Leisure Saddle: Comfort for Rider AND Horse

Leisure riding should be fun - and not only for the rider: the right equipment, and above all the right saddle, are a basic prerequisite for that.

Only if the saddle allows the rider AND the horse to ride without pressure points and pain can both have fun riding.

Below you will find important points that apply not only to the leisure saddles from Iberosattel®, but are generally important for relaxed riding with plenty of enjoyment in every exercise.
 

Anyone who spends their leisure time with their own horse often enjoys a wide variety of activities. Just about every leisure rider regularly heads out on the trail and also works in the indoor school or the arena. Many discover further interests, perhaps challenging themselves and their horse with a sport such as working equitation or a jumping course, or become passionate trail riders taking multi-day tours with luggage.
 
As different as these rider personalities may be - leisure riders usually have one thing in common: they cannot, and do not want to, buy several saddles. Not only does that add up considerably if you value quality. Horse backs and human seats are often conservative, and you probably do not want to spend the precious time you have with your horse constantly re-adjusting both of you to a new saddle.

A pure jumping saddle is optimised in every detail for show jumping:
 

• Strongly angled knee: optimised for the forward-inclined seat that jumping riders adopt in order to push themselves up in the stirrups at each jump and thereby relieve the horse's back.

• Very flat seat area.

• Short saddle flaps angled forward, and correspondingly short girth straps.

• Pronounced knee blocks, usually with additional calf blocks too, giving the legs secure support from front and back in every phase of the jump.

In contrast, a pure dressage saddle puts you in the typical dressage posture:
 

• Upright seat position with a long leg, ideal for fine aids given with the thighs and seat.

• Long, straight saddle flaps.

• Girth straps are long enough that the girth buckles do not sit under the thighs.

• Often straight thigh blocks, frequently mounted almost vertically, to support the thighs.

• Deep seat area with a steeply arched cantle, tending to guide the rider into a certain (hopefully ideal) seat position (thus allowing less sliding forward and backward in the saddle).

A specialised jumping saddle is not at all well suited to the slower gaits - it makes riding with fine aids practically impossible. Even if you manage to adopt, more or less against the saddle, the correct upright seat with a long leg (and that can become genuinely tiring over longer distances): right under the saddle flap, where the thighs should now have unhindered contact with the horse, a classic jumping saddle has the girth buckles of the short girth straps. In addition, the long bearing surface and the generally reduced padding of a jumping saddle can be a burden for the horse; the risk of the saddle causing pressure (possibly even in the loin area) is greater than with a dressage saddle. The problems that can result from riding for longer periods with such a saddle are correspondingly serious.

Without question, leisure riders are better served with a classic dressage saddle than with a pure jumping saddle: with the stirrups shortened a little, pretty much any dressage saddle is at least reasonably "trail-capable" for an hour or two. But even with a dressage saddle, the pleasure of hacking out may not remain entirely unclouded: natural terrain is not an indoor school floor, there may be ups and downs, and at the very least some rough and rocky ground. It would then be useful to be able to lean slightly forward and/or slide a little further forward or back in the saddle. A deep dressage saddle with pronounced thigh blocks prevents that. In addition, dressage saddles are often quite short. On the one hand, that is good, because short saddles tend to give the horse the shoulder and loin freedom it needs. On the other hand, the short bearing surface concentrates the load from the rider's weight on a relatively small area of the horse's back, which can lead to pressure points on longer hacks.

A sensible choice for leisure riders is a so-called all-purpose or all-rounder saddle. Such a saddle is a kind of compromise between a dressage and a jumping saddle, and thus meets the basic requirements of both disciplines (riding with fine aids plus small jumps). Depending on the rider's main interests, there are saddles that lean a little more towards dressage or towards jumping.

A good all-rounder for dressage work and relaxed hacks has a semi-deep seat and a wide bearing surface that distributes the rider's weight well and thus protects the horse's back even on multi-hour rides. The comfort for horse and rider becomes ever more important the longer you want to extend your rides, and it is the key criterion when choosing a trail riding saddle. Low weight, a bearing surface that is as large as possible while strictly observing loin, spine, wither and shoulder freedom, and a comfortable seat for the rider are decisive if your trail ride is still to be fun on the second day too.

We offer a wide range of leisure saddles - individually made to customer request in the Premium line, or pre-produced in the more affordable Classic line.

Here you can download our price list:

Besides dressage work, do you also want to ride a bit more "wild" from time to time? Do you find yourself, with your stirrups noticeably shortened, out in uneven, obstacle-rich terrain that offers the occasional opportunity to jump? Then your all-rounder should have medium-length saddle flaps angled slightly forward, and ideally hook-and-loop thigh blocks.
 
Hook-and-loop thigh blocks are a great thing for leisure riders: by simply repositioning the blocks, you can ride with a long leg (for dressage work) or a more angled leg (for hacking and/or jumping). If you use several pairs of thigh blocks in different sizes and shapes, this makes your leisure saddle even more versatile for use in the arena and on the trail.

Thanks to the wide Comfort panel, our Iberosattel® saddles are also perfectly suited for long hacks and other leisure activities.

You will find an overview of our dressage saddles further below (just click on the image):

A great alternative to the dressage all-rounder for somewhat more experienced riders can, incidentally, also be a baroque saddle. It differs visually quite considerably from a dressage saddle, mainly because of the tall galleries (the "little walls" that border the seat of a baroque saddle at the front and back). Nevertheless, both types of saddle set comparable priorities, and both are equally excellent for riding with fine aids: in a baroque saddle too, you sit predominantly upright with a long leg, and the thighs have the best possible contact with the horse. However, the baroque saddle gives the pelvis and thighs noticeably more freedom than a dressage saddle: the seat area is flatter, the saddle flaps are more simply designed and therefore often offer less "guidance" for the thighs. You have to find and hold the correct seat position more by yourself: a challenge for beginners. Many riders, however, know very well how to appreciate this freedom and the good contact with the horse, and it is precisely this that makes fluid riding on the trail easier. The rear gallery of baroque saddles from Iberosattel® also supports the lumbar spine - a great plus on long hacks.
 
For leisure riders with a passion for working equitation, a baroque saddle can also be the perfect all-rounder. From our range, we would particularly highlight the Alpha Vaquero and the Doma Classica here. Their soft vaquero thigh block (the front gallery merges directly into the block) provides perfect lateral support for the tight turns of the one-handed working equitation trail. And you need that - especially in the speed trail!
 
Thanks to the Comfort panel, a saddle padding developed by Iberosattel® with a wide bearing surface, both saddles distribute the rider's weight ideally on the horse's back and are therefore also fully suitable for extended hacks. (The panel has a cut-out in the thigh area for unhindered contact with the horse. This means you are just as well equipped for a classic dressage exercise as for the working equitation trail.)

Iberosattel® offers many saddles for leisure riders in its baroque collection: from the pure baroque saddle "Ibero Barock" to modern baroque dressage saddles such as the El Primero for endurance rides, we offer a wide selection:

Click on the image below to get an overview of our baroque saddles:

As passionate leisure riders ourselves, we put our own saddles to the test almost daily. The Iberosattel® team also includes many different rider personalities. When it comes to finding a leisure saddle that delivers optimal performance in the areas that matter to you, and that, thanks to a perfect fit, does not harm the horse in any discipline, we can give you sound, realistic advice based on our own experience.

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