Types of English Saddles

English saddles come in more than one style, and the different styles have been designed to fulfill individual purposes, which range from riding in an arena to jumping cross-country. To make your riding easier, you need to choose the appropriate type of saddle. The types are differentiated by adjusting how the seat (the part of the saddle the rider sits on) and the flaps (the pieces on the sides of the horse) are shaped.

  1. Close-Contact Jumping Saddle

    • A close-contact jumping saddle is a flat-seated saddle with a forward-placed flap that is designed for protect the jumping rider's leg in a shorter jumping stirrup length. Most close-contact saddles are designed so that the front and back of the saddle are level (which is why they are considered flat-seated). Most hunt seat riders use this type of saddle, and some show jumpers do as well.

    Deep-Seated Jumping Saddle

    • Many foxhunters, eventers and show jumpers want to ride in a jumping-style saddle designed with a deeper seat--where the back of the saddle is slightly higher than the front of the saddle--than a close-contact jumping saddle. They choose this type of saddle for the security they feel it offers. You may also hear of these types of saddles called cross-country or eventing saddles, and, like close-contact saddles, they have shorter, forward-shaped flaps.

    All-Purpose Saddle

    • All-purpose saddles are similar to deep-seated jumping saddles in that they are not flat-seated like close-contact jumping saddles. However, all-purpose saddles are usually not good for someone who wants to specialize in jumping because they have longer, less-forward-shaped flaps than jumping saddles. All-purpose saddles are the type recommended by the United States Pony Club.

    Dressage Saddle

    • Dressage saddles are deep-seated saddles with long, mostly straight flaps designed for people who do specialized movements in an arena, or dressage, with their horses. The straighter flap is designed to accommodate the longer stirrup length of people who do not jump.

    English-Style Sidesaddle

    • Women used to ride in sidesaddles because they were designed for riding in a skirt. These saddles have a fixed head and a leaping head, with the fixed head serving as the piece that supports the rider's knee on the left side of the horse. Now, sidesaddles do not denote a discipline, and can be ridden whether jumping or working on the flat.

    Racing Saddles

    • A racing saddle is very small and light, with a flat seat and short, very forward flaps, though steeplechase saddles may be slightly larger than flat-racing saddles. These saddles are designed for people who ride in races with very short stirrups, and they are rarely used for any purpose off of the track.