Starting Young Horses: Why the Right Saddle Matters From Day One
Why the right saddle matters from a young horse’s very first ride, and how comfort and confidence build a foundation for life.
CONNECTION CORNER
As someone who has only recently begun starting our young horses under saddle, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m still learning. With four horses now successfully started, I certainly don’t consider myself an expert, but one thing I feel very strongly about is the importance of their very first experiences under saddle.
To me, starting a young horse isn’t just about getting them to accept a rider. It’s about building trust, confidence, and a positive foundation that will stay with them throughout their careers.
That foundation begins with comfort.
I don’t believe in simply grabbing whatever saddle happens to be lying around the barn and expecting a young horse to figure it out. Their first introduction to a saddle should be a positive experience, with equipment that fits their developing bodies, distributes weight appropriately, and allows them to move freely and naturally without unnecessary pressure or restriction.
These horses are being asked to accept something completely foreign to them. The very least we can do is make that experience as comfortable and understandable as possible.
Equally important to me is how I feel in the saddle. I want to feel balanced, secure, and confident, because I believe the horse can feel that. If I’m uncomfortable, unbalanced, or worried about my own security, how can I expect to give a young horse the quiet reassurance and confidence they need from me?
Confidence is something we build together, and I believe it starts with setting both horse and rider up for success.
I’m still very much a student of the process, and every horse teaches me something new. But if there’s one principle I intend to carry forward with every young horse I start, it’s that their comfort, freedom of movement, and trust should never be compromised for the sake of convenience.
After all, we’re not just teaching them to carry a saddle and rider. We’re shaping how they feel about being ridden for the rest of their lives.
About the Author:
Amina Bursese is a Grand Prix dressage rider and breeder of Spanish horses whose journey to the top of the sport is as inspiring as her results. Raised in upstate New York, where her parents bred Spanish-Norman horses, Amina went on to build a business with her husband, Mexican dressage rider Diego Gonzalez, importing Pura Raza Española horses from Spain. Remarkably, she was still learning the basics of riding at the time, and she developed her partnership with her PRE stallion Fiti AL from First Level all the way to Grand Prix, earning USDF All-Breeds honors, international CDI results at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival and World Equestrian Center, and most recently the national Grand Prix Musical Freestyle championship. Based in Jupiter, Florida, Amina trains with Olympian Lisa Wilcox as well as her husband, and continues to breed PREs and Andalusians, bring along young horses of her own, and serve as their hands-on caretaker. Alongside her life with horses, Amina helps lead Tequila Scenario, a small-batch tequila brand that proudly supports equestrian events through sponsorship, a natural extension of her love for the sport and the community that surrounds it.