Is my saddle ill-fitting?

Question

I have a great saddle, its so comfortable and didnt need any breaking in! But, i have been reading that you need to size it to the horse. I dont have my own horse, so i ride different ones. And therefore it was never sized... None of them seem to have a problem with my saddle. Am i doing something wrong?

Answer 1

Jeff's right.  Most horses will fit in a standard english gullet, or semi q horse bars.

If your really worried. After you ride check the area under the saddle.  Look for dry patchs in the sweat stain that are NOT over the spine..  Dry patches are the result of pressure and can cause sore spots if ALOT of riding is done... the solution?  get a thicker saddle pad.   The old fashioned black/grey felt saddle pads were the best, simply because of the amount of cushioning they provided.

Edit:

I did say Ride the saddle not lunge the horse in it.  Lunging wont give the same result as the weight of a rider in it. But hey,  I'ma old school NATRC rider.. started out in a old McClellan that fit the horse but not me at all.  He was comfortable 25 miles down the road,  I had galls and sores from the saddle... thank god the soundness of the rider wasnt a judging point.

Answer 2

OK  What most people do not realize is that 90% of all horses will fit into a semi-quarterhorse bars.  I am sure they have an equivalent in the english saddle and I am sure most are made with those bars.  It is only the hard to fit horses that have problems.  You can seeif the saddle will fit by placing it on the horses back.  The saddle should sit down on the horse applying pressure fairly evenly.  Be aware however that the heavier you are or the more strenuous workout you do the more critical the fit.  

For an analogy...It probably wouldn't bather you to have a really thin strap on a book bag if you just had to carry one book or were only going to carry a stack of book a few feet.  But you woould want a nice wide shoulder strap to spread the weight if you had to carry those books all day or say had to jump up and down with the strap on you shoulder.

Now as for the fit.  The saddle should sit flat on the horses back.  Its curve should be such that it sits down evenly over the entire back.  The bars should rest on the shoulders and be att he same angle.   thus they should not press into the shoulders at the top or bottom.  You should also have a large enough space att he top of the saddle so that the whithers do not hit the saddle and cause a sore.  I make sure I have at least three finger widths under mine.

Edit

If you are unsure of the fit you can bend a wire such as a coat hanger wire and shape it to the inside or the saddle.  Then put this on the horses back to see if it fits well.  Do this both for the gullet and front to back along the tree where it should rest on the back.  I just put it on the horse since that is easier for more experienced horse people.  

Oh the old myth of putting it on a horse's back and lungeing the horse to find dry and wet spots does not work a lot of the time.  It will sometimes but not always.  I prefer checking visually.

Answer 3

As long as the horses aren't acting like they're bothered you're probably fine. If you're worried about it, I have to recommend this pad I got that is sooooooo wonderful. I use it on every horse I ride and it makes them oh-so- happy. It's called a ThinLine pad and I guarantee you will LOVE it if you try it. I've been through a lot of different devices to try to make my picky mare happy, and this is the best I've ever tried.

http://www.thinlineinc.com

Just to clarify, this does not fix a saddle that doesn't fit, it is merely a fabulous cushion between horse and rider.  :)

Answer 4

Unless you see odd behavior in a horse you've been riding with this saddle, you can assume it fits.  If you begin to see signs of back pain or soreness (the horse will be anxious when you ride and want to get you off the back), or if you're "toppling" on top of the horse and feel unbalanced, you may want to take a second look at the fit.   You have to consider the pad also.  Some sizing problems can be corrected with a different pad.  But it is improtant that the saddle fits well on the horse.  I've seen many beginners with a saddle that  sits too high on the horse, the bars are not correct.  This leaves the rider "topple" or "rocking" over the withers, not allowing the rider to sink deep in the saddle for a secure seat. Without a secure seat the rider is unbalanced.  I actually know one lady who has been terrified to ride her horse.  Several of her friends, including myself have ridden her horse out on the trail while she rides on another with us.  The first couple of times I used the saddles at their farm and the ride was uncomfortable.  This last time I took my own saddle which fits me well but also fits the horse well.  The horse she is afraid to ride was perfect that day.  She was actually very pleasant and fun to ride, working of the leg with litttle or no rein!  After the ride, I made the owner get up on her horse in my saddle so she could see what a good fitting saddle felt like.  She couldn't believe how much easier it was to be secure and balanced.  She's out looking for a new saddle today!  Your saddle must fit the horse properly if you want to get the most out of your riding experience.  Every good horse person knows this.

Answer 5

It must fit the horse properly and the chances of it fitting several horses that you ride are slim. It should be checked over on each horse by a saddle fitter. Back problems can be caused and they may not show themselves in an obvious manner until they are severe. I'd stick with the horse's own saddle.

Answer 6

No, I dont think so. As long as nothing is hitting their wither/spine and there isnt anthing really obvious then there shouldnt be a problem. I ride lots of horses (pony, TB, QH...) in the same english saddle (meduim tree). I just keep a thin and thick bad as well as a sheepskin halfpad onhand should something not fit perfectly.

Answer 7

i think that if the horses backs and feet are OK and the horses are riding normally i think it is fine

good luck