Saddle for Knabstruppers – The Right Saddle for the Tiger-Spotted Horse
Baroque build, wide back and extraordinary coat markings – these are the special features of a Knabstrupper. The popular breed, of which Pippi Longstocking also owned an example, rides best in a saddle that offers a wide bearing surface and plenty of room for shoulder and withers.
Jump directly to
Knabstrupper: A Difficult Saddle Area? Not With an Ibero!
The Knabstrupper is a horse with a rather noble history, attracting admiring, sometimes even astonished glances thanks to its rarity and its stunning spotted coat. But even the occasional "is that a pony crossed with a Dalmatian?" remark is taken by Knabstrupper owners as a compliment. After all, there's really nothing to say against Pippi Longstocking's very fine mount, and she herself is also of (South Seas) royal blood.
Which Saddle a Knabstrupper Needs Depends on the Type

Originally purely baroque horses, Knabstruppers are today also bred in a modern type. Especially breeders in Germany, however, are working to strengthen the baroque line. The often exceptionally sturdily built baroque Knabstruppers are robust and wonderfully versatile – and just made for scoring top marks in classical dressage with an ambitious rider.
With the baroque build, though, comes the difficult saddle fit – many a Knabstrupper owner can join in that complaint. No saddle quite wants to fit properly on the wide back; more than a few owners have already sunk considerable sums of money into the search for the right saddle.
Perhaps you're simply looking in the wrong place for the right Knabstrupper saddle? Many saddle manufacturers focus their range on the modern sport type with a distinctly non-baroque build. It's basically clear that such a saddle won't fit properly on the baroque type. And yet you hesitate to try a baroque saddle – isn't that some strange thing with pommels and cantles?
With the baroque build, though, comes the difficult saddle fit – many a Knabstrupper owner can join in that complaint. No saddle quite wants to fit properly on the wide back; more than a few owners have already sunk considerable sums of money into the search for the right saddle.
Perhaps you're simply looking in the wrong place for the right Knabstrupper saddle? Many saddle manufacturers focus their range on the modern sport type with a distinctly non-baroque build. It's basically clear that such a saddle won't fit properly on the baroque type. And yet you hesitate to try a baroque saddle – isn't that some strange thing with pommels and cantles?
The wide back of the baroque Knabstrupper places its own demands on the perfect saddle. — A classic Knabstrupper needs a baroque saddle.
Pommels and Cantles? Optional, Not Mandatory.

May we introduce ourselves: we are Iberosattel, a small saddlery from Bavaria. We make Spanish-inspired baroque saddles and dressage saddles for horse breeds with baroque proportions. That means, for horses with a powerful shoulder and a back that is, relative to its length, noticeably wider and rounder than that of the typical German sport horse.
We started with saddles for our own home-bred Andalusians. Over the years we've developed and expanded our range. We've now very successfully fitted numerous saddles for Knabstruppers, Friesians, Trakehners and many other baroque-type breeds.
Whether you want a baroque saddle with pommel and cantle is entirely up to you. We also make dressage saddles, trail saddles, baroque saddles with a removable rear cantle, and baroque saddles where the rear cantle is organically shaped out of the seat. Beyond that, every one of our saddles offers plenty of options for design and finish: choose leather, color, knee blocks and more, exactly to your taste.
We started with saddles for our own home-bred Andalusians. Over the years we've developed and expanded our range. We've now very successfully fitted numerous saddles for Knabstruppers, Friesians, Trakehners and many other baroque-type breeds.
Whether you want a baroque saddle with pommel and cantle is entirely up to you. We also make dressage saddles, trail saddles, baroque saddles with a removable rear cantle, and baroque saddles where the rear cantle is organically shaped out of the seat. Beyond that, every one of our saddles offers plenty of options for design and finish: choose leather, color, knee blocks and more, exactly to your taste.
With or without pommel and cantle, leather, studs, tooling, knee blocks and more... — An Iberosattel® offers individual design freedom.
What Makes an Iberosattel® Special?
Anyone who chooses an Iberosattel® gets an adjustable saddle that fits horse and rider optimally and that can be readjusted to your horse's changes even years later. The basis for this is a careful three-dimensional measurement of the horse's back, which forms the foundation for adjusting your saddle.
These Are the Advantages of an Iberosattel® for Horse and Rider
- Square horses: Our saddle models fit especially well on horses of the "square type": they are relatively short and offer a wide bearing surface, well padded by our Comfort Pad, which distributes the rider's weight evenly over the horse's back
- Short horses: An Iberosattel® keeps the loin area free even on short horses
- Shoulder freedom: We have models with a saddle flap cut well back: ideal for broad-shouldered horses with pronounced shoulder action
- Wither freedom: Some of our saddles offer extra wither freedom thanks to the option of integrating the head plate into the saddle tree, via the EWF system
- Deep seat: In an Ibero you sit quite deep – which suits many riders – and close to the horse: important for giving fine aids while riding
- No saddle sores: An Ibero is wonderfully comfortable, and thanks to our Amazona Solution, women too sit comfortably in the center of balance at every gait, without pain or sores
- Tree width: The tree width of our saddles is adjustable, the head plate exchangeable – on most of our baroque models, widths of at least 39 are possible: fitting for big, strong guys (and girls)
The last point is especially important for a Knabstrupper saddle: some magnificent horses pack on even more muscle over the years. Enjoy it! An Iberosattel® specialist can swap the head plate and readjust your saddle in no time.
A Saddle from Iberosattel®: What Our Customers Say
Denise B. with the Doma Classica: "I was immediately just so incredibly thrilled..."
"The first saddle we placed on him was the Doma Classica, which ended up being the one. What can I say, I was immediately just so incredibly thrilled, because I could influence my horse using only my breathing."
Eva V. with the El Primero: "The saddle is a dream..."
"With my Iberosattel®, he's been noticeably more relaxed from day 1. And I have to say for myself that I never want anything else again. The saddle is a dream – incredibly comfortable and yet I have the feeling of sitting "in" the horse."

