Do you dream of exploring the world with your horse and are you a lover of long rides, trail rides and multi-day trail rides? Are you planning to experience a trail ride with your horse partner this summer? Your own summer adventure "trail ride" or do you even dare to cross the Alps with your horse?

A trail riding saddle must fulfil the same specific requirements for horse and rider as a saddle for other equestrian sports. An endurance saddle is particularly light, a dressage saddle offers maximum contact with the horse, a jumping saddle enables a light seat and a western saddle with a horn enables work with a lasso on cattle, etc.

A suitable saddle especially for trail riding should offer particularly good, gentle pressure distribution . A saddle that is gentle on the horse's back is the be-all and end-all, ensuring that the horse can continue to move freely over long distances.

However, the above-mentioned characteristics only come into play if the fit of a trail riding saddle is optimally adapted to the horse. The key feature for a good fit is a saddle tree that is customised for the horse with specially adapted, large panels for optimum pressure distribution on the back.

The best saddle for longer rides or long-distance trail rides offers the horse plenty of freedom over the withers and a wide spinal canal. Spinal clearance is important so that the horse can move under the saddle without restriction and the weight of the rider and luggage can be distributed laterally over the horse's back muscles. The padding on the horse's back should fit perfectly and be softly padded to form a gentle transition to the load-bearing contact surface.

Our OMEGA customised saddles offer ideal conditions for long-distance use thanks to the concept of a large contact surface. Your wish list determines the exact production of your customised trail riding saddle. The rider can customise the feel of the saddle by choosing from a variety of seat types, seat profiles and knee rolls. We recommend our soft comfort seat and soft comfort blocks for long rides. We would be happy to advise you on the ideal combination of a Trekker saddle for you and your horse.

In collaboration with experienced trail riders and trail riding guides, we have developed the Trekker trail riding package. This Trekker trail riding equipment can be combined with all our OMEGA customised saddle models and turns them into genuine trail riding saddles. Of course, you can get your saddle with the right accessories on request , from girths and lambskin saddle pads to panniers that match the saddle.

The right accessories are needed for a successful trail ride. The accessories, from the girth, stirrups and saddle pad to the pannier, should fit perfectly and must not chafe under any circumstances.

Which saddle pad under a trail riding saddle? A pad or saddle pad with lambskin on the underside is popular. The lambskin provides additional padding and has a pressure-absorbing effect on the horse. Equally popular are lambskin seat covers for the rider, for a particularly soft and comfortable seating experience. 

There is a suitable trail riding saddle for every rider. But what should you look out for when buying a trail riding saddle?

For the rider, a comfortable seat is the key factor for a pleasant riding experience on long rides or trail rides. To achieve this, the rider needs a saddle with a suitable seat size. This is measured in inches or cm. Regardless of the model of trekking saddle, the seat should sit the rider comfortably. We recommend a seat with sufficient room to move so that the rider can easily change position at any time during the ride. A saddle that is too deep and narrow with strong knee rolls from dressage would give the rider a defined and balanced position, but would be too restrictive on long rides and in the worst case could even cause pain.

We recommend a flat to medium-deep seat in which the rider can move their hips easily. The side rolls should lie comfortably and softly against the leg and not force it into an artificial position. A particularly soft seat, possibly with a matching lambskin cover, offers a comfortable seat and prevents unpleasant pressure points.

Whether pony or horse with a short saddle, we recommend a large contact surface even for short horses so that it can support the weight of the rider as well as the weight of luggage and panniers. A trekking saddle that is too short, on the other hand, harbours the risk of unpleasant pressure peaks on long journeys. The contact surface must fit your horse perfectly and lie parallel to the back so that the entire contact surface can distribute the pressure evenly and unpleasant pressure peaks are avoided.

The length of the saddle should be adapted to the horse's back and matched to the rider's seat size. A harmonious relationship between the contact surface and seat size enables the best possible and most comfortable pressure distribution for the horse.

Optimum pressure distribution on your horse's back is a prerequisite for a successful trail ride. Flexible, treeless saddles are sometimes advertised as an alternative to a treed trail riding saddle. However, due to its flexible design, a treeless saddle harbours the risk of putting weight on the back at certain points. A treeless saddle cannot distribute the weight, but places it in the area under the stirrup suspensions, under the rider's seat bones. As there is no load-bearing surface to distribute the pressure, the panniers themselves rest directly on the horse's back and spine.

Use a riding saddle for your horse that offers a saddle tree optimally adapted to the horse's back in combination with wide and shock-absorbing panels. Only a saddle with a tree can provide the load-bearing surface required for trail riding and make the ride a pleasant experience for your horse.

The best trail riding saddle for you and your horse can be new or used. We recommend that you draw up your own wish list before buying and look out for the following saddle features, regardless of the brand or model:

• A saddle with a large saddle tree customised for your horse
• A saddle with soft and large panels and a large contact surface
• The size and weight of the saddle are adapted to the horse, rider and their luggage
• High-quality saddle with good leather quality
• Attachment options for panniers and saddlebags
• Saddle is adjustable and can be adapted to changes in the horse at any time
• Leather colour available in black, brown, multi-coloured... according to your wishes
• Matching accessories: stirrups, girth, saddle pads, saddle bags, panniers etc.