UK saddle survey part 1 – saddle use & preferences in horses and riders
Authors: D. Marlin, J.M. Williams, G. Tabor
Journal: Comparative Exercise Physiology
Summary
# Editorial Summary: UK Saddle Survey Part 1 – Saddle Use & Preferences in Horses and Riders Marlin, Williams and Tabor conducted the first large-scale UK survey examining how saddles are actually used across the equestrian population and what influences purchasing decisions, addressing a notable gap in the published literature despite decades of saddle fit research. Their online questionnaire reached 3,624 respondents (80.1% completion rate) across diverse disciplines, with pleasure riding and dressage predominating (82.6% and 71.6% respectively), and most participants competing at local or unaffiliated level rather than at elite competition. Whilst comfort for the horse ranked as essential by 92.6% of respondents, injury prevention (66.5%) and performance attributes (56.9%) showed considerably lower prioritisation, suggesting a potential disconnect between equine welfare priorities in theory and actual saddle selection criteria. When purchasing, durability was paramount (92.5%), followed by leather quality (67.7%), price (66.5%) and weight (63.0%), with the majority of owners (59.2%) using a single saddle across their horses rather than matching saddles to individual animals. These findings have significant implications for saddle fitters, veterinarians and coaches advising on equipment—they reveal that commercial factors and cost considerations may outweigh functional fit assessment in purchasing decisions, and highlight an opportunity for education around the gap between stated horse comfort priorities and actual buying behaviour.
Read the full abstract on the publisher's site
Practical Takeaways
- •Horse comfort is the top priority for most riders when choosing saddles, but durability and cost are major practical constraints on purchasing decisions—balance marketing messages around all three.
- •The majority of riders use one saddle for one horse; consider this when advising on saddle investment, fit, and maintenance for typical yard operations.
- •Pleasure riding dominates saddle use across disciplines; design and marketing should reflect that most saddles serve recreational rather than elite competition purposes.
Key Findings
- •98.1% of respondents were female, with pleasure riding/hacking (82.6%), dressage (71.6%), and show jumping (48.2%) as most popular disciplines.
- •92.6% of riders considered horse comfort essential when selecting a saddle, with 66.5% rating injury prevention as essential.
- •59.2% of respondents used saddles on only one horse, and durability (92.5%) was the most important purchasing attribute followed by price (66.5%) and leather quality (67.7%).
- •Most riders (59.0%) engaged in non-competitive or local/unaffiliated level competition rather than affiliated competition.