The Right Saddle for the Appaloosa

Especially popular in the Western scene in the USA, Appaloosa horses have already made quite a few horse lovers' hearts beat faster. These special animals are characterised by various features:

a spotted coat,
diversity in body type, and
agile, friendly animals.

Like all horses, they change over the course of their lives. That's why: an individually adjustable saddle from Iberosattel!

Alpha Vaquero Ibero Amazona Comfort Ibero Escuela Ibero Barock Individually Design Your Saddle

Jump directly to

Appaloosa: A Name That Sounds Like Freedom and Diversity, But Makes Recommendations Difficult

Spots and dots like a modern abstract painting: on the Appaloosa, the striking coat pattern is the whole point. Appaloosas are among the most popular horse breeds in the USA. As agile as they are friendly, these eye-catchers are popular in Western riding, but are also appreciated in other equestrian disciplines and as pure leisure horses. Since 1994, this strikingly patterned breed has had its own breed association in Germany too, and a not inconsiderable following of fans and admirers.

Watch Out – A Misunderstanding!

Comfortable riding on your Appaloosa: the right saddle for your horse

Appaloosas are probably the horse breed with the most melodious name, so melodious in fact that if you search the internet for "Appaloosa saddle", you will mostly find information about the products of an Italian saddlery whose founders were so captivated by the Western poetry of "Appaloosa" that they named themselves after the breed entirely.

The company has actually been called something far more conservative, "Prestige", for 25 years now, but you can still find numerous second-hand "Appaloosa saddles" online. Beware: these are certainly good saddles, but they are no more and no less suited to Appaloosas than to any other breed.

So Which Saddle Is Actually Right for the Appaloosa Horse?

Because breeding focuses mainly on coat pattern, the breed covers an unusual range of body types. You'll find rectangular as well as square-built horses, near-pony types as well as large sport types. So the best general advice you can get when it comes to an Appaloosa saddle is this: have the saddle individually fitted. And invest in an adjustable saddle.

The Ideal Solution: An Individually Fitted, Adjustable Saddle

Every horse is individual, and this is especially true of the Appaloosa. Back length, width, curvature and swing, the dimensions of the spine, wither and shoulder: the likelihood that a new or second-hand "off-the-shelf" saddle will fit in every respect is not very high. And so much is at stake for your horse: a poorly fitting saddle can cause serious physical damage. Equine physiotherapists and veterinarians do not use the word crippling lightly here.

The ideal saddle adapts optimally to your horse's spine, wither and shoulder. — Preventing crippling with a well-fitting saddle.

Your Horse Changes Over the Course of Its Life

In addition, your Appaloosa, like any other horse, goes through natural as well as activity-related physical changes over the course of its life. A saddle that fits well now will certainly no longer do so after a few years, perhaps even after just one lazy winter or one intensive riding season. An adjustable saddle can always be refitted. This is horse-friendly and, ultimately, economical too, since this saddle will accompany you for a very long time.

But Isn't a Made-to-Measure Saddle Terribly Expensive?

There is an alternative to a fully custom-made saddle that stays within a reasonable price range while still keeping many of the advantages of custom manufacture. The principle by which we make dressage and Baroque saddles at Iberosattel® is called made-to-measure construction: the saddle is individually assembled from ready-made components that we manufacture in different sizes and shapes (saddle tree, seat, padding, saddle flaps, etc.) so that it fits your horse perfectly and also meets your wishes in terms of look and functionality.

A made-to-measure saddle can be individually adapted to your horse's measurements. — Perfect fit and individual design.

Made-to-Measure Saddles from Iberosattel® – A Well-Fitting Saddle Is No Accident

We are called Iberosattel® because we originally specialised in Baroque and dressage saddles for Spanish horses, inspired by the Spanish saddle tradition. However, the so-called Baroque type occurs in a wide range of breeds (including Western horses), and our customers now include owners of round-backed, "square" horses of diverse ancestry. So if your Appaloosa shows its Spanish ancestry, you are in exactly the right place at Iberosattel®.

The Advantages of an Iberosattel® for Your Horse

Pain-free riding for your Appaloosa: a made-to-measure saddle for your horse

All our saddles feature a light synthetic saddle tree, which fits especially well on an Appaloosa of the Baroque type.

The adjustable gullet width allows regular readjustment.

Our Comfort Pad is an innovative saddle padding that offers your horse an especially large bearing surface, with an easily adjustable panel channel width, among other things.

We only make our premium saddles after a thorough measurement of your horse. Saddle length, saddle curve, gullet width and padding are precisely matched to your horse's individual anatomy, to ensure a correct fit, freedom for the loins, spine and shoulders and an optimised bearing surface. For horses with a difficult saddle position or a pronounced wither, for overbuilt horses or for horses with a lot of shoulder movement, we have developed various special solutions and adjustment options.

What Our Customers Say About Their Iberosattel®

Sabine P. on a Spanish Horse: "Plenty of Shoulder Freedom, a Large Bearing Surface Fitted to the Horse, Super Comfortable for the Rider, and That 'Spanish Flair' Look Too."

"After countless failed purchases, we discovered Iberosattel®. Here we found the right P.R.E. saddle, offering comfort for horse and rider. Plenty of shoulder freedom, a large bearing surface fitted to the horse, super comfortable for the rider, and with that 'Spanish flair' look too."

P.R.E. Saddle on a Spanish Horse

Laura S. on Aria: "...Was Able to Develop into a Wonderful Riding Horse."

"I didn't just like the Dressage Andaluz visually, the specification convinced me too. The decision was made, it had to be an Ibero. So that summer I became the proud owner of an Iberosattel® Dressage Andaluz, which also convinced me over all the other models during the test ride."

Dressage Andaluz on a Spanish Sport Horse

Find Your Dream Saddle

And of course, you also need to feel comfortable in the saddle. At a saddle-fitting appointment, you and your Appaloosa have the opportunity to try out different models, seat depths, saddle flap lengths and knee roll shapes and test ride them. Get in touch, we're happy to advise you.

Hotline: +49 9179 964117

Soft, Broad Padding for Your Saddle

For broad horse backs: the Comfort Pad for your saddle

The Iberosattel® Comfort Pad widens the bearing surface of your saddle and ensures that the rider's weight is better distributed across your horse's entire back.

This reduces pressure by up to 50%: an important benefit for your horse's health and comfort!

Comfort Pad for Optimal Saddle Pressure Distribution

We Individually Adjust the Spinal Channel to Your Horse!

For your horse's comfort: measuring for a sufficiently wide spinal channel

To give your horse sufficient freedom of movement and reduce pressure on the spine, the panel channel of a saddle must be individually adjusted for each horse.

At Iberosattel®, we take this adjustment seriously and arrange a saddle-fitting appointment with you and your horse.