Do young horses need special saddles?

Nothing is so exciting as starting a young horse under saddle.

Finally, all the dreams of the breeder, owner and trainer are taking a massive step towards the end result of a happy, confident ridden horse.

So much has been invested into these young horses up to this point. Think of the breeder pouring over bloodlines and stallion videos to select what they believe to be the very best match for their mare to produce what they were aiming for in their breeding program. Hours upon hours are spent with many researching everything possible about relatives and closely bred horses that may have been through auctions or performed. And then there is the actual cost of the semen, insemination and foaling down costs and correct nutrition, worming and foot care of the mare and the foal once it is born. The cost is huge!

From weaning to starting under saddle obviously all the care costs continue in addition to the time spent handling these youngsters. They will be introduced to rugs, float/truck trained and do groundwork. Some will have been sent to professionals for this. Others will have done a lot of this with their owners who may have bought them as weanlings, yearlings or even older or may have bred them themselves. No matter who has done the work, a lot of time and money is invested at this stage and this is without any accidents or illnesses along the way.

Then the horses are started under saddle, either by a professional or by the owner themselves. Around this time people are organising a saddle for the youngster. Many people don't want to send a new saddle to a professional starter with their horse and most professional starters only want to ride in their own saddles. This makes total sense as they need to know they can stay with the horse in balance no matter what happens underneath them. It would be impossible for them to do this in a saddle that may be too small for them or one that may either block them in or not give them enough support where they need it. At least initially and we totally understand that! 

The ideal situation is to have a fitter check any saddle you may be thinking of using on your youngster before you send the youngster away.

Be sensible here and make sure you have worked with your horse so that he/she is relaxed with you placing the saddle on his/her back. You don't need to girth it up at this stage and unless you are experienced with starting horses it is not a great idea for you to be the first to do this. It is just important for the safety of your fitter and so they can assess it properly that your horse stands quietly and is not nervous. Although this will only be a rough check as no saddle can be deemed perfect unless girthed up and assessed with the horse being ridden, it is still very much worth doing. Your fitter will be able to check the width, length and shape of the tree and panels. If any of these are wrong your young horse is being set up to feel pain and discomfort when asked to go forward, bend or canter and you are setting them up for terrible habits to form. 

Ideally organise your fitter to check the saddle again (or bring out new ones for you to try if you don't have one that looks suitable) the last week your horse is at the starters or if that is not possible then as soon as he/she is home. Some youngsters can be very sensitive to a new feeling on their back so if they have only been ridden in a stock saddle and you go and put on your new dressage saddle they may react. It could be good to have them do this with the professional rider on them, even though as I said before the saddle may not be what they prefer. Most will understand and offer to do this in the handover of the horse. Remember that your horse will change shape dramatically in the time they are at the trainers so a saddle that may have looked good before they left could well do with some tweaking at this point in time. 

So what saddles are great for youngsters?

Any saddle that fits! Hopefully gone are the riders who say "the horse has to earn their own saddle"! The horse's first saddle is possibly the most important saddle they will ever have as if not correctly fitting will set them up for a range of resistances under saddle. We also know that through main and discomfort horses change their way of moving and their posture, both of which set them up for early degenerative disease and a shortened saddle career. Don't be daft! Don't try to save money at this point when you think about what has been invested up until this point with these youngsters and the cost of trying to correct issues when they develop. 

Young horses are going to develop and change, and how much depends on the breed, workload and age. For most people it is sensible to use a saddle with changeable gullets if the horse is under 5 years of age such as the Discovery saddles. This way the gullet may be changed at any time and over a large range of sizes. They also have generous panels and gussets to allow a lot of adjustments to be made through the flocking by your saddle fitter. After 5-6 years of age, depending on breed and development, many riders choose a custom-made saddle such as a Ryder or Fiona Cork Saddle. These saddles can be pressed in or out 1 size either way but your saddle fitter, 3-4 times throughout the saddle's life, which along with their wool-flocked panels, allows for great adjustability. 

So good luck with starting your youngster! May it go smoothly and all your dreams come true! Above all have fun and enjoy the journey!!!