Endurance Saddle Guide: How to Choose Tack That Goes the Distance

An endurance saddle has one job that no other saddle is asked to do in quite the same way: keep a horse sound, comfortable and willing over 40, 80 or 160 kilometres, and then let it pass a vet inspection at the end. Every design choice in a good endurance saddle, from the weight of the tree to the fabric on the panels, comes back to that. At Solo Saddlers our own staff ride and compete in endurance, so this guide is the advice we give riders at the counter when they are kitting out for their first ride or replacing tack that has done a few seasons. You can see the full range in our endurance riding collection.

What Endurance Riding Asks of Your Tack

Endurance is a race against the clock, but a horse only finishes if it passes the vet. Rides are split into loops, and at the end of each loop the horse goes through a vet check, often called a vet gate. According to the Wikipedia overview of endurance riding, horses are checked for soundness and dehydration, and the heart rate must come down below a set parameter, typically 64 beats per minute, although ride vets can set a different target for heat and terrain. One-day rides are rarely longer than 160 km.

That has two practical consequences for tack. First, anything that rubs, pinches or bounces for 80 km will show up as a sore back, a girth gall or a horse that will not settle its heart rate. Second, every minute you spend fiddling with buckles at the vet gate is a minute on the clock. Good endurance tack is light, gentle on the horse and quick to strip.

What Makes an Endurance Saddle Different?

If you are weighing up an endurance saddle against a general trail saddle, our guide to choosing a trail saddle covers the broader comparison. Here we focus on what matters once you start riding competitive distances.

Weight: Every Kilogram Is Carried the Whole Way

A traditional leather saddle is considerably heavier than a purpose-built endurance saddle, and your horse carries that difference for every kilometre. Our Solo endurance and trail saddles are built around a lightweight fibreglass tree for exactly this reason. The Clover and the Featherweight both weigh around 4 kg, the Overlander about 3.5 kg, and the Trail Endurance Solo 5.5 kg with fittings. Light does not mean flimsy; the point is to save weight without giving up support.

A Tree Built for South African Horses

Saddles designed overseas are not always shaped for local horses. The Solo McLellan-style fibreglass tree used across our endurance range is designed specifically to fit South African horses, including those with higher withers, and on models like the Overlander an open centre gives the spine clearance.

Panels That Spread the Load

Over long distances, pressure is about area. Wide panels that sit evenly along the back spread the rider's weight over more of the horse, which is what keeps a back comfortable at hour six. Our endurance saddles use ripstop panels that repel water and sweat, and they are removable and washable. On the Featherweight the panels are velcro-adjustable, so you can raise or lower them to suit different wither shapes rather than relying on a thick numnah to do the job.

Rider Comfort Matters Too

A tired rider sits heavily and crookedly, and the horse pays for it. Look for a narrow twist, a cushioned seat and more than one stirrup bar position so the stirrup can hang where your leg naturally falls. Most of our endurance saddles offer two or three stirrup positions to suit short and tall riders. A padded bumnah over the seat is worth considering for longer rides.

How to Fit an Endurance Saddle for Distance

A saddle that feels fine on a one-hour hack can cause real trouble over 80 km. Check fit properly before you compete:

• Wither clearance: with a rider in the saddle you should be able to fit two to three fingers between the pommel and the withers.
• Spine clearance: the gullet must stay clear of the spine along its full length, including when the rider leans forward in a light seat.
• Even contact: the panels should touch the back evenly, with no bridging (contact only at the front and back) and no rocking.
• The sweat pattern test: after a long training ride, look at the sweat under the saddle. An even damp patch is good. Dry spots inside a sweaty area usually mean too much pressure in that spot.

Pair the saddle with a numnah built for the job. The Everstretch endurance numnah in our numnah range has a 50 mm shock-absorbing filler and vertical stitching channels that move sweat away, and there is no centre seam to press on the spine. Finish with a soft, chafe-free girth. Fleece-lined and neoprene comfort girths are the usual choice for long rides, because a girth gall picked up at 30 km can end your day.

Endurance Stirrups: Why a Broad Base and a Toe Cage Matter

Endurance riders spend hours standing in the stirrups at a trot or a canter, so the footbed matters more than in most disciplines. A narrow English iron concentrates your weight on a thin bar, which leads to numb feet and aching knees by mid-ride. Endurance stirrups have a broad base to spread that load.

Our Endurance + Cage stirrups are a good example of what to look for. They are made from lightweight aluminium, have a 10 cm deep base that takes boots or takkies, and have a rubber tread pad for grip. The toe cage is the safety feature: it stops the boot pushing through the stirrup, so the foot cannot get trapped if you fall. Plenty of endurance riders ride in takkies or trail shoes rather than riding boots, which makes this matter even more.

Pair them with Biothane stirrup leathers, which will not crack and do not absorb sweat or water. Browse the full stirrups and leathers range for trail and cup-style alternatives.

Endurance Bridles: Halter-Bridles and Biothane

The endurance bridle is where competition tack departs most clearly from everyday tack. Many endurance riders use a halter-bridle: a halter with clip-on cheek pieces and bit. At the vet gate you unclip the bit and reins and lead your horse in on the halter, without swapping headgear or wrestling with buckles while the clock runs. Clip-on reins can often double as a lead rope.

Biothane is the material of choice. Unlike leather, it does not absorb sweat or water, so you can rinse it off after a dusty ride and it will not crack or stiffen. One of our customers rode the South African national championship at Fauresmith, 206 km over three days, in a Solo endurance bridle. In her endurance bridle review she explains how the halter conversion made vet checks quicker and how easily it rinsed clean in the dust. Rubber-grip reins are also worth having, because they hold in wet or sweaty hands.

You will find Biothane halter-bridles, Easy Clip bridles and leather endurance bridles in our bridles collection. Many riders add a matching breastplate to stop the saddle slipping back on steep climbs.

Building a Complete Endurance Kit

If you are starting from scratch, this is the order we suggest buying in:

1. Saddle: a lightweight endurance saddle fitted to your horse. Everything else depends on this.
2. Numnah and girth: a shock-absorbing endurance numnah and a chafe-free girth.
3. Stirrups and leathers: broad-based caged stirrups on Biothane leathers.
4. Halter-bridle and reins: Biothane, with clip-on cheek pieces.
5. Breastplate: essential on hilly courses.
6. Rider comfort: a bumnah, and a lightweight, well-ventilated helmet.

If you would like a matched set, the Clover Endurance Solo Set combines the saddle, Biothane endurance bridle and Everstretch numnah in the same colourway. Between rides, rinse Biothane and wash the ripstop panels, check the stitching and girth straps for wear, and let everything dry out of direct sun.

To find a ride near you, the Endurance Ride Association of South Africa (ERASA) publishes the national ride calendar and competition rules.

Find Your Endurance Saddle at Solo Saddlers

Solo Saddlers has been making saddlery in South Africa for 35 years, and our team rides endurance, so we design and test our endurance saddles, bridles and stirrups on the same kind of trails you will be riding. Browse our endurance and trail saddles to compare weights, trees and panel options, or get in touch with the team if you would like advice on fitting an endurance saddle to your horse. We will help you get the right tack so your horse can go the distance.