Cross Breeds

Do I need a particular type of saddle to ride a thoroughbred?

I have a retired race horse that I would like to ride. I am looking around for an all purpose saddle but I would like to know whether I need to have a certain size or type to ride him. It would just be for riding him for fun, not any eventing or such.

Public Comments

1. I dunno
2. well you need to make sure it fits right. Plus if he had any problems from racing then you may need a special pad or something... But other than that any saddle should be fine
3. Depending on your weight a treeless saddle would be good. Bearfoot treeless saddles are nice, not to expensive and comfortable to ride in. Make sure you purchase a proper pad for it. The Physio' pad would be ideal for a TB as they have extra padding to spread the weight of the rider. They come in colours as well as brown or black.
4. In general, thoroughbreds are on the narrow side and have high withers, so you'd want to keep those things in mind when saddle shopping. Of course, every horse is different and has different saddle needs. Best to work with a saddle fitter to ensure a comfortable fit for you and your horse. And often, tack stores may have their own saddle fitters to recommend that can come out to your farm with a variety of saddles to try.
5. Uhm..well you didn't tell us anything about him. Does he have high whithers? There are a lot of high whithered TB's that are hard to fit. I have one. It's been a month of trying on saddles and having none fit. It's really frustrating. My suggestion is get a saddle with an interchangable gullet system (like Wintec) that way you can change the size to fit him. The gullet system usually comes with a measuring tool so you know which one to use. Even if you're doing pleasure or light riding, you need to have a proper fitting saddle. If you have the money, get a saddle fitter to come out and look at your horse to tell you what size you need.
6. No, as long as it fits properly.
7. You can use any saddle as long as it fits properly.