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[RC] Another english saddle question - kathy swigartAngie said:
> I'm not sure if English saddles nowadays run
> standard or if there is variation like you
> have with womens' jeans
The "standard" measurement of an english saddle seat size is to measure from the "nail" in the front to the center of the cantle in the back. So no, there isn't the same kind of variation in saddle seat size as there is in women's jeans (manufacturers of which have taken to labelling bigger clothes with smaller sizes as a marketing ploy to get women to buy their clothes so they can convince themselves that they fit in a smaller size).
And yes, they are all measured this way. However, there IS a variation in fit of assorted different "sizes" of seat, since this distance is but one of the many variations that english saddle seats can have with respect to SHAPE (the twist, the waist, and the rise are three major variations that come immediately to mind). Generally speaking, the deeper the seat and the highter the cantle the smaller a saddle of the same measurement from nail to cantle will fit; but it also depends on how big of a "flat spot" the saddle has betweent he pommel and the cantle. AND fit also depends on where the stirrups are hung, how the length of your thigh afffects the placement of your pelvis in the saddle, and how the length of the stirrups affects the placement of your knee.
> Can anyone tell me if the Solstice seats run
> large? Unfortunately, I can't demo it.
I cannot tell you if the Solstice "runs large" but I can recommend that, given all the variations in the shapes of saddle seats and the placement of the stirrup bars that nobody buy a saddle without first demoing it unless you want to take the attitude that you will just buy it, and if it doesn't fit the individual properly, not use it (and sell it or whatever) and buy another one.
kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)
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