Saddle question?

Question

How do you properly fit a saddle to a horse?

Answer 1

saddle fitting takes lots of time to master, but i like most of the things this video says..

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fit-...

Answer 2

geeez u could write a book on this answer! it is an art and takes years to understand and master this- ask a professional fitter to help you and trial saddles is the best way to go - i jst gave credit card details and tried them for a week the saddle i loved the most orginally i hated at the end of the week! - i loved sitting in it at the saddlery but was so diff riding in it! it took me 8 saddles to find the one! make sure you and your horse at happy- your horse with relax a lot!

ill fitting saddles cause injury to you and your horse- its the basis for your riding IT MUST BE RIGHT!

here are a few of many more things to look at!

well you have to find the kind of saddle you want eg: dressage, sj for what you want to do!

then the first step would be look at styles eg: for dressage blocks at knees. trial styles if you want.



once you know what you like you think about the horse - its not just about what fits the horse but both!

look at your horses shape do you need a wide gullet etc?

the gullet i think should be about 3-4 fingers wide that way you can get a good air flow.

then you need to look without a saddle cloth on at how it sits on your horse- does it have a gap under the back- eg bannana rolls?

run a flat hand under the saddle and check if it runs flush along the horse. all over

does it touch the wither? or put pressure on it- you dont want this!!

do the girth up also - it can change slightly with its done up.

move the saddle seat around - you dont want a lot of movement eg bananna rolls from front to back

a saddle generally sits level (highest point at front level with highest point at back) eg doesnt sit high/low angle

look from the back of the horse through the gullet - do you see light? - you want to be able to see all the way through.

you dont want the saddle to sit on the wither or spine! it side flush along the back either side - not just the top this will cause pressure.

when you place the saddle on it should be about three fingers wide back from the shoulder that way the shoulder can still rotate fully and no movement restricted.

think about the girth as well this is important - string girths can pinch inbetween each string and dont have good even pressure distribution.

the wider the girth the more the pressure is disbributed evenly and less pressure the pectorial muscles are put under.

girths are evoling more and more so speak to your saddlery.

the padding panel must get padded evenly with no bumps - this prevents pressure points!

dont do it yourself!

good luck!!!

Answer 3

Fitting a saddle to a horse is pretty simple but depends on the breed of the horse.

If it is a Tennessee Walking Horse, the saddle should sit starting at the withers and slope down very subtly.  It should be fairly tight on the belly (the girt hshould have no more than 2 fingers room under it) and the back girth should be fairly loose.  The breast collar should be snug around the shoulders and fairly loose under the chest.

There are several websites and books to read not to mention numerous videos, however the one listed in the previous answer is accurate and should allow you to fit your horse's saddle properly.

Answer 4

You haven't told us what type of horse you have and if you're going to be riding English or Western.

English:  You need to tell us if you are riding, huntseat, dressage or saddleseat.

Western:  You need to tell us if you are just riding the trail, barrelracing, stock horse or Western Pleasure.