Get rid of back pain, and improve your sitting posture and productivity by using a saddle chair.
Get access to the best offers available, compare the last opinions, and get to know our reviews. Everything you need to get the best and healthier sitting experience for your daily life.
Saddle Chairs
Types of saddle rolling stools
In the market, you can find different types of rolling saddle chairs: regular ones, divided saddle chairs, multiadjuster saddle chairs, with back and arm support, for drafting, portables, and even deluxe saddle stools.
Check them out below and get to know their differences!
Best saddle stools by brand for 2023
These are the top brands of the moment for saddle chair seats. Either for their high number of sales, the quality of the products, or even for the good reviews of the users. Click below to get to know them better!
What is a horse saddle chair?
A saddle horse chair is a specific type of chair whose design is based on equestrian (or horse) saddles where your back gets its natural upright position and your legs are slight to either side of the chair at an open inclined angle to the floor as if you were riding a horse.
Is a rolling saddle stool actually good for you?
Here the benefits
Using a saddle rolling chair can help you avoid back problems.
- It relieves your back and neck pain by the evenly balance of the body loads.
- It straighten and correct your posture guiding your back into its natural S shape
- It improves your upper limb mobility and the accuracy or your hands movements
- It encourages proper movement from the hips instead of bending at the waist.
- It reduces the pressure of your lower back and fatigue of the shoulders
- It decreases ergonomic risks of injure your back
To consider
- The first few times of use you may feel some discomfort as your body adjusts to a new sitting position.
- Some chairs can have high prices that vary depending on their quality and features.
- You may need to adjust your setup a bit to accommodate it at your new seat height.
Why is a horse saddle stool better?
A saddle shape stool is better than a regular chair because it allows and encourages your body’s spine to rest in its natural S-shaped curve (neutral spine). This helps your back and body to function properly most of the time while sitting.
Otherwise, a regular 90-degree chair does not allow the back to get its natural shape. Furthermore, it might increase the risk of pain and injuries because of the strain generated on the lower back due to the form the spine adopts while leaning against the flat surfaces of these chairs that restrict the body’s natural stance.
How to decide what saddle seat chair to buy?
When you are going to buy saddle chairs, choosing the right product model might be a little challenging. Sometimes we get overwhelmed by having before our eyes many different options, features, brands, variations, etc.
You will want to consider those features that are going to meet your own professional or personal needs. Here you have the main features to take into account and make your final decision and buy a saddle stool.
Seat pan design (One part or split seat)
As many brands offer, a basic saddle seat rolling stool can simply consist of a seat pan, a lift cylinder, and a base with casters. But even at this point you can already see a difference.
The seat pan can come as one part (undivided) or split. The two main purposes:
- To leave space in the private parts so they are not straight against the seat under pressure.
- To allow, through the lateral slopes of both part of the pad, to sit in a position closer to the standing position which further helps the back to get its natural spinal shape.
This is an agronomical feature you can opt for.
Multi adjustment (height, inclination, opening)
Most saddle seat stools with wheels come with the classic lever for height adjustment, but if you would like going one step further, some brands offer multiadjuster saddle chairs.
This types of adjustable saddle stools come with two levers: the first one is for the height level adjustment and the second one for the front and rear tilt degree adjustment of either a backrest or the seat (in more advanced models).
In addition, in some split seats you can a find a control knob to adjust the distance between both part of the seat pan that allow make it wider or narrower.
All these types of chair setups allow a greater range of adjustment to achieve an even more ergonomically comfortable position.
Back support
Even though, we all take it for granted that a chair has a back, you might find it interesting that a backrest is not an essential characteristics when it comes to saddle style chairs. A chair based on a horse saddle is designed for people to lay their body weight by the buttock, not their backs, as you were horseback riding.
Despite that, there are ergonomic chairs that come with backrest that might be an additional support for your body’s weight, which in turn helps to reduce the amount of pressure exerted on your spinal discs and muscles. Most back supports on these chairs fit and keeps the natural S shape of your spine, but you there can be some exceptions.
Feet support
The footrest is an added feature that some chairs called “saddle drafting chairs”, have. They are for those who work on drafting tables, higher that conventional tables, or any elevated surface of work. They require people to seat in a higher position than usual and still need the support from the feet provided by placing them on the footrest.
Without it, the person’s legs would dangle with no surface to lean on and offer no support for the body weight. This is why a footrest is a feature to consider if you are looking for a high sitting level.
Arm support
Armrests aren’t a must-have accessory in saddle shaped chairs. However, some manufactures add them as an optional feature that can give you a plus while you are working.
The elbow supports, in addition to supporting the arms, help relieving the the shoulders and neck fatigue, relaxing the upper part of the body, and boosting their effective performance for longer.
Saddle Stool with Wheels’ Frequently Asked Questions
How are you supposed to sit in a saddle chair?
Standing up you have to squat slightly getting, in-between the back of your thighs and floor, an approx. 45-degree angle. This is the angle we would get by stopping halfway up when we are getting up from a regular chair.
In this posture, the hips would be higher than the knees letting you get a wide and optimal angle of approx. 135 degrees from your upper body to the front of your thighs, not only 90 as you were seated in a traditional chair. Also, your legs will be slightly spread apart on either side of the chair, and the feet pointing outward in alignment with the legs.
Is a saddle stool comfortable?
It is! The main function of a saddle chair is to encourage the S-curved shape of your spine which is a natural and ergonomic position for your body.
It must be said that this new way of sitting can be a little challenging at first if your hips are not used to this openness degree, as those of people who ride horses might be. But the more you use it, the faster you will get used to it.
How long can you sit on a saddle stool?
You can sit as much as you want as long as you are ergonomically positioned and feel comfortable because your back will not ask you for rest for any discomfort, fatigue, or pain since a saddle chair is designed to encourage a natural back posture.
Can you sit in a saddle chair all day?
Definitely! The riding-style sitting posture enables you to maintain a neutral and upright position as if you were standing up preventing fatigue and pressure on your lower back. This allows you to sit and work the whole workday better without the discomfort that regular chairs can give you.
Can saddle stools cause hip pain?
They do not cause hip pain because their design allows the hip flexors, muscles toward the front of the hip in charge of legs and knee movements, to be in an elongated position that promotes the blood flow in the area. Also, the open hip angle position increases the available space within the hip joints and reduces the stress on them.
It’s worth noting that this new way of sitting can be a little challenging and cause you temporary discomfort at first if your hips aren’t used to this openness degree, as those of people who ride horses might be. But the more you sit on it, the faster you will get used to it.
Do saddle chairs help sciatica?
Saddle chairs can help to relieve sciatic nerve pain by positioning the thighs at a 45-degree angle, which in turn places the nerve in a neutral position and keeps the pelvis upright, reducing pressure on the sciatic nerves.
