Saddle Fit
Hey there! I am so glad you are here. I hope that my journey of saddle fit as a horse owner like you and also as a saddle fitter is both helpful and encouraging to you. When I first started bodywork for horses, this was my least favorite part! However, if we want to enjoy riding our horses they have to enjoy carrying us! Many of us have learned that improper saddle fit can cause significant increase in behavioral problems as well as decrease performance level when gone wrong.
Alright, let’s dive in! I find improper fit to be one of the main causes of back pain in the horses that I massage. I have clients who notice a difference in their horse just by changing the saddle within their first ride! There are many other reasons a horse could have a sore topline and back, but right now we will only be discussing the saddle.
Before I massage a horse for the first time, I take a look at the saddle the owner is currently riding in. I will talk with them about the fit as well as show them the areas on the horse where the saddle should properly sit as well as where it shouldn’t and why. I can show you how to properly back map your horse for custom measurements based on the company where I purchased my saddle. These are the measurements that any company should truly be looking at so as not to impede the movement of the horse as well as be putting pressure on muscles and trigger points that they shouldn’t.
In my early years of horse ownership, I had learned that the gullet measurement was all I needed to know. I knew nothing of tree twist, angles and proper alignment.
Understanding Saddle Fit & Terminology
Each horse is different. No horse is the same. No matter what anyone tells you, the same saddle will not fit every horse you own. It’s just not physically possible. My horses are half – sisters and while they have many similarities their back measurements are different even though their tree twists are similar in change. Each horse should have a saddle that fits them as comfortably as possible. The twist of the tree of the saddle should match that of the back or your horse. Some breeds have more twist than others. A tree is like the skeleton that a saddle is built around, and its purpose is to disperse the weight of the saddle and rider evenly along the back.
A saddle tree is made up of four parts, the pommel, the cantle and the two tree bars. The twist of the tree refers to the angle of these bars from front to back. I took a quick backyard video for some of my followers, take a watch!
What are we measuring exactly? We measure behind the shoulder of the horse as well as the mid back and the hind back (not extending past the 18th rib) in order to get a complete back mapping and know the slope of our horse’s back and the twist that our saddle tree should be.
Saddles are not cheap and certainly one of the more frustrating parts of owning a horse. Sometimes costing us more than the horse! Sheesh! The price of my custom saddle was no more than a brand new saddle out there on the market or at your tack store. With my upgrades back in 2018, it cost me no more than $1300.
Note that a vet or doctor bill can be even more expensive when you get bucked off due to your horse having enough of a poor fitting saddle. Whether you’re riding every day or once a year, it is important to have properly fitted tack so that your horse looks forward to riding and it is an enjoyable experience for the both of you.
How do I know if my saddle fits or not?
Some of the signs are very obvious while some are quite subtle. As always, when in doubt you can trust your horse to be honest with how he is feeling as long as you allow him to be and to look out for these signs. Not all horses came to us as sore, but the saddle can make them sore over time by creating the pressure points caused by poor fitting tack. This is why our horses can go from the point of “Well, he used to stand for me when I mounted and now he won’t anymore!” or to “All of the sudden he just starts bucking when I ride, he never used to do that!”
Over time, our horses probably gave us signs that they were sore, we just didn’t listen until they got so fed up they had to do something REALLY noticeable to us.
Signs that point to poor fit:
-Moving away from you as you lift the saddle onto their back.
-Turning to nip as you saddle up.
-Pinning of the ears.
-Swishing of the tail and/or carrying it off to one side
-Not standing still while mounting.
-Hypersensitivity to brushing.
-Bucking or rolling excessively.
-Inability to travel in a straight line.
-Inability to bend
-Higher than normal head carriage or head tossing/raising
-Shortened or choppy gaits
-White patches of hair on back
These signs will be your indicator of issues related to back pain, saddle fit or both. Too often, a sore backed horse can progress in poor behavior. This results in the horse bucking, rearing, incapable of performing or becoming downright dangerous to ride. Many factors come into play when I am massaging, evaluating and reading the body language of our horses. Not always will these issues be the result of the saddle, but it’s definitely something to look at through the process of elimination.
My Custom Saddle
I ordered a custom saddle (meaning this was fit for the measurements I gave for my horse’s back as well as for my own body) for my horse from CTK Saddlery in 2017. It was no more expensive than the brand new ones at saddle shops or in the catalogs. PLUS…. all of the saddles I searched for…none of them were wide enough for my horse! She’s a quarter horse and no, full QH bars would not fit her. They don’t fit most horses! The process I used to back map my horse was based their website videos which are compatible with their saddles.
As of 2023, CTK will give you 10% off your saddle (before customs and shipping fees) that you order from them when you give them my name. I requested this of them last year. Why did I do this? I don’t get anything for it. My reason for asking was because by the time most owners contact me they’ve spent a lot of money on saddles that don’t fit. I wanted them to not only be able to get something comfortable for them and their horses but also save a little if they could. CTK graciously accepted my request.
How did my custom saddle fit three years later?
Here’s me proving it in the impression pad!
Back Mapping
Whether you’re trying a saddle for purchase, your horse has aged or you just simply want to know the true measurements of your horse’s back – this is for YOU!
More Helpful Videos
Key areas, don’t hurt the muscles!
Want my help?
I have great confidence that you will be able to measure your horses yourself as I did! However, while back mapping and measuring is not a service I currently offer, we can work something out if you’d like to haul to my location and have me assist you as you do the tracings.