|
We have done many saddle fittings and given saddle fitting clinics and these are some of the general things we have learned we hope will be helpful to you and your horses comfort! We do realize there are many differences of opinions on this subject and we are constantly learning, have an open mind and will change our opinion if convinced we are wrong.
*Pain to a horse caused by an ill fitting saddle is one of the number one causes of ill behavior. Can you blame them? If you were forced to wear shoes that were way too narrow for your feet then told to go for a nice long hike with a heavy pack on your back what do you think your attitude would be like?
1. The majority (not all of course) of horses we see of many breeds are getting flatter backed and don’t have much definition in the withers so we have found the best universal tree (if you can have only one saddle) has “full quarter horse” bars that have a flatter rocker and no convex bump in the front, with a spread of 13 3/4” wide & 22 1/2” long, with a gullet width of 6 1/2” & a gullet height of 8 1/2”.
*Unfortunately many of the “full quarter horse” tree bars are not angled out wide enough, not all “full quarter horse” trees are the same, in fact we have seen a big difference in them. Many saddles called ”full quarter horse” are wider in the gullet but not angled out much different than “semi quarter horse” bars. The bars also need to be flatter on the bottom without a convex ball pushing into the wither pockets.
*If you can only afford to have one saddle it is much better to have a saddle too wide than too narrow, if it is too wide you can correct that with the saddle fitting pads we make. The pad can correct for a saddle that is a little too tight in the withers but there is not a lot you can do if the saddle is way too tight . If you ride a lot of different horses the ideal is too have one saddle that has semi quarter horse bars and one with full quarter horse bars.
2. Most horses can’t accommodate more than 22 1/2” long bars on a tree. The majority of western saddles made today have 24” bars.
*When a saddle is placed in the proper position (the front of the tree bars should rest right behind the shoulder blades where there is often a soft pocket) nothing including the skirts should go past the cowlick on the flanks. If any of the saddle goes past that point you interfere with the critical movements of their hind quarters and your saddle can’t settle into the back which will cause bridging (where the saddle hits only in the front and back) and pain. For proper fit and comfort you should always have even pressure on the whole tree which can be seen by an even sweat pattern.
3. We believe the saddle seat should not be built up in the front so you can sit centered where your legs are more straight down and your weight is more forward.
The seat should not be built up in the front because that pushes you back against the cantle and your legs forward which we call the “lounge chair position”. The “lounge chair position” puts you off balance, which makes it hard for the horse to keep his balance. The horse is built the strongest and can best carry your weight in the most forward 1/3 of his back which is also his center point for balance. Riding in the “lounge chair position” often causes pain in the back 1/3 of the horses back where it is also the weakest part of his back. When the seat is not built up you have closer contact with the horse for better communication between you an your horse.
4. Rigging Position: When the saddle is placed in the proper position your cinch should come straight down behind the front leg. If the cinch tilts forward the saddle will want to work too far forward, if the cinch tilts back the saddle will want to work too far back. If you ride a lot of different horses it is best to have an adjustable rigging.
5. Cinch Length: The ring should be above the elbow for comfort and so there is no interference.
6. Padding: Choosing the right thickness of pad.
We believe you should use as thin of padding as possible so you have as close of contact with the horse as possible for better communication, which is how we build our saddles also, but have sufficient protection for the horses back. We feel the best all around thickness for Western saddles is the ˝” and for English saddles use the Ľ”. If your saddle fits very well no inserts are needed and should be removed. If you are roping or weigh 200+ lbs. a 1” thick pad would be the most suitable to protect the horses back. *You do not add more padding where your saddle is too narrow/tight!! If we put on shoes that are too narrow do we add more socks to help the problem? The same goes for padding. Too much padding causes rolling of the saddle, you have to cinch much tighter which interferes with the horses breathing and the tree of the saddle can’t settle into the shape of the horses back and can’t do its job.
6B. Padding: Materials.
We have found the material padding is made out of makes a big difference in the health of a horses back, their potential energy, comfort & endurance. We discovered a special wood felt (not wool felt) that comes from England that we make our pads out of that breathes, has excellent shock absorption, wicks away moisture and heat off the horses back. On a hot day you can wet the pad, saddle up and the wicking action of the pad material actually helps cool the horses back.
**We have found that excess heat on a horses back causes muscle fatigue and muscle atrophy which lowers their energy, comfort and endurance. The second best material to our wood felt is wool felt as it breathes and wicks moisture but it does hold heat......that is why we where wool to hold in our body heat!! When we are exercising we don’t want to wear clothes that make us hot and sweat excessively. All the synthetic pad materials especially the neoprene we feel are awful for the horses back because they hold moisture and heat!!
7. We do not recommend treeless or flexible tree saddles as we have seen nothing but pain and damage to horses backs from them.
The treeless saddle allows your pelvic bones to dig into the horses back. The purpose of a stiff tree is so the horse doesn’t have to have pin bones digging into their backs and to distribute your weight over a much larger area which is much more comfortable for the horse and helps them balance your weight. That is why backpackers like to use stiff frame back packs to keep their load more stable.
The flexible tree parts can end up digging into the horses back and creates a very unstable load for them to carry. They cause a lot of chiropractic problems.....it is like their backs are constantly being manipulated rather than building strength and stability in their back muscles.
*We would rather see a treeless saddle on a horse rather than a regular treed saddle that is very narrow in the wither area.
8. We don’t recommend saddle trees made from synthetic materials as they are more prone than wood/rawhide trees to warp which can cause some serious pain and damage to a horses back.
9. Sometimes when it appears the saddle is not fitting properly (like dry spots or sore areas on the horses back) the problem can be:
The horse or the rider is out of adjustment, a chiropractor suited for either sometimes can be of help.
The horse has not been shod properly with equal distance from the cornet band to the end of the hoof and/or proper angle of the foot.
The horses mouth is out of alignment and needs his teeth worked on by a qualified equine dentist. For more information on this subject go to: www.advancedwholehorsedentistry.com for the countries leading expert, practitioner and instructor.
**We are very big fans of a holistic whole horse approach to prevention, evaluation & treatment of horses (all animals & humans as well). We do love and appreciate what open minded, talented, veterinarians and physicians do for us all as well. We strive to learn and share everything we can about all aspects of horses mental, emotional and physical well being.
|
