Saddling up with a good fit is everything for your riding experience. However, you may have doubts about how your saddle is looking and feeling. Verifying saddle fit is actually something that every rider should be doing prior to every ride, whether riding in an English saddle or Western saddle. It should become like second nature! Take a look at how to ensure your saddle fits every time.
Best Practices When Fitting Your Saddle
First, have a baseline for what your saddle should feel like when it’s fitted properly. Note any changes that you perceive that deviate from the baseline each time you ride. This applies to both the fit and looks of your saddle. Here’s a look at some pro tips:
- Check that the seat is in balance. Any appearance of tipping or rocking could mean something is off. Observe if the pommel and cantle are level.
- Inspect that the girth sits where it should.
- Ensure that the girth strap is 3” to 4” behind the front leg. If it’s farther back, this points to something being off.
- Whether a Western cinch or an English girth, both should be snug but not tight enough to constrict your horse’s breathing. You should be able to fit two fingers flat between the girth and your horse’s body.
- Is the saddle sitting still without your girth secured? It should be.
Of course, the biggest sign that your saddle is improperly fitted is that you’re experiencing movement once you sit in it. If the saddle is moving backward and forward, something is off. This can be anything from bridging to improper girthing. Have someone observe the movement from a few feet away. This will allow them to describe the movement to allow you to pinpoint what’s loose. Here’s what a bad fit feels like for you:
- You feel off balance.
- You feel like you’re about to fall off.
- Your knees hurt.
- You can’t keep your hips and shoulders aligned.
Your horse may tell you that something is wrong with the saddle before you even notice. Horses exhibit some telltale signs when a saddle fit has gone wrong. Here’s a look at the cues your horse will send you:
- His ears are back.
- His tail is swishing.
- Tossing his head.
- He’s biting at the saddle.
- He’s stumbling.
- He won’t move.
- He’s agitated as you continue to ride.
- He’s agitated when you touch his back.
- Unable to relax.
- He’s bucking.
- He runs away.
- He’s uncharacteristically slow.
- He backs up uncontrollably.
If you’re using a new saddle on a horse for the first time, it’s possible that some of this behavior is due to the fact that the horse is simply adjusting to the new saddle. However, this will typically subside after the ride goes on. An ill-fitting saddle will cause a horse to remain agitated and concerned even after he is done simply “noticing” the new saddle.
A poorly fitted saddle can actually create long-term signs of distress in your horse. If you’re noticing saddle sores, dry spots, white hairs, or temporary swelling, these things indicate that a saddle is being used incorrectly. The pinching that your horse is experiencing can actually lead to muscle atrophy. If your horse’s legs suddenly stop working properly with no other known cause, it’s a potential sign of a saddle injury.
Visual Signs That Your Saddle Fits Beautifully
In addition to the sensations and cues that you and your horse experience, there are some visual tricks for knowing that a saddle is properly fitted. As you become familiar with what a properly fitted saddle looks like, you may want to ask another person to go over these inspection points with you to ensure that you’re covering all of the basics. Here’s a look at key points for a proper saddle fit:
- The center of the saddle is balanced to be parallel with the ground.
- You can observe a wither clearance that’s the width of two to three fingers all around.
- Your gullet channel has a width of three to five fingers without interfering with the function of the horse’s spine and back.
- The saddle panel fully touches the horse’s back with even coverage.
- The saddle never tilts or falls to one side.
- All tree points are behind the shoulder blades.
- All tree points are parallel to the angle of the shoulder.
- The treewidth provides enough room for the saddle to fit during complex motions.
- Your billets hang perpendicular to the ground.
- Your weight is only being applied in the saddle support area.
- None of your weight is being distributed to the loin or shoulder areas.
Keep in mind that the way you apply and observe a saddle will vary by horse. Each horse has varying convexity to its back. As a result, the same formula that you follow for one horse may not apply to another horse. It’s important to fit your saddle to the horse instead of simply going through the motions by memory. Stop to check the balance of the saddle in relation to the horse’s proportions throughout the process.
The Steps to Fitting a Saddle on Your Horse
Let’s begin with an English saddle. This quick process will help you to determine if a saddle is a good fit for a horse. Here’s a look at the easiest way to fit your English saddle to a horse for the first time:
- Without using a saddle pad, place the saddle on the horse’s back.
- Tighten the girth until the saddle feels stable and secure.
- Next, have another person sit in the saddle.
- Have that person place their feet inside the stirrups.
- With your palm flattened, place your fingers under the pommel. Confirm that at least three of your fingers fit in the space between the saddle and the horse’s skin.
- Next, you’ll need to get your fingers in the area between the horse’s shoulder blade and pommel. You can do this by having a second person lift the horse’s foreleg as you’re placing your fingers between the shoulder blade and pommel. Your goal here is to ensure that the saddle isn’t preventing natural shoulder movement.
Lastly, do a visual inspection while standing behind the horse. A properly fitted saddle will allow light to slice through the space between the horse’s back and the saddle. You should also inspect the length of the saddle in relation to the horse’s loins. Saddles should not extend past the horse’s back toward the loins. The process for checking the fit on a Western saddle is slightly easier. Take a look:
- Start by placing the saddle on the horse’s back. In this case, you will be using a saddle pad under the horse. A 1-inch pad is appropriate.
- Next, tighten the cinch to create a little snugness without creating discomfort.
- Enlist the help of a second person to sit in the saddle with their feet in the stirrups.
- Ensure that you can fit three fingers comfortably between the pommel arch and withers.
- Lastly, ensure that the treewidth is appropriate for the specific horse’s back shape.
If your horse has a wide back with low-set withers, your tree should be wide. If the horse’s back is narrow with high-set withers, the tree should be narrower. A tree that’s too wide won’t allow you to fit your fingers between the saddle and the horse’s shoulder. If a tree is too narrow it won’t allow you to fit your whole hand between the saddle and the top of the horse’s shoulder.
For difficult saddle fits, bridging pads can be used to help achieve a proper fit, keep your saddle in place, and ensure a comfortable ride for you and your horse.
Final Thoughts on Getting a Perfect Saddle Fit
Fitting a saddle to a horse properly is an exercise for the senses. You have to rely on visual signs, the physical feel of the saddle under your weight, and your ability to read cues from the horse. Don’t forget to ask for help from another person to ensure that you can safely inspect the saddle from multiple angles!