Saddle Size Guide

What size saddle do I need?

We are often asked how you know what size saddle you need.  This is actually a pretty tough question with no "cookie cutter answer".  There are several factors that you have to consider.

You will always need to consider your build.  Height and weight will usually give us a good starting point, but that's not where it ends.  Two people of the same height and weight with different waist and thigh measurements could easily need different seat sizes.

Different types of riding will also have different seat requirements.  Quick turns and fast starts may lead you to want more security in your seat.  Climbing hills or sticking with your cutting horse will require a little more room.  Trends in barrel racing and roping have competitors moving towards smaller, snugger fitting seat sizes.  Pleasure riders, cutters, and ranchers are staying with a little more relaxed fit.  Just a few years ago, our best selling sizes in team ropers were 15 and 15.5.  Now, it's 14 and 14.5.  Barrel saddles have shrunk from 14.5 and 15 down to 13.5 and 14.  Trail and pleasure riding and ranch or ranch cutter saddles have held true anywhere from 15 to 16.

Saddle design will also affect your size.  The most common construction factor to affect the size you will want is the padding of the seat.  We measure all of our saddles as the finished seat size for this reason.  Many people just use the tree measurement, taken on the bare tree before the saddle is built.  The problem there is that a 15" tree with a hard seat will have 1/3" to 1/2" more room that you can actually sit in than a 15" tree with a padded seat will have.  Also, swell patterns that are wider or sweep back toward your leg, or cantle styles that curve more forward, can reduce the room for your thigh and make a saddle feel smaller than it actually is.  The inverse of that is true as well, as saddle can feel larger than it measures if those designs are less thigh-hugging and more open. 

What matters most is what you are comfortable riding.  It is important to remember that your seat measurement is not set in stone.  Sit in the saddle, make sure it is comfortable for you.  Everyone has different preferences.  Our 100% saddle gaurantee is set up in part for this very reason.  If your new saddle from Coolhorse doesn't feel perfect, just send it back for a full refund.  If you are buying a saddle from someone else, make sure you know what measurement they are giving you, finished seat or tree.  And don't be afraid to ask for other measurements.  For example, If you are concerned about the fit at your thigh, ask for a measurement from the base of the swell to the base of the cantle, and compare that to the saddle you are riding now. 

If you need help finding a starting point, give us a call r drop us an email.  We will need to know your height, weight, and what type of riding you will be doing.  If you have any other concerns such as long or short legs, large thighs, or anything at all that you feel will affect your comfort in the saddle, let us know that as well.  We would be happy to get you pointed in the right direction.

Provided as a guide only. Please be sure to sit on your saddle and test the size before you ride in it.