Q: My horse has large shoulders and we are struggling to find a jump saddle, can you give us some advice on what to look for?
Horses with large shoulders can be a tricky saddle fit. Jump saddles can often feel tight and look perched on the shoulder which restricts the horses ability to move and can cause discomfort. Large shoulders can also cause saddles to move backwards as the shoulder hits the point of the tree. Instead of riders having to use a breastplate to try and hold the saddle in place, manufactures have been working on innovative new designs to combat this conformational conundrum!
Erre Plus Saddles - A line of saddles designed for a better fit of modern horses and for the comfort of the rider.
This is a story that began in Italy: it originated with Roberto Rasia, founder of Erreplus Saddlery, and what makes it unique is his incredible passion for the equestrian art, with 25 years of experience. Now a whole team of experts, champions and technicians writes the story of Erreplus every day. Stunning saddles made with the finest quality materials and meticulous Italian craftsmanship.
Why choose an SL panel?
The SL panel gives horse and rider the freedom to move in harmony. A horse free to move its shoulders is a horse that performs better, that more willingly follows the demands of the rider, that strides softly and fluidly, that faces courses and obstacles with greater confidence.
SL panels have been specially designed, together with technical experts in the field, to free the most muscular and pronounced shoulders.
This short panel completely avoids any kind of pressure at scapular level, ensuring a perfect movement of the shoulders.
All this while maintaining a large contact area on the horse.
Fairfax offer a two-part panel, we call this the shoulder free panel, as it prevents the front of the saddle from being pulled down and in. This panel is found on the Fairfax Andrew Hoy XC, Fairfax World Class Jump saddles (with flocked panels, not the foam panel versions) and the Fairfax Spirit Jump. The point of the tree and crucially the panel, sit behind the shoulder allowing freedom of the shoulder muscles. The main part of the panel bears the rider's weight and the front part under the rider's knee is separated to allow free movement of the shoulder girdle muscles.
The adjustable blocks under the rider’s knee enables the muscles that activate the shoulder to move freely. The blocks come in two depths that can quickly be adapted to suit the horse and riders' comfort. If the horse has an asymmetrical shoulder development, you can use the shallower block on the larger shoulder to enable the rider to sit squarely.
Will this stop the horse's muscles developing evenly I hear you cry? No, the blocks do not create a constant pressure, so that the muscle can move and develop with work!
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Harry Dabbs have also been doing research and development and come up with a different panel option. The future panel design allows the shoulder to rotate, allowing the horse to lengthen stride with minimal interference from the saddle. Traditionally the panel on a jump saddle would follow the line of the flap, however the Future saddle has been cut away so that it can sit comfortably behind the shoulder; this concept has been tried before and failed due to the front flap (knee roll) collapsing where the supporting panel had been removed from underneath. Harry Dabbs have overcome this by reinforcing the flap at the front that prevents the flap collapsing. This reinforced flap provides the essential stability for the rider’s leg. The reinforced section of the flap will also prevent it from collapsing against the horse’s shoulder and interfering with movement.
Another option for horses with large shoulders is to fit a saddle with a straighter panel so that the panel sits behind the horses shoulder. This is not always as option for tall riders, who need the forward cut saddle to support their long legs.
However, if you’re a smaller rider you can try this option! The our version of the Bates Caprilli Close contact is a fantastic jump saddle with a flat tree and wider seat to help support the rider, the panel is slightly straighter than some jump saddles and can seat behind those pesky big shoulders.
The Bates and Wintec Wide All Purpose range of saddles also have straighter panels with large knee blocks for the wide horses with large shoulders, which can often work if you’re looking for a general purpose saddle and your budget doesn’t quite stretch to one of the more expensive jump options.
All these saddles can work on a range of horses with different conformation; this article is intended only to give a bit of insight into some of the saddles we use regularly on horses with prominent shoulders.
If you have any questions or would like to book a fitting appointment please call the office to speak to a member of the team 020 8308 0500.
