Parts of the Saddle:

Parts of the Tree:

This horse is a 25 year old gelding that has been used primarily in English and dressage lessens.

The amount of white hairs is very evident on this same gelding along his topline.  This was caused from poorly fitting English saddles that didn’t allow for proper clearance.

I obviously used a western saddle tree to show the problems with fitting this horse.  The bars are way too flat and allow no room for this horses shoulders.

Different tree, same horse but more visible issues on fitting in the shoulder.

See the shadowing under the bars?  These are all pictures of what a BRIDGE looks like.

The bars had NO contact thru the center of the bars.

This is what a bridge looks like from the side. Imagine the pressure points it’s creating! OUCH!

STEP 1:

With the flat of your hand, check for shoulder clearance!  You  need to be able to ‘sweep your  hand’ all the way down to the rigging.

STEP 2:

Continue your sweep all the way  down to the rigging.  You may need to hold onto the back of the saddle to keep from it sliding back.

STEP 3:

Please note how high my hand is under the saddle!  You must reach up to the bars or you will only be checking leather!  You are looking for feeling for even pressure  from about the swells to the cantle with the shoulders and backside of the saddle more free of contact.

STEP 4:

Continue moving your hands the length of the saddle/bars.  The backside should lift off sufficiently for the hips to move up and under the tree.

THESE ARE FITTING BASICS!  IF YOUR SADDLE FAILS THIS INSPECTION, IT IS NOT FITTING AND YOU SHOULD START LOOKING FOR A NEW  SADDLE!

POINTING TO THE BARS

People often confuse the leather skirting as the bars of the saddle.  They are clearly defined in the fleecing if you flip your saddle over.  You must reach up high to determine the pressure or lack thereof under the bars and against your horse’s back.  The tree is the distributor of weight on your horse and must exhibit equal pressure throughout the length of the bars.

Kari Augustine of www.smartstartstable.com riding GF Raushana+/, Canada Champion 3 X Top Trail Horse in The Freedom Saddle by Meleta Brown.

Article re-posted with permission from Cordia Pearson. Original article can be seen at “Saddling the Arab“.

First of all, you should only shop where they allow you to either bring your horse to their store for fitting or allow you to take it home to check it out on your horse. There isn’t any good way to do it otherwise. Coat hangers are too easily spread to fit the saddle gullet and besides there is more than one point of fit.

A few important facts about saddles should be known before you head to the store. The first biggest misconception is about semi, full or quarter horse bars. That is a measurement each saddle maker uses to know how wide to make the gullet. It has very little to do with fitting your horse. Each manufacturer has their own designations and they will vary from company to company. The gullet measurement is taken at the base of the gullet where the bars tie in. Fit comes into play wherever the bars come into contact with the horse. The shape of the bars will dictate how well the rest of the saddle will fit your horse.

One little known fact about a horse, is that they do not have a collarbone to connect their shoulders to their skeleton. The shoulders are actually “free floating”. They are only connected by tissue and muscle. This also will cause a horse to lean one way or the other and can cause overdevelopment of the shoulders often to 1 side which will again influence saddle fit. (please see the article on symmetry) When you have a saddle that is too restrictive over the shoulders, it will squeeze the shoulders in and as you can imagine be very uncomfortable for a horse. The pressure increases on the ribs and you will generally notice, besides other things, the horse’s trot will be very stiff.

The first couple of points of interest in fitting are of course, the withers and the gullet. Placing the saddle on your horse without a pad and not cinched, let’s start checking the fit. You should have a minimum of 2 fingers (placed one on top of the other) between the top of the gullet and the horse. Next you should be able to comfortably “sweep” the entire shoulder area starting at about the latigo holder down to your rigging. If it is too tight to get a flat hand underneath the skirts at that point, once you add padding and cinch down, it will be too tight on your horse.

Next, with a flat hand, you need to locate the bars of your saddle. They are at the base of the swells and the cantle. Following throughout the bars, you should have even pressure. Your hand should glide thru fairly easily without gaps of pressure or extremes in changes. If you have to force your hand, it is too tight. If you have gaps in pressure, your saddle is bridging and will create pressure points wherever it is in contact. Generally the front is the worse. Digging down into the front of your horse is very common and will cause a great deal of discomfort for your horse. The general appearance of your saddle on the horse’s back should be level front to back.

Let’s just say, your saddle has passed the above tests. Now it’s time to saddle up and go for a ride. If the saddle is fitting well, don’t take away from that great fit by adding too much padding. Only ½” of padding is needed if the saddle fits well. Too much padding and it takes away from fit. I prefer wool next to the horse in padding and cinches to help dissipate heat. Neoprene (or rubber type products) create heat and although easier to clean, may create many problems of discomfort to your horse.

A rear flank strap is a necessity, not a luxury. It should be snugged up with no daylight showing. This also will allow you to loosen the front cinch when done properly. The less movement in your saddle, the more comfortable your horse will be regardless of the speed you are going. If you leave it hang a couple of inches, it will do no good and some horses will kick at it underneath like it will with flies. Make sure you have a connector strap from the front to the rear cinch to keep it from moving back into the flanks. After riding for a few minutes, you may notice the rear flank will become loose. You should stop and readjust it up. This is a good sign your horse has raised his back into the saddle to properly carry your weight .

All the above is a good start to checking your current saddle or when shopping for new or used. There are many variables that go into saddle fitting and can be much more complicated than the article suggests. There are many things that will change over the lifetime of your horse that can cause a saddle to not fit as well as it did at first. Always stay away of your horses fitness level, fluctuation in weight both up and down.

Meleta Brown has been studying saddle fit issues for over 15 years. She owned Brown’s Speed & Action until Jan. 06 when she sold the business to pursue the love of helping people understand saddle fit in relation to their horses. She will be conducting clinics and speaking at horse expos across the US. If you have any questions you would like to see answered, please contact her and ask her to address your concerns.

Continue to follow the length of the bars with your hand flat against the horse’s side. Is it tight in any one area or does it gap in the center of the bars? If it has even pressure throughout, you may have a pretty good fit. The shoulder area as well as the back of the tree should be flared enough to allow for the horse to move well under the tree.

If it passes your initial inspection and you don’t have excess pressure on the shoulder area, next let’s examine your equipment. Do you use training aids such as draw reins or martingales? Have you changed your bit lately? Is your horse fighting, pulling on the reins or does he carry his head higher than you think he should? Any of these actions from your horse can cause him to hollow his back which will change the way your saddle fits his back.

I may want to check out the horse for physical problems especially if the dry spots just started to appear or changed in size. It could be dental, shoeing or another physical problem from a slip or a fall that will cause your horse to compensate for the soreness and carry himself differently hence hollowing his back. I would have this horse checked thoroughly with a competent massage therapist, dentist, farrier and/or a good equine veterinarian to rule out physical causes.

Sometimes just a change of padding will help immensely in getting a good fit. If the tree appears to fit, you should only be using ½” or less of padding. Yes, that is correct. Using too much will only take away from the fit of the saddle. Think of it in terms of your own shoes. You don’t put on extra socks if you’re going to the mall shopping, do you? It cuts down on circulation and will do the same on your horse’s back. I prefer wool in any form, fleece, felt or just a blanket next to the horse as it wicks moisture away quicker

Dry spots should be checked on both sides of the horse to see that they are the same in diameter. If not, your horse is crooked and needs to be checked by a good equine vet that understands the importance of your horse’s straightness and can help you thru those issues. We see some larger spots that don’t seem to bother the horse as much as the smaller 50c size spots. Regardless, keep an eye on them and watch your horse for attitude changes. They generally let you know if you know your horse!

From past articles, I have mentioned the weight distribution on your horse’s body is approximately 60-65% shoulder forward. This type of rigging will add additional pressure onto the already loaded front end, especially when a rear flank is not engaged.

Whenever you saddle up, you should engage the rear flank strap. By engage, I mean to snug it up – no daylight! This helps even out the pressure overall on the saddle and your horse’s back. If you don’t use it or leave it hang loose it does NO good in helping to reduce the amount of friction from the front cinch nor will it help hold down the back of the saddle if your horse stumbles or falls. It can then help propel you out of the saddle!

Many horses that I work on are very sensitive in the girth area even on saddles that are fitting well. The difference appears to be the lack of use or incorrect use of the rear flank. One guarantee, if you aren’t using one or not using it correctly, your saddle will irritate your horse. Period. The torque of your saddle being held on with only a front cinch is very intense even when only walking.

Next time you have the opportunity to check out the importance of the rear flank, saddle up your horse and have someone lead your horse away from you. From the basic motion of the horse, your saddle moves back and forth (think about the front cinch holding the saddle). Next have them turn your horse to the right and left and again watch the saddle lift off the back. This same thing happens when you are in the saddle. A saddle that is fitting well has little motion. You can’t eliminate all of it, but you can certainly reduce it.

I have many people refer to the rear flank as a bucking strap. That is not true! A bucking strap is fitted in the flank area and is done to make a horse kick, not necessarily buck. You ever notice how quickly it is removed after a rodeo ride? Many horses adapt too quickly and the “action” of kicking would either stop or lessen if left on very long. The rear flank has a connector strap that hooks onto the rings of your front cinch to keep it from going back and becoming a bucking strap. I use it just like any other new equipment I put on a horse. Most horses today adjust rather quickly to saddles, bits, etc. The rear flank is no different. Many don’t pay any attention at all.

When saddling a horse with a flank for the first time don’t over cinch. Just bring it up to within inches of the belly and walk your horse off. I do a “zig zag” walk, left and right so they can feel the difference and finish with small circles both directions. If there is no objection, snug it up so there is no daylight and repeat the above exercise. If there is any problem, repeat the above until the horse relaxes and last but not least of all – go ride!

Meleta Brown, owner of Brown’s Speed & Action for 19 years has been studying saddle fitting for approximately 13 years. She designed her own trees for saddles currently being made by Crates Leather Co. for barrel racing and trail riding. Meleta is available for private fittings and clinics. You can contact her at her business at: 260-724-7554.

Well, that’s a start but saddlefit goes a lot deeper than that!

Many people tend to miss the obvious and often it is your horse expressing his discomfort that is believed to be him misbehaving! Some of the ways these problems manifest thru your horse is:

1. Obvious displeasure at approaching with saddle or pads.

2. Pinning ears, chomping or grinding teeth, swishing tail, stomping feet, avoiding placing or cinching saddle

3. Tossing head while cinching or attempting to bite

4. Stiff gaits while under saddle but fine without

5. Refusing lead or gait changes without “attitude”

6. Refusing to enter arena

7. Shying or running past obstacles

Some horses don’t exhibit pain issues as obvious as others. Be aware of their sometimes “subtle” expressions:

1. White or ruffled (broken) hair under the saddle

2. Dry spots when there haven’t been any before

3. “Dipping” when brushed over the back

4. Swelling under the pad when removed

5. Confirmation changes such as hollowing behind the shoulders or back dropping

6. Constant shifting weight from side to side on hindquarters

7. Overdevelopment of one shoulder over the other

8. Lack of flexibility in back muscles

9. Tracking hips to the inside (not traveling straight)

10. Arena times not as good as they had been

11. Any changes in attitude or behavior from the norm

12. Trail horses that charge up or down hills

So, Why do we use saddles???
In general, horses were not intended for riding so we must protect them to the best of our abilities. Lack of information is no longer a good excuse. There are many good articles in books, magazines and on the internet that gives you access to a world of knowledge!

In studying the anatomy of the horse, you will find a lack of a collarbone on a horse. His front legs are “attached” not by bone to his skeleton, but by a sling of muscles. This means we must pay attention to how a horse can become crooked. A good read on this subject is addressed on Dr. Deb Bennett’s website www.equinestudies.org (in re: woody) or by reading any of her excellent books on confirmation.

Also of great interest is the spine of the horse in relationship to our riding. The purpose of a gullet on a treed saddle is to protect the spinal area of the horse from damage from your weight and movement. The bars of the saddle must rest evenly on either side of the spine in order to keep the vertebrae from becoming damaged from tense and hardened ligaments and muscles. The horse’s back should be more like a trampoline over the loins and never hard and firm.

The strength for the horse’s back comes from its stomach muscles just like it does on a humans back! Lack of being able to raise their back from a stimulus applied under the belly is a sign of muscle atrophy and will lead to severe damage and possibly crippling if not attended to promptly.

The purpose of a saddle is to protect a horse from your weight and movement and not to inhibit his movement. Therefore, we fit the ribcage and make sure there is room under the front for the shoulders and rear for the horse to move out properly. The contact of the bars over the ribcage are after all, the weight bearing surface of the saddle and must be evenly distributed to avoid undo pressure.

A horse at a relative young age horses can be fitted properly if it is understood the shape of the horse in relationship to the saddle taking into consideration conditioning, weight gain or loss and general health that can and will change over the horses lifetime.

Because of these changes, I highly recommend checking your horses a couple of times a year at best to insure you are getting the best you can at fitting your horse’s back.

Meleta is located in IN and welcomes your questions, comments or calls to place an order. You can reach her at: thesaddlefitter@yahoo.com or call her at 260-724-7554.

Additional information on this website:

Choosing a Saddle
Dry Spots and Saddle Fitting
The Rear Girth
Benefits of Equine Massage