The European Saddle Industry has historically made saddles for male riders or some fortunate female riders with similar anatomy traits as shown to the left in the above picture: straight back, narrow and short pelvis, equal lengths of upper and lower leg, and an ability to balance on narrowly placed sitting bones, which allows them to ride closer to the horse’s shoulders.  

However, it's important to note that women can have a variety of unique physical characteristics, which will require different saddles to accommodate their variances. For instance, women with northern European genetic traits, left picture: Scandinavian, British Isles, and upper Germany, can ride like a man in a ‘V’ seat saddle. The typical American and mid-European women in the center picture require a more open seat to accommodate their tipped pelvis.

Women from Mediterranean (Greek, Italian, Spanish), and African Americans, as shown in the right picture, often have excessive lordosis and an exaggerated tipped pelvis. For these women, a saddle with a more open seat and an indentation in the pommel for pubic bone comfort is essential.  

However, American women can have a mixture of Genetic Traits from various countries in addition to Europe: the indigenous Americans, Latin America, the Far East, the Middle East, and many more countries where women have dissimilar physical anomalies. Determining the saddle’s seat's openness and other components to address those various body structures can be a real challenge, but one we can permanently solve.  

The female dressage rider in the left picture is a woman trying to ride in a Passier PSL designed for men, and German women are built like the woman in the center picture. With her relatively short upper legs and femurs, the woman in the center picture can easily ride in a ‘live-weight’ shoulder-hip-heel position, as shown by the green line, in that saddle designed for the German male rider.

However, for the woman in the left picture, who has a disproportionally longer upper-to-lower leg disparity, the design of that PSL has placed her in a compensating chair seat, forcing her to sit on her horse’s lower back - a position that will not only create pain in her lower back but also prevent her horse from developing the strength of his top-line muscle group, longissimus dorsi; the strength of that muscle group is the foundation of a horse to carry the weight of the rider comfortably and become a successful dressage horse.

Now, envision the same horse and rider in the left picture, where after we designed a saddle for her diverse physical anomalies, and her horse’s asymmetries, in the right picture, that has given her a ‘live-weight’ position, which is allowing her horse to move in his natural biomechanical frame. This positive change in the horse's movement is a direct result of the saddle's design.

What is the difference between the PSL, plus many other European-made saddles, and our saddle?

Our saddles stand out due to their unique design tailored for a specific horse and rider. In the right picture, the seat of the saddle is more open than the ‘V’ seat in the center picture. This design accommodates the rider's tipped pelvis and the natural inward curvature of her back, known as lordosis. We've also extended the stirrup-bars two inches, enabling the rider to maintain her natural shoulder-hip-heel position, a key factor in comfortable riding.

 The same can be accomplished for the Jumping and Western disciplines.

Again, both of these pictures are of the same horse and rider. In the left image, she is riding in a very expensive and popular French-made saddle. The design of that saddle pushes her onto the wither of her horse, forcing him to move middle-back-hollow and heavy on the fore, thereby causing tension in his poll and jaw.

In the right picture, now riding in a saddle we made specifically for her and her horse, her weight is distributed evenly along the saddle panels, allowing her horse to move in a relaxed muscle-building conformation.  With the ability to ride in a balanced, comfortable frame, she doesn’t have to hang on the horse’s mouth for balance., which, in turn, has allowed her horse to work from the hindquarters forward, which is the correct mechanics for the horse to develop the strength of the all essential top-line muscle group, longissimus dorsi.  

These before-and-after pictures of the same horse and rider show the difference a saddle specifically made for both of them can make when attempting a pirouette. 

In the left picture, she is riding in a popular dressage saddle that does not consider her disproportionally long upper legs and femurs, plus the openness of the saddle's seat, which does not reflect her relaxed ischial contact.  This has forced her to sit against the saddle’s cantle, which has not only hollowed her and her horse’s back but has forced her to hang on her horse’s mouth for balance.

In the right picture, she is now riding in a saddle meticulously crafted for her and her horse. The transformation is remarkable - both showcase a new level of comfort and performance, effortlessly executing that complex pirouette.

What is the price difference between their generic saddles and our custom ones? While most English-made saddles sell for over $5,500, our price is a competitive $3,695. We can offer this value because all components are made in-house, eliminating middlemen's markups. We don't provide advanced riders and trainers with free saddles or commissions; instead, we pass those savings on to our valued clients.

Ready to experience the comfort and performance of our custom saddles? Here's how to order one for your horse and yourself.  

Whether you are ordering a saddle from one of our saddle fitters covering your area or ordering a saddle for which you either have taken the measurements or we have traveled to your area to make those measurements and have received the completed seven-page fitting form, we can relay that information to our saddlery in Germany, where they can make your saddle that will address the measurements that you have provided.

After 6-8 weeks, your custom saddle will be ready. We'll deliver it to you and make any necessary on-site adjustments. This ensures the saddle fits you perfectly, accommodating your relaxed position and your horse’s unique asymmetries.

To find a saddle fitter in your area or have a fitting form sent to you,

Please call us at (224 447-5414

or Email us at: conradreupert@gmail.com.