Saddle Fit Guide
Tips:(brought to us by The Horse Mart)
ENGLISH SADDLES
In fitting an English saddle, place it on your horse's back without the saddle pad and slide it back far enough that the shoulders can comfortably move. If you're not sure if the shoulder is being restricted, have a helper lift one of the horse's front legs and extend it as far forward as possible while you hold your hand at the back of the scapula, which is up near the front mid-point of your saddle. While most trainers prefer to have the saddle sitting forward on the back, the saddle should ideally sit in a balanced position far enough back that the shoulder movement is not hindered when the shoulder rotates backward as the leg is extended. A balanced saddle will put the area on the seat where your seat bones hit at the lowest point; in most saddles, a balanced position puts the pommel about 1" lower than the cantle.
Ensure that the withers have plenty of clearance in the gullet when your weight is in the saddle. "Plenty" may include any space from 1/2" to 2" as long as the saddle is balanced correctly on the horse's back. If you and your horse are doing fairly hard exercise such as jumping, be sure that there is enough wither clearance that the gullet doesn't hit the withers after landing from a jump. Also check the angle of the bars of the saddle, which should match the angle of your horse's shoulder. Generally speaking, a saddle that is too narrow will pinch your horse fairly low on the withers and rock the saddle backward, raising the pommel higher than the cantle. Conversely, one that is too wide will drop too far down over the withers in front, propping up the rear.
Lastly, slide your hand flat under the flap and feel how the panels fit the back down the length of the saddle. The center of the saddle should fit slightly more loose than the front and rear, because it will be pressed down when your weight is in the saddle. If it lies firmly against the back whenirmly against the back when you are not in the saddle, there will be no spring (which equals relief for your horse's back) when you are.
WESTERN SADDLES
Check the fit of any western saddle by first placing it on your horse's back without a pad, and look at the overall picture: does it look too big or too long for the horse? Too small? Any saddle that immediately looks out of proportion probably is not a good fit for any of several reasons. Check the gullet to be sure it's not resting on or too near the horses's withers, and remember that your weight in the saddle will settle it down at least 1/2 inch. The panels, which are the fleece-covered portion underneath, should smoothly match the angle of your horse's shoulder. If you try to slip your hand under the bars of the saddle from the front, you should feel a uniform snugness from the top, near the gullet, to the points of the tree which are about halfway down the saddle. If the top feels tight but there is room for your hand to slide in an inch or two down, the tree is probably too wide for your horse. On the other hand, if there is space showing on the panels above your horse's withers and it feels like a tight squeeze a few inches down, the tree is probably too narrow.
While there is not complete uniformity in the definitions of terms for tree size, most manufacturers of western saddles will sell saddles with semi-quarter or full-quarter horse bars. Semi-quarter trees, also known as regular or standard trees, will fit most stock-type horses with fairly prominent withers and average shoulders. Shorter, stockier horses with minimal withers and very round shoulders often
require full-quarter, or wide, trees. These trees are generally built the same as semi-quarter trees, but with a wider gullet to accommodate a wider shoulder. Some saddle-makers also make Arab trees, which are typically built narrow in the gullet to fit over a smaller spine, and are flatter in the bars to better fit very round-barreled horses.
The saddle's front skirt should rest far enough back that it does not interefere with the movement of the shoulder, and the seat should be centered and balanced. A saddle that tips up in front may be positioned too far forward, or it may be too narrow. If it tips up in back, it's probably too wide. At the rear, the skirt should stop at least two inches in front of the point of the hip, to avoid rubbing as the horse moves forward.
Tips From Trumbull Mtn Tack (www.trumbullmtn.com)
edie@trumbullmtn.com
There's a lot of information out about the art of fitting saddles. We'd
like to add our thoughts and experience!
1) Before anything else, the saddle must sit level on the horse's back. You
should sit in the deepest part of the seat and not feel like you are being
tipped forward or backward. You must make this determination on your horse, and
not on the saddle stand in the tack shop which is probably not shaped like your
horse.
2) 95% of horses can be fit correctly without lifts, wedges, gels, or
protector pads which can compromise stability. You must, however, have a good
pad that fits the saddle properly and generously so the saddle is not resting on
the 'edge' of the pad. We recommend pads that are contoured or shaped at the
withers to eliminate pressure; these pads also help to keep the saddle from
moving backwards!
3) You must have good clearance at the withers to avoid pressure, and
sufficient gullet clearance so there is no pressure on the spine.
4) The saddle should not 'pop' up and down when the rider is posting to
the trot.
5) The saddle should allow the rider to 'drop' into the correct position.
Your knee should cradle into the deepest part of the kneeroll and your thigh
should parallel the front of the flap when your stirrup is adjusted to your
comfortable riding length.
6) Do not be fooled into thinking that a wide tree will solve all problems.
This is like buying shoes that are too big. A saddle with a tree that is too
wide will tend to tip forwards, lose stability, and pinch the withers higher up
than a narrow tree, but will pinch just as badly, or worse than a tree that is
too narrow. A saddle that is too wide can sometimes be padded to work
acceptably, but a tree that is too narrow can not be made to work. If you expect
your horse to grow or significantly increase his muscle mass, you might choose a
tree that is one size too wide.
7) Dry spots or ruffled hair indicate uneven pressure. Try to make your
fitting judgments while the horse is in motion. Problems like 'bridging' may
go away after the horse has warmed up and lifted his back up. Check for sore
areas after you have ridden him.
8) A saddle that slides forward or back is probably not fitted correctly.
Cruppers or breastcollars are rarely necessary unless your horse is extremely up
or downhill, or you ride on very mountainous terrain.
9) A difficult to fit horse may do better with a wool flocked panel than a
foam panel. Wool will move and conform to the horse after about 20 hours of
riding. A saddle that is softly stuffed will break in more quickly, but may also
require some restuffing after 6 months of use. Foam may be a more appropriate
choice if you are riding many horses with the same saddle. It can not be
adjusted, but will tend to retain its shape and integrity better than wool. Foam
panels tend to be thinner, keeping you closer to the horses back, wool is
bulkier so you may feel like you are further away. Each type of saddle has
advantages and disadvantages.
10) Your horse is your best judge of how your saddle fits. Judge on how your
horse is moving, compared to other saddles that you have tried. Bucking after a
jump, traveling crooked, and reluctance to go downhill are warning signs of
pinching or bruising.
11) Hock and stifle problems can cause sore backs. If changing saddles does
not create improvement, consult your veterinarian.
12) Make sure you ride in a saddle three or four times before you make a
final decision.
13) All saddles come through slightly differently, even if you order the same
size and model of a saddle that you believe is perfect, it may fit quite
differently due to differences in stuffing and panel placement.
14) It is not an easy job to get the perfect saddle. Be patient, you and your
horse will be glad you took the extra time and care!
Tip from Saddles Bits And Spurs (saddlesandspurs.com)
TIP - I often see saddles that are so ill fitted that it makes me cringe. If you wonder if your saddle is correctly fitted I might suggest you look to see if your saddle is sitting directly on your horses withers. There should be several fingers width between the gullet and the horses' withers. Next check to see if the saddle is digging into the horses shoulders. Your saddle should sit level on the back of the horse. It shouldn't tilt forward or back. After you mount, ensure that the saddle continues to fit properly. Do not attempt to fix an ill fitting saddle with additional saddle blankets as it tends to accentuate any problem. As you over tighten the cinch to keep the saddle from rolling with the extra blankets, all you do is add pressure to the areas that are affected by the illfitting saddle.
After riding for a while, remove the saddle and check the sweat marks. A well fitted saddle will leave even sweat marks throughout the saddle area. Dry spots are a warning sign that the saddle is not correctly fitted.
A Master Saddlers Association Certified Saddle Fitter and Flocker
Tips:
9 STEPS TO A PERFECT FIT
What does your horse say?
Evaluate what your horse is currently telling you with his body language. Is he moving forward less freely under saddle than you'd like? Is he unhappy with the saddling process (pinning ears, tail swishing, moving away, hollowing back, etc.)? These signs may point to an ill-fitting saddle. Be aware, however, that not all unhappy body language is always related to saddle fit but fixing an ill-fitting saddle is the first step on the road to improvement.
All of the following steps should be performed with your horse standing squarely on level ground. You may need a helper to do these steps. Be sure to check both sides of your horse, as most horses are slightly asymmetrical. All these steps of saddle fit should be done with the saddle in direct contact with the horse's back.
1. Position of the Saddle
First place the saddle slightly forward on the horse's withers. Next press down on the pommel and slide the saddle rearward until it stops at the resting-place, which is dictated by each horse's conformation. Repeat this procedure several times until you feel the saddle stop in the same spot repeatedly, well behind the shoulder blade. Resist the temptation to place the saddle too far forward on the withers. This is a very common fitting mistake and can interfere with your horse's soundness and movement.
2. Point Angle
The pommel "points" of the saddle (the two sides of the tree) should lie parallel to the withers, instead of sitting on top of the musculature. If the angles are too narrow, the points will dig into the musculature, also causing the middle of the saddle to be in uneven contact with the horse's back. If they are too wide the saddle will sit down in front putting pressure on top of the withers.
3. Panel Pressure
(NOTE: The panels are the wool stuffed bottoms of the saddle, which rests on the horse's back.) With pressure on the top of the saddle, run your hand down the front of the panel and feel for any uneven pressure. The front panel should not pinch the withers in any area. If it pinches toward the top, it is probably too wide; if it pinches toward the bottom of the points, it is probably too narrow. With pressure on the top of the saddle, run your hand, palm up, along the entire panel raising the sweat flap to ensure that the panels fit snugly and evenly on both sides of the withers and along the back. Also be sure that the panels lie closely to the sides of the withers when viewed from the front. Different panels are designed to fit different conformations.
Again, if you feel any uneven pressure along the horses back, the saddle may be "bridging" and putting too much pressure at the front and the rear of the saddle. When the rider posts to the trot, the saddle pivots at the withers and rises at the back causing the horse discomfort and a reluctance to move forward or round his back.
4. Pommels to Cantle Relationship
With the saddle in proper position and the horse standing on level ground, visualize a straight line parallel to the ground from the pommel to the cantle. In saddles with deep or moderately deep seats, the cantle should be between 1 1/2 inches to 2 1/2 inches higher than the pommel. In shallower seats, such as close contact jumping saddles, the cantle should only be approximately 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches higher than the pommel. In almost any saddle, if the cantle is level with or below the pommel, the saddle is not properly fitted.
5. Level Seat
The seat itself should be level with the deepest part of the seat in the center of the saddle. Beware of one of the more common fitting problems. If the tree in a saddle is too narrow and, therefore, sits too high in front and too low behind the lowest point of the saddle is displaced toward the rear, placing most of the rider's weight on a very vulnerable part of the horse's back.
Saddles that sit too high in front often slide forward. Despite the fact that the saddle is sitting low behind, the rider often feels he is tipping forward. Tipping forward is a natural response to compensate for the saddle sitting too low behind. Unfortunately, this causes the rider to break forward over the waist at the sitting trot, absorbing the movement in his or her lower back instead of going with the movement. Another compensatory response is for the leg to creep up because the flap is forwardly displaced. Typically riders try to correct this problem by using a bounce pad under the rear of the saddle, which only adds more pressure to the withers and makes the entire saddle laterally unstable, swinging side to side. The correct solution is a wider, properly designed tree.
6. Wither Clearance
There should be approximately two to three fingers' clearance between the pommel and the horse's withers. Adequate clearance should extend through the gullet of the saddle, between the two panels. More than three fingers' clearance may mean the pommel is too high, i.e. the tree is too narrow. A saddle with less than 2-3 fingers may mean that the saddle is too wide. More flocking or a narrower tree is indicated. With wool stuffed panels, make allowance for the saddle to settle a half-inch or so. *Exception: The two to three finger rule may not apply to horses with flat round withers. In those cases refer to pommel to cantle relationship and other indicators.
7. Channel Clearance/Gullet Width
There should also be adequate clearance over the spine and connective tissue throughout the channel of the saddle. A channel that is too narrow will impede the horse's movement dramatically and may even cause the spine to be observably sore. Feel the width of the spine and connective tissue with your fingers and estimate its width. The channel of the saddle should completely clear this width, resting on the long back muscle instead. Repeat Steps 6 & 7 with the rider in the saddle, checking for adequate clearance over the withers and spine.
8. Length of the Saddle
The saddle should never go behind the 18th thoracic vertebrae, which is essentially the back of the ribcage. Behind this vertebra are the lumbar vertebras, which do not have adequate, supporting bony structures.
9. What does the horse say?
Again, with the rider up and the saddle correctly evaluated, observe your horse's body language. Is he moving more freely, extending his front legs and reaching under himself with his hind legs? Does he have more freedom to move with a correctly fitted saddle? After a few minutes in a correctly fitted saddle, he should tell you if he's happy. Again, be aware that that not all unhappy body language is always related to saddle fit but fixing an ill-fitting saddle is the first step on the road to improvement.
Rider Comfort
Most rider discomfort can be alleviated with proper saddle fit and design. The most common problems associated with saddle fit are: seats too small, saddles sitting too high in front and saddles in which the rise to the pommel extends too far back. The most common rider position problems that cause discomfort at sitting trot are breaking forward over the waist into the pommel, or a locked lower back with gripping knees, which cause the rider to bounce. The horse pulling on the reins or being on the forehand exacerbates both problems.
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