Saddle Fitting, What's More Important, Horse or Rider?
Posted On 23-11-2009 , 9:08 AM
I am always surprised at people when they purchase a saddle it seems like their biggest concern is if the saddle will fit them. I see all these used saddles for sale on line in the descriptions they say 16" seat and go on to describe the saddle color, tooling, maker, and more. What they seem to fail to mention is what are the measurements to the parts that meet the horse? The size gullet, the spread of the bars, the skirt length. These are very important factors as to if the saddle is going to work for you and your horse. If your horse is uncomfortable he won't be enjoying the ride like you, and our fit can usually be adjusted, stirrup length and even seat size can be made smaller with a tush cushion. I agree seat size is very important and proper stirrup length is very important but other than that it has to fit the horse. So many horses are suffering in quiet pain, some are acting out and misunderstood, some are just nervous, sweating profusely and chomping at the bit. Then I hear, "I don't have white spots so my saddle must fit". I want to tell you a personal story about white hairs. When my saddle did not fit and what it took for the white hairs to show. No amount of saddle pad can correct a poor fitting saddle and in some cases can make the fit worse. Consider when you purchase your next saddle you try a bare tree fit, with this you can see for yourself how the saddle will fit. If you want to know more about saddle fitting and the bare tree fitting process just click on the links for additional information. To leave a comment click here. UVBG9B5VB239
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Comment
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A small beer or water (0.33l) costs around 8-10€. Whoever feels like sipping on a Vodka-Redbull or something like that should be aware that such a drink easily costs 15€. Despite its awfull entrance-fee of something between 10 and 45€ going in is still worth it for there hardly any other place with such an excessive party-spirit - in a good way. So whenever you go on vacation to Ibiza, be sure to check the Space.
It makes sense that the comfort of both rider and horse, go hand-in-hand. It makes me wonder if it is even possible to select a saddle without trying it on your horse first. Would most tack shops let you try and return? - by Rob, 11-08-2010, 2:43 PM
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A poor fitting saddle will make riding and training painful, and at some point your horse may start to refuse certain motions or perform them poorly because of the pain.
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it is a great post ,thanks for your share. - by mbt, 07-07-2010, 9:21 PM
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Oh but it does matter to your horse. If you were in pain would you want to perform that same maneuver? If something causes the horse pain they are reluctant to do it again. If your saddle causes your horse pain he will be reluctant to go riding. If he is in pain when doing a roll back or a sliding stop or what ever the maneuver he will not perform it to his fullest and sometimes he will refuse. It is more important to fit your horse, you know what seat size you are most comfortable in, thats simple, but fitting your horse is hard. Every back and every horse is different. That is why bare tree saddle fitting is the best. You can see that the bars lay flat on the back and it does not pinch your horse, you can see the spine all the way down the tree and that the tree is not rubbing on the spine. You can see that it fits right in the gullet and its not pressing on the delicate wither bones. There are many parts that have to fit your horse and your horse does care if he is in comfort or pain. You want him to enjoy the ride and its why many horses act out and are confused for misbehaving. Make sure your saddle fits your horse and that your horse is comfortable. A saddle that fits one will not fit another. You want your horse to enjoy the ride just like you, and if you and your horse work in the saddle, its all the more important that it fits correctly.
I think saddle fiting is very important for both the horse and the rider. Because if the saddle would not fit so would be not good for rider and if horse will not feel comfortable then it would be not good for horse.
Your saddle size should stay the same, because it refers to the seat size not the size of horse it goes on. I would think it would not matter to the horse. To a horse a saddle is a saddle. Now going from a single rig saddle like an english or dressage saddle to a double rig like a roping or a cutting saddle might make your horse question whats going on a little bit, due to the extra cinch but out side of that I dont think it will affect the horse as much as the rider.
An article was just published that will give you a lot more information on this subject. You can go to the following link to get the entire story. "Specialized Western Saddle" Thanks for reading and I love to hear your comments.
I would have to agree with you KariLynn. We know pretty quick if we are uncomfortable and know what to do to fix it. But the horse can't tell you, he either suffers quietly or tries to tell us and is misunderstood, we think the horse is misbehaving and he many times, gets in trouble. Eventually he won't want you to catch him or he just won't enjoy the ride like a horse that is fitted well and has not pain or discomfort from the saddle. .
The horse, absolutely. A poor fitting saddle will make riding and training painful, and at some point your horse may start to refuse certain motions or perform them poorly because of the pain. See to your horse's comfort first, then worry about your own, and the experience will be much better for both of you. - by KariLynn Dell, 23-11-2009, 12:08 PM
