Best Endurance Saddles (A Buyer's Guide)

The best endurance saddles should place comfort for the horse and rider first. The saddle should firstly fit your horse, and then it should fit you. 

Buying tack is expensive, and saddles are the most pricey piece of equipment you need for riding. A good quality saddle is an investment. Ensure your endurance saddle is durable and comfortable. 

Choosing the best trail saddles is a challenge, and there are many saddle options available on the market. 

We’ve included a detailed buyer’s guide so you know what to look for when buying your next endurance saddle. We’ve also spent long hours testing the top 6 best saddles available for endurance riding.   

The Best Horse Endurance Saddles (Our Review)

Wintec Pro HART Endurance Saddle (Best Overall)

We’ve chosen the Wintec Pro HART Endurance Saddle as our overall winner for the best endurance saddle. It ticks a lot of the boxes that make it such a comfortable saddle for endurance riders. Plus, you’ll sit in style. 

The lightweight saddle is super soft and features CAIR Cushion System Precision Custom Fit technology. This technology sets the bar for high quality and comfortable saddles in the industry. 

With the CAIR Cushion System Precision Custom Fit, your seat is supported with an air pad, which constantly adapts to how your steed’s muscles work during endurance racing and Western styles disciplines. CAIR technology ensures your weight is balanced, and this eliminates pressure points.    

The synthetic saddle also provides you with low, fixed support at the back of the seat. This alleviates endurance rider fatigue and pain as your leg is positioned naturally and comfortably. With FlexiCountourblocs, your knee position can be adjusted and supported.

Your horse will be comfortable with this saddle too. There are panels on the underside that mold around their muscles, and this ensures free movement. The Easy-Change Riser System ensures comfort for trail riders. The Easy-Change Gullet System helps solve saddle fit problems as it can accommodate different horse sizes.

Pros 

• Available in black and brown 
• Comes in four sizes: 16.5”-18”  
• Offers ultimate comfort and adjustability 
• Accommodates the CAIR Cushion System Precision Custom Fit, Easy-Change Riser System, Easy-Change Gullet System, and Elastiflex Tree  
• Features a crupper dee and D-rings 
• Weatherproof and fully washable 

Cons 

• Only four sizes are available, so finding the best size for your unique dimensions may be a problem  

Acerugs GAITED Brown Synthetic Western Pleasure Trail Endurance Horse Saddle (Best Budget)

The Acerugs GAITED Brown Synthetic Western Pleasure Trail Endurance Horse Saddle is our best endurance Western saddle if you are on a budget or just starting out with trail riding. 

The beautiful saddle features a 4.5” cantle, so it helps you balance better and adds comfort on those long rides. The 3” horn is handy for looping your reins around, or you can hang your water bottle here so you stay hydrated while on the trail. 

There are also D-rings so you can secure your saddle bags, including your hoof pick and extra riding tights, and more stuff.  

The padded seat is comfortable for the endurance rider, while the fleece padded underside ensures your horse is comfortable. The adjustable padded stirrups also add to the rider’s comfort. 

The Cordura saddle has a double reinforced fiberglass tree, which creates a lightweight and durable saddle option.   

Pros 

• Comes in five sizes: 14”-18”  
• Breast collar, headstall, saddle pad, and reins are included
• Water-resistant, lightweight saddle 
• Features a cantle and horn 
• Comfortable for your horse  

Cons 

• Only available in brown  

King Trekker Endurance Saddle (Best for Long Distance)

From their Australian Outrider Collection, the jockey-style King Trekker Endurance Saddle wins the best long distance category. The saddle fit is lightweight since there is no extra leather trim or skirt. This saddle helps your horse stay cool as it reduces them sweating while on the trail. 

The new saddle is quality-made: the reduced skirts are made from supple leather while the fenders are made from Nylon and neoprene. 

To evenly distribute pressure on the horse’s back, the saddle features a rawhide covered flexible fiberglass-reinforced tree and full quarter horse bars. Your horse’s comfort is further ensured with the underside that’s padded with fleece.   

As for your comfort, the quick-change buckles and Nylon-reinforced straps with the shock-absorbing stirrups help prevent rider fatigue. The seat is 3.5” inches deep and soft. 

The endurance saddle features multiple gear rings, as well as a back cinch ring, a cinch strap, and double-front D-rings for attaching tack like a breastplate. 

Pros 

• Comes in four sizes: 15.5”-17”  
• Available in two colors: black and brown
• Ideal for narrow-withered horses
• Lightweight saddle that helps keep your horse cool 
• Durable saddle  
• 4” cantle

Cons 

• Many riders complain the saddle lifts them off the horse 
• Not ideal for low-withered horses

King Basic Synthetic Saddle Package (Best Synthetic Endurance Saddle)

The King Basic Synthetic Trail Saddle Package is made from synthetic Cordura and genuine leather that makes this saddle durable for trail riders.  

It has a 4” cantle to add comfort for the trail rides while the 2.5” horn is ideal to hang some of your tack or supplies from. There are also full quarter horse bars to lift the saddle off the sides of your horse; this increases air ventilation and helps with shock absorption. 

The rawhide-covered fiberglass tree offers firm support for you and your horse without creating pressure points on their spine. 

Pros 

• Comes in eight sizes: 13”-20”
• Available in two colors: brown and black  
• 5-year warranty on the reinforced-fiberglass tree, reinforced stirrup bar, complete back cinch, Tough-1 quick-change buckles, and tie straps 
• Saddle comes with other tack: Navajo blanket, 30” cinch, reins, headstall, and 5-inch curb bit

Cons 

• Doesn’t fit very low-withered horses  

Tucker Horizon Outpost Wide Tree Saddle (Best for Wide Horses)

When you want to do endurance riding but you’ve got a chunky horse, finding a good saddle fit can be a challenge. The Tucker Horizon Outpost Wide Tree Saddle is ideal for those wider quarter horses that regular saddles just don’t fit.

The Tucker Horizon features high-quality leather, a flexible tree design, and is weather resistant. Ride in close contact with your horse as you blaze the endurance trails. 

There is a 3.5” cantle to keep you in your seat as you ride uphill. However, the shallow seat isn’t suitable for larger endurance riders. The 26” rounded skies add comfort and support for your horse.  

Pros 

• Available in three sizes: 15.5”, 16.5”, and 17.5”
• Wider tree accommodates broad-shouldered horses
• Minimalist saddle without a horn to provide a natural feeling ride
• Seat is ergonomically designed with shock-absorbing padding
• Gel-cush bar pad lines the saddle bars to provide comfort and flexibility

Cons 

• Quite pricey 
• The bars are not adjustable
• Angle of the back cinch D-rings may complicate the fitment of the back cinch 

Big Horn Small Hands Endurance III Saddle (Best Endurance Saddle for Kids)

Endurance riding is for the whole family, so you should get the best endurance saddle for your younger riding family members. The Big Horn Small Hands Endurance III Saddle is ideal for children and smaller size trail riders. 

So whether it’s for a petite adult rider or a lanky young teen, this saddle’s smaller size seat will accommodate you with style and comfort. The skirt is fleece-lined to ensure no chafing for your steed on the ride, while the seating area is memory foam padded for you. 

The smaller horn is ideal for those endurance riders who have small hands and struggle with resting their hands on large pommels or horns on the long trails. 

Pros 

• High-quality tree for heavy-duty work as the wooden tree is fiberglass covered
• 3.5” cantle
• Available in two sizes with the gaited 6” and the quarter horse 6.5” gullet to fit a wider quarter horse or a smaller gaited horse
• Trimming includes latigo time strings, brass buckles, and brass D-rings
• Available in 16” and 17” seat sizes for your comfort and to reduce chafing 

Cons 

• Quite heavy for children to carry at 35 pounds
• Only available in one color-rich chestnut
• Your child may outgrow the saddle

Best Endurance Saddles Horse Buyer’s Guide

Fit 

As an endurance rider doing long-distance riding on your horse, saddle fit is a key consideration when buying an endurance saddle. This important piece of tack is something you’ll spend long hours on. You need to be comfortable, and the saddle should make your horse comfortable too. 

The saddle should place you in a balanced position. The rider’s weight should be distributed evenly across the horse’s back. 

Using a tail crupper can prevent an endurance saddle from sliding forward on downhill terrain, improving your balance. Ensure there’s a D-ring for the tail crupper. 

If horses wear a breast collar or plate, this further improves the rider’s stability when riding uphill. 

Moreover, the best endurance saddle needs to fit your steed well. 

An endurance saddle that doesn’t fit well causes many problems. Worse than just rubbing against your horse’s skin and creating sore spots, your horse could develop issues with their bones, joints, and muscles. Your horse can also start having behavioral problems. 

Many endurance riders opt for a saddle that’s somewhat customizable. You can choose a Western seat size that’s best for you and a tree size that works best for your horse. 

Weight 

Technically, part of the saddle fit consideration is also how much it weighs. Your endurance riding saddle should weigh less than 30 pounds. 

Smaller and lightweight saddles have the benefit of not adding extra weight to your horse’s spine. And when out riding for many hours and miles, the lighter, the better. 

A saddle with a rounded skirt is more ergonomic, cutting away extra weight. Less skirting also keeps your horse from overheating, which is essential on those hot rides.  

Plus, after long hours on the trails, a saddle that is lighter will be easier to untack from the horses and carry to the barn.  

Comfort 

The best endurance saddles will be built for comfort. 

To ensure comfort while sitting, look for a saddle that’s been padded in the seat area as well as around the Western bars. Look for air chambers, gel padding, or microfoam fiber. Don’t choose a saddle with a seating area that’s been filled with polyester as this will become uncomfortable as it bunches with a long ride. 

A saddle that provides a low-profile seat ensures your back is supported. 

Your endurance saddle should also have stirrups that are adjustable. This provides you more comfort on those long trail rides where there’s more shock to the back, ankles, and knees. A stirrup with a thick closed-cell foam pad on the tread offers higher shock absorbency. 

If your leather or synthetic stirrups have an extra-wide surface, your weight will be more evenly distributed around your foot. 

Durability

For endurance racing, saddle durability is another crucial consideration for horse and rider. 

You obviously want your saddle to last and you may be covering steep or rough terrain. Thus, the endurance saddle should be made from high-quality leather. Other saddles are made from Cordura. 

The other elements of your saddle should be made from Nylon or neoprene. 

The trail rider should ensure there’s reinforcement in the horn of their endurance saddle. The edges should be heavily stitched to prevent wear. 

Accessories 

Your endurance saddle should, ideally, have a host of pockets, D-rings, and strings to secure your extra tack and gear.  

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