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6 Basic Saddle Fit Points

September 14, 2010 By 2 Comments
An Eventing or "All Purpose" saddle
Image via Wikipedia

There are 6 basic key elements to fitting a saddle properly to your horse. There are actually a lot more than this but the 6 basic ones will get you in the right direction.

1. Tree Angle

2. Tree Width

3. Panel Contact

4. Gullet Width

5. Balance

6. Symmetry

Tree Angle - is the angle of the tree and how it sits across the withers. It should allow for shoulder movement and the angle should be somewhat parallel to the withers.

Tree Width - is the width of the tree from panel to panel and how it sits across the withers. It should be wide enough to allow for shoulder movement, not crushing the withers and not so wide that it allows the pommel to rest on the withers.

Panel Contact – the panels should make even contact along the back of the horse. It should not have any gaps or spaces not touching the horse. It should not bridge or rock or have major worn areas. The panel should be firm but not hard.

Gullet Width – is the width between the panels along the saddle from front to back. It should have enough space that it does not allow for contact with the spine and the sensitive ligament that runs right next to the spine. An average man’s hand of four fingers width should be able to slide easily between the panels.

Balance – when looking at the saddle from the side on top of the horse it should be balanced. It should not have a raised pommel or a raised cantle.

Symmetry – when looking at the saddle from the back on top of the horse it should be even and be the same on both sides of the spine. it should not twist or be raised on one side or the other.

These are the basics of saddle fit. It is much more involved to really fit a custom saddle but if you are looking at your saddle these 6 basic points will help you in determining if your saddle is actually fitting correctly on your horse. If one of these points is a problem it may affect your horses’ behavior and certainly his movement. If these are not optimized to fit the horse then your horse will not have optimal movement. You ill need to check saddle fit at least once every 6 months. Fit your horse correctly and you will have a comfortable enjoyable ride.

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Saddle Fitters

March 3, 2008 By Leave a Comment

OK it is that time of year just before show season begins and just before you start gearing up to really put in some heavy training. It’s saddle fitting season. You NEED to have your saddle checked out, refitted, repaired and reflocked. This should be done a minimum of once a year and for you more intense riders every 6 months.

So now the question is who would you have do this service for you?  Not all saddle fitters are created equal. You need to ask for credentials! Most saddle fitting courses are only 2 weeks long, which is sadly lacking in the amount of knowledge to truly do a good job of fitting saddles to your horse.  You need to find a true Certified Master Saddler.

A Certified Master Saddler has gone through extensive training and apprenticeship such that can be found at the Society of Master Saddlers in England. With this type of training and quality you can be assured that your saddle is being fitted correctly to your horse.

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Gullet Width – one point in the 5 points of saddle fit

December 27, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Well I am back from vacation and getting back into the swing of things. We are going to get started with a discussion on saddle fit and how it relates to horses movement. Basically in my business saddle fit is about 75% of back problems in a horse and can really effect their health overall. To improvement movement and the health of your horse it is very important that you have proper fitting tack especially the saddle.

This discussion is going to be based mostly on English saddles however the five main points will be the same for Western saddles. These five points are just how the saddle fits on your horse while it is square. Obviously there is much more to saddle fitting than just looking at a saddle with a horse standing still. This type of guideline is only the beginning and does not take into account the condition of the saddle, ie broken or warped tree, in need of reflocking, worn leather etc. It also does not take into account assymetries in the horse while moving.

Here are the five points of saddle fit

  • Balance
  • Symmetry
  • Panel Contact
  • Gullet Width
  • Tree Angle & Width

Today we are going to be talking about Gullet Width.

The gullet width or channel width is the amount of space between the panels right down the middle of the saddle. It is very important to have a wide channel width. Many companies used to have channels that were wide at the pommel and then became significantly more narrow towards the cantel. This was to save money on leather costs in the construction of many hundreds of saddles. However it is not in the best interest of your horse. If the channel is too narrow when you turn or flex your horse, the panel can come into contact with a very soft and sensitive ligament that attaches the back muscles to the spine. If you press on this ligament the horse will sink away from the pressure and if repeatedly pressed upon it becomes quite tender and sore and will cause back spasms.

So when measuring the gullet or channel width the first thing you should do is measure your horses spinal width. Measure from ligament to ligament. The average horse should be between 1.5″ to 2.5″ in width so that means your gullet width on your saddle should be at the very least 2″ in width but preferably greater than 3″. The easy test is to use your fingers. Place your fingers together, the width of your four fingers should be between 2.5″ to 3″ obviously depending on how big of a person you are. Now use your fingers to run your hand through the channel of your saddle it should fit easily. If it doesn’t than it is too narrow of a channel and could be causing your horse some discomfort if not down right pain and destruction to the ligament and back muscles of your horse.

Keep your horse comfortable and happy, improve their movement and improve their health by having a properly fitting saddle. Next we will talk about balance and symmetry.

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Hey, my saddle does not fit!

October 12, 2007 By 2 Comments

Is your horse saying to you – Hey my saddle does not fit! Would you even know if your horse was trying to communicate that to you? Here is a list of things that your horse might do that could help you determine if your saddle does not fit.

Obvious signs -

  • White hairs around the withers
  • Pain at the withers
  • Broken hairs at withers or anywhere the saddle sits

    • Attitude or your horse communicating to you that the saddle does not fit -

  • When preparing for saddling the horse’s breathing rate (respiration) increases, or he passes manure, or he moves around a lot
  • The horse pins its ears, bites at its side, or nips at you when being brushed or curried.
  • The horse pins its ears, bites at its side, or nips at you when you bring the saddle out.
  • The horse pins its ears, bites at its side, or nips at you when you place the saddle on or when you girth it up.
  • Cowkicking when girthing or even trying to girth the saddle (cinchy)
  • The horse may need to be longed before you can safely mount up.

    • Communicating to you while riding -

  • Not willing to go forward
  • Decreased shoulder movement
  • Swishing the tail or holding it off to one side
  • Not willing to collect or raising the head and swaying the back
  • Bad canter leads
  • Crow hopping or bucking
  • Attemping to throw you or brush you off, anything to get you off its back

    • These are the most common signs of a saddle not fitting your horse. If your horse is saying these things to you you really should listen. A horse is not a jerk just for being a jerk. He is telling you something is not right, you jerk, please fix it. So if your horse tells you this do something about it. Get his saddle fit correctly.

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