[sweetpea]

I have a friend who wants a flat seat dressage saddle , more open she explains.

What brands can you recommend or styles of the brand.

[mvp]

In the past Tad Coffin has made some very, very flat dressage saddles. They are next to impossible to find used. But call the guy. He's very nice and might be able to help. Of course, research the design, hype (and anti-hype) of his "one size fits all" tree. The leather is very nice, but fragile and TC saddles will set you back some coin.

[Mary in Area 1]

Jaguar makes a fabulous saddle with a more open seat. It is NOT the one you see for sale usually, that one is really deep. Passier also makes some more open models.

[WB Mom]

I second the Tad. I have seen them on ebay. They look like his saddle with a dressage flap instead of a forward flap, but they are few and far between, and somewhat pricy.

[Sonesta]

Some of the old Passiers and Northrup make decent flat seat dressage saddles.

[buck22]

I saw a lovely TC go unsold on ebay for $550, and it was quite flat. my tristan, ggilbert, lauriche and giacomini are all quite flat, imho. Ask your friend to look into passier & stubben.....

[boosma47]

My 20 yr old Euroriding Safir is quite flat and minimalist. Love it, but don't know how available or fashionable it would be. It is two tone in color, brown and a olive-y grey seat.

[Renae]

I saw a lovely TC go unsold on ebay for $550, and it was quite flat. my tristan, ggilbert, lauriche and giacomini are all quite flat, imho. Ask your friend to look into passier & stubben.....

Yep, Stubben Tristan, older Passiers. You can the Tristan on half panels with no blocks/rolls whatsoever.

[Lamma70]

I have a Passier Relevant that is flatter than most. It's not as flat as a jumping saddle, but you don't feel like you are stuck in the middle like the deeper seated saddles. I love my saddle!

[camohn]

Old Passiers and old Countys although the Passier is flatter than the County. My Passier GT is quite flat, the old county is a medium seat......both much flatter than newer seats with minimal rolls.

[pintopiaffe]

Actually, newer Passiers can come with the shallower seat--it is actually 'standard' most places but the US. They tend to ship the deep seat to the US as standard here. At least that's what a Passier dealer told me.

My ancient Passier is shallow and fabulous. My abs are far better for it.

I would think most custom builders would make you one shallower, particularly Spirig comes to mind as one I've ridden in that are comparable to my Ancient Passier... (and some are quite deep... but many are not.)

[NewbieEventer]

I'm just starting to explore the world of dressage, so please excuse my beginner-ish questions.

When would one want a deeper vs. flatter seat in a dressage saddle? Does it have anything to do with the horse's way of going? Or more rider's own build/conformation? If the latter, what types of builds/body types would do better with flatter vs. deeper seat saddle?

[pharmgirl]

Smith Worthington Maxx is one she could try. It may not be completely flat, but it's not nearly as deep as most that I see.

[merrygoround]

When would one want a deeper vs. flatter seat in a dressage saddle? Does it have anything to do with the horse's way of going? Or more rider's own build/conformation? If the latter, what types of builds/body types would do better with flatter vs. deeper seat saddle?

My personal opinion is that the deeper seat keeps you centered in the seat in the deepest part, allowing your legs to hang down longer.

The flatter seats allow you to slip into chair seat where your leg slips out in front of you in saddle seat postion.

[NewbieEventer]

My personal opinion is that the deeper seat keeps you centered in the seat in the deepest part, allowing your legs to hang down longer.

The flatter seats allow you to slip into chair seat where your leg slips out in front of you in saddle seat postion.

Thanks. Why would anyone need/desire a flatter seat? Isn't it more correct/effective to ride with legs longer and more under your seat instead of in front? Or are there certain situations where a slight chair seat is beneficial

[boosma47]

Thanks. Why would anyone need/desire a flatter seat? Isn't it more correct/effective to ride with legs longer and more under your seat instead of in front? Or are there certain situations where a slight chair seat is beneficial

While the flatter seat indeed can encourage a chair seat, it also allows for the development of a freer hip, more adjustability of the rider's seat, and closer contact with the horse. The rider, I suspect, might have to work a bit harder to be with her horse!

[camohn]

My personal opinion is that the deeper seat keeps you centered in the seat in the deepest part, allowing your legs to hang down longer.

The flatter seats allow you to slip into chair seat where your leg slips out in front of you in saddle seat postion.

If the stirrup bars are in the right place this should not happen.........

the deep seat and bigger thigh blocks anchoring you in would be a help if you are trying to sit a trot on an upper level really big moving horse. That is not a problem I have to deal with at present though!

[exvet]

I have 5 dressage saddles due to the herd I have/ride. I prefer a flatter seat but due to fitting challenges do have 2 saddles with a deeper seat. None of my saddles put me in a chair seat. There are brands of saddles that do and it has nothing to do with the depth of the seat. I prefer to have more freedom to move, particularly in the upper levels as oppose to feeling like I'm locked in; however, a deeper seat has come in handy with some of my younger horses and for those like my daughter's mare who tend to try to root the rider out of the saddle. Having said that though, I don't like to rely on the depth of the seat to keep me in place. That is what the core muscles & balance are for.

[Elegante E]

Flatter seats allow for a more independent seat - prevents laziness and better adjustability. Better riders prefer it for this reason. It's helpful as a rider can adjust herself so as not to hit sensitive areas as well.

With Passiers - even what they refer to as a deep seat isn't really deep. It really means the cantel is longer and goes up a bit more. The seat itself is pretty flat, especially compated to an old Stubben Tristan - rode in a friend's and boy it's like sitting in a hole comapared to the my Passier GG.

Btw, flatter seats are pretty easy to see visually when looking at a side angle of a saddle.

[anchorsaway]

Flat-Seat saddles are my favorite

I have a Collegiate Jessica which I think is fairly flat compared to some of the other saddles that have come through my barn. The knee rolls are pretty darn flat and there are no thigh blocks. Personally, thigh blocks are spawn of the devil. yuck

Trainer has a hard-as-rock-slick-as-ice County that I adore. Granted the hard part, not so much, but I love how flat the seat is. Her TB is a huge mover and the adjustability in that saddle is just about second to none.