small jumps in a dressage saddle??

[Blackberry Farm]

I'm H/J background. Question at barn: While your trying to fit a horse to new close contact, is it ok to go over little crossrails 18"- 2" in dressage saddle?? Horse is 17" and jumps easy.

[SweetieG]

Sure you can. I think you'll find that at the lower levels a lot of people only have one saddle and for some that one saddle is a dressage saddle. It's definitely not recommended when the fences get larger as the dressage saddle usually sits you too deep and doesn't allow your leg to be positioned correctly. For what you're speaking of, you should have no trouble especially since it sounds like you are planning to purchase one soon....Oh yeah, don't forget to raise your stirrups up from dressage length.

[Blackberry Farm]

Thanks! Big horse just now filling out!!! Aggghhh not much fits her right now. I don't know much about dressage, but plan on learning, then doing some HT with this horse. It really looks like fun and the people seem easy going! :)) Thanks again!

[whicker]

It depends on the saddle. If you have an open seat, extended stirrup bars and space to raise your leg to a longish jumping length, then, yes, it is quite possible.

I have a laurische dressage that has the above and I can use it for conditioning on steep hilly hunt trails, popping over logs, leaping stream banks and hand galloping. I could probably foxhunt with the hilltoppers, but I took out the knee rolls, so that means I have to be really aware when I'm getting tired.

I did foxhunt with the main jumping field with a stackhouse dressage years ago. That was harder to do, and I was grateful when my jumping saddle finally arrived.

[Lincoln]

Works ok if your horse doesn't jump tooo big. Sprained the heck out of my thumb "popping" Lincoln over a tiny stone wall in my dressage saddle. He took a flying leap from a standstill and I landed with my hand wedged on each side of his neck. Better than falling off, but it's hard to get your leg out in front of you in a dressage saddle to balance for the second half of the jump! Finished the ride, of course, but thumb and palm were purple, swollen and immobile... Note to self, don't jump in a dressage saddle. At least not the crazy bouncy Tigger-like TB.

[Ajierene]

Totally depends on the saddle. I popped over a jump or two in my dressage saddle, but get much over 18" and I am hitting the pommel, due to the deep seat....so....you know....kind of like jumping in a western saddle...be careful!

[eventer_mi]

Spent half a week in Ireland going xc in a dressage saddle. Pony had a very bad swayback and the only saddle that fit him was a dressage saddle....it was do-able, but it was painful and my muscles screamed the next day from having to force my legs in position. He wasn't a terribly big jumper, nor were the jumps that big, so it worked out ok.

[wsmoak]

Absolutely, I do it just about every time I ride. I dislike my current jumping saddle but I'm waiting until it cools off to meet with the saddle fitter and figure out what might work for us.

Meanwhile, I work in the dressage saddle and have no problem jumping small fences in it. I do get popped in the rear occasionally if he decides to *actually* jump, but at 2' he doesn't usually make much of an effort. ;)

--
Wendy

[Blackberry Farm]

Ouch! Pretty much more like an all purpose. I've trotted a couple of x's, but then wondered if I might hurt her back. Flaps are pretty flat to move and change stirrup length. Hopefully I'll find a close contact that fits. I hate to let mine go. Oh well.

[Blugal]

Just grab the mane so that you don't get left behind/out of position due to the saddle or a funky jump. I find it's not the jumping that's the problem, it's trying to get into 2-point.

I've jumped up to 2'9"+ in my dressage saddle (on a well-schooled horse). We needed to practice corner jumps for a while so I had one set in the ring that I popped over at the end of every day, no matter what saddle I was using.

[yellowbritches]

Our general rule of thumb here is "You can do dressage in your jumping saddle but you can't jump in your dressage saddle." I know a lot of people do and I'm sure if I some how happened to hack my horse in his dressage saddle (never do, though) and had to pop over a log, I could, but I prefer not to.

I have heard a couple of bad stories of jumping going awry in a dressage saddle. Some with very bad endings.

[Catalina]

I have thought about it, but I have never tried it because I am afraid that I would wind up flopping around like a wet noodle and just annoy my horse....

[Merle]

I agree wholeheartedly with yellowbritches.

I used to do that until my green young horse decided to overjump the 2' jump he had just done about 3 or 4 times. I couldn't get back enough to stay with him since my dressage saddle just physically didn't allow for that. I ended up coming off over his shoulder after the jump because of it. I spent three months on crutches and lost the whole summer. Honestly, I will never ever do it again. Yes, the thousand times before this I was fine. But that last one was NOT. It took me to the emergency room where the doctors thought I had broken my pelvis. The impact of one of my hips hitting the ground made my hip itself break the skin and I had already bled through my breeches once I "stood up" (loosely termed here ...) from the fall. Think catapulted into the ground because of the darned dressage saddle. Thank goodness I didn't break my pelvis but soft tissue injuries that are that severe are not fun either.

Just put the jumping saddle on.

[riderboy]

I think it depends on the saddle. I had a very nasty experience jumping a small ditch on a hack in my dressage saddle. It obviously hurt his back, he bolted up a hill and I spent the next couple of weeks nursinf his sore back. It was my fault for landing hard on his back but I'll never jump in my dressage saddle again.

[cutemudhorse]

It sounds like it depends on the saddle! I have had no problem jumping small fences in my Passier, but it doesn't lock me in like some dressage saddles do. So as someone said, the more open seat it has, probably the better.

[deltawave]

I wouldn't make it part of my routine if I didn't have to, but sometimes I'll pop through a gymnastic I have set up or over a couple of jumps during a dressage/flatwork session if the spirit moves me, no biggie in the dressage saddle. I don't ride super long in my dressage saddle anyhow, it's not a big deal.

[Christa P]

IME it ENTIRELY depends on the saddle.

I have an ancient Stubben Parzival that I trail ride in and have no problem getting in 2-point, galloping, and jumping up to ~3' occasionally, 2-2'6" is easy. It has a medium seat and very moderate knee rolls.

I have ridden in other dressage saddles with big knee rolls. thigh blocks, and a deep seat that lock you in place. This type would be extremely difficult to jump with.

Christa

[takethestage]

I have a Passier with a pretty flat seat and I've jumped 3 foot with it. I just hike my stirrups up and I've never had a problem, but my horse is a saint and I probably wouldn't do it on any other horse.

[Ltc4h]

Ouch! Pretty much more like an all purpose. I've trotted a couple of x's, but then wondered if I might hurt her back. Flaps are pretty flat to move and change stirrup length. Hopefully I'll find a close contact that fits. I hate to let mine go. Oh well. .

If your saddle fits, no matter which discipline it is for, should not hurt your horse.
If your looking to do both flat/fences, there are some really good AP saddles out there.

You may need to jump in your Dressage if you get through your Dressage portion only to realize that you forgot your Jumping saddle.:eek:

[technopony]

I've done it up to about 3 foot, which isn't a huge effort for my horses. If I'm planning a jumping day I will certainly use my jumping saddle, but sometimes if I'm schooling in my dressage saddle, I'll pop over a small jump or two for a variety of reasons... you can't really have the correct position, though, and I find that I "stand up" more than close my angles when I jump in my dressage saddle, so I don't do it often. Also, when the jumps get bigger or if I'm jumping more than one or two jumps, I need to be able to get off my horse's back.

[Equa]

There's a young woman over here who events in a dressage saddle. Not just 2' fences - she goes around 1* 3DE xc courses in a Kieffer dressage saddle. And she wins! She's a successful upper level dressage rider (FEI) who CANNOT ride in a jumping saddle. The dressage saddle does compromise her position a bit (she seems to get too forward sometimes) because of the deep seat, but she goes around xc fast and clear!!!!

[jen-s]

I lessoned on Sat in my dressage saddle, with full intentions for it to be a flat-only lesson. However, trainer decided to throw in a few trot poles and an in-and-out at the end of the lesson. I hiked my stirrups up a few holes and was very pleasantly surprised at how it went. Granted, I prefer jumping in a jumping saddle, but this wasn't bad at all. And I do hack out on trails all the time in it and pop over logs or ditches. Haven't had a scary moment yet that I can attribute to the dressage saddle, but it has a fairly flat seat and with minimal rolls/blocks.

[albigears]

Just had to add here that I went to a H/J schooling show yesterday and about 75% of the riders in the trot pole classes were in dressage saddles...!

[PennyChrome]

I do it all the time!

[rabicon]

I don't see a problem with it. I usually don't but I did a prix caprilli this year and had to jump 2' verticals during the dressage test. So I did it in my dressage saddle since it was a dressage test. I also practiced at home jumping in it because i never had done it before. Wasn't a big deal and my horse didn't seem to mind either.