There are people who say worrying about saddle fit is lunacy. The truth is saddle fit has made saddle selling much more difficult and it can seem like it's too much trouble to try and get right so for those people it's considered silly but, most horse owners are aware of the concept of saddle fit.
This means we're trying to sell saddles to people who have to try it on their horse first and now we have a dilemma because unless they can trailer the horse to the store and have the saddle fitted they may not know anything is wrong until the saddle is not very new anymore. Most people selling saddles can't tell for sure either although they rarely admit it and even if they understand what , where and how the bars of a saddle tree are suppose to fit a horse it isn't easy to know for sure with all the leather and fleece surrounding it.
The only thing anyone can do to check the fit of a saddle is to put their hand under the saddle and try to find gaps between the horse and the bar. What you say? Okay let me explain.... the bars are flat pieces of wood or ralide and the corners are rounded off. Usually they are an hour glass shape and held together by the cantle at the back and the pommel at the front. They are slanted when you look at them from the front or the back. The degree of slant determines the fit not the width apart they are from each other. If any part of the bar is not flush against the horse the other side will be absorbing too much pressure. To clearly understand imagine a saddle tree for a quarter horse on top of a Clydesdale. Obviously the bottom edge is touching the horse but the top edge not so much.
The first step to being able to feel the fit with your hand is to know where the bars are. Most people think they are much lower than they are. They are more under the seat than the skirt. I know...way up there where your hand can't fit. I can feel the top edge of the bar easiest by putting my hand through the gullet and then sliding my fingers under the bar. Loosen the cinch and leave the pad off. Practice makes perfect. It's easier to feel the bars on old saddles so start with your oldies and your friends' oldies.
The back part of the bars should be off the horse completely when the saddle is cinched and there's nobody in it. This is to allow for the weight of the human that will push them down and the reason the rigging is where it is. Most people do not realize that the weight of the human is also part of the equation when fitting a saddle to a horse. I'm not talking about the seat size here. The saddle will feel best for the horse if it is properly balanced when the human is up there. If the rider is unskilled or unable to use their legs to distribute some of their weight downward this is especially true.
Many, many people over pad their horses because they think the saddle might be hurting the horse. This does not work and could make things worse. Most of the time you only need a half inch thick pad and pull it up above the withers before cinching your saddle so there's an air gap between the pad and the withers. Your horse will appreciate it.
Happy riding,
Lana Richardson
