, a balanced temperament, toughness and a bright character.

Bigger and more heat-tolerant than the Icelandic horse, yet just as nimble as its cuddly little cousin, the Aegidienberger is an extremely comfortable riding horse for the whole family, and is considered one of the most attractive gaited breeds.

It is often asked whether horses like the Aegidienberger need a special tölt saddle. They do not. Like any other horse, a gaited horse above all needs a saddle that:
 

• fits without compromise,
• does not restrict movement,
• distributes the rider's weight as evenly as possible, and
• does not hinder the rider's aids.

Descended from the Icelandic horse and the Paso, the Aegidienberger naturally has the corresponding build: the Aegidienberger's back tends to be short, broad and fairly round, its chest powerful, and its shoulders distinctly muscular. This results in certain requirements for saddle fit.

• Short back: Aegidienbergers need a shorter saddle with a wide gullet. You should also pay particular attention to a sufficiently wide spinal channel.

• Shoulder freedom: Aegidienbergers show wide shoulder movement and need a saddle that does not restrict them in this respect. Shoulder freedom is often associated with saddle flaps cut well back. There is not quite as much to that as people think: what matters most is that the shoulder can slide freely under the saddle during movement.

• Broad bearing surface: A short back means a correspondingly short saddle position. Saddles with an especially broad bearing surface still distribute the rider's weight over a large area, minimising saddle pressure.

• Good training for gaited horses too: Subtle weight and leg aids are made easier by a flat or semi-flat seat and by avoiding thick saddle panels. This is by no means superfluous for a gaited horse: natural tölters benefit from good training just as much as any other breed, and fortunately this insight is slowly gaining acceptance.

The Aegidienberger belongs to the horses that tend to have a square, Baroque-type build. Which makes it, gaited horse or not, clearly a "customer" of Iberosattel. Originally, we developed our made-to-measure dressage and Baroque saddles with the Spanish horses of our own stud in Freystadt, Bavaria in mind, but they are just as well suited to short, broad-backed horses of other breeds.
 
Our unique detail solutions for a better saddle fit and horse-friendly riding include the Comfort Pad, a saddle pad with an especially broad bearing surface and an easily adjustable spinal channel, and the EWF saddle tree with integrated head plate for even more wither and shoulder freedom during movement. Aegidienbergers benefit from these saddle features too.

• Synthetic saddle trees with a forged head plate.
• Easily adjustable gullet width to readjust the saddle fit as your horse's body changes.
• On request: EWF saddle tree with integrated head plate.
• Made-to-measure Comfort Pad: padding with an individually optimised bearing surface; good contact with the horse; Compact version for short-backed horses.
• Many selectable saddle features: seat size and depth, knee roll shape, saddle flap cut, colour, material and decorative details.