Saddle fitting a young horse that hasn't had a saddle on before?

kc100

kc100

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So I feel silly writing this but just after some reassurance / hoping someone else may have done this before as well (so its not just me being slightly bonkers)...

Young horse turned 3 in May, getting things organised now with the view to backing him in the not so distant future. Doing a little ground work with him in the school as he can sometimes be a bit inattentive to me, all going well there and he's learning very quickly, also nice to be building our bond together. So time has come to look at saddles, and it feels a bit of a chicken & egg situation - do you put a saddle on that doesnt fit just to get him used to a saddle on his back? Or do you fit something to him properly but knowing he's never had a saddle on his back before (poor saddle fitter!).

In the end I've ended up leaning towards getting something fitted properly, as I'd hate for him to associate having a saddle on with discomfort from a badly fitting saddle. I want his first experience of a saddle to be a pleasant, comfortable one - but there is still the worry in the back of my mind that he's never had a saddle on before so god knows what could happen! Turns out saddle fitter can come tonight for a rare after work appointment so i've gone for it but now feeling a bit worried - am I doing this the complete wrong way around? Or does it not make a huge difference whichever way you do it?

To be fair to my boy he's taken everything he's experienced in his first 3 years of life in his stride, I've had him from 1 and never had a problem with him so chances are I'm worrying about nothing. He's had saddle pads on his back without batting an eyelid, I've put random things like a builders sand bag type thing (made out of tarp) on his back and he couldnt care less - so chances are a saddle he wont be fussed by either. I've always taken the approach of just get on with it with him, rather than being overly fussy and taking an eternity introducing everything super slow. When it came to putting a rug on for the first time at the age of 1 he just had a good sniff of it then I gently put it on, and that was learning to put a rug on done.

Just looking for reassurance really that I'm not about to kill the saddle fitter tonight with a broncing baby horse, and that said baby horse wont want to kill me either from the shock of it all....
 
Well, rightly or wrongly I started plonking my saddle on my boys back from about 18 months (not fastened, just resting). I used a treeless the first time I girthed one up when he was about 2, and he'd had a surcingle on a fair few times before I tried to find a "proper" saddle for him - which required much faffing with saddles and girths. But by that time you could see him rolling his eyes "what on *earth* is she doing now" so in reality doing the whole saddling thing and getting him moving out was a non-event.
 
im another saddle plonker. unless its a complete bad fit (eg catching withers) and theres no weight on it, then i stick on any saddle.

My thinking behind it was that i wanted the sadlle fitter to really be able to see how the saddle sits without the horse being stressed and moving round. I also figured it would be less stressful for the horse to have me putting a saddle on it than a stranger
 
Yep another who had a play with putting the saddles I had on her whilst we were in the groundwork stage. Then bought one that was a decent fit, but only fitted by me, for the initial backing. After I'd turned her away for a couple of months and then brought her back into work it no longer fitted so got the saddle fitter out who said Topaz's was bang on for her luckily! Waffling on aside, the saddle fitter didn't see mine until she'd been happily under saddle already so we didn't have too much hysterics about it, and so the fitter could have a much easier time of fitting one :).
 
I've always used a roller then gone onto something forgiving, usually my battered but trusty old Libra treeless. That way they get used to the feel without any fitting issues before its time for a proper saddle.
 
I have broken many and always start with something that "seems to fit" this has worked fine as in the early, pre backing, stages it really doesn't matter too much if the fit is not perfect as long as it is not too tight and doesn't move, once they are happy carrying the saddle during groundwork I may find a better fitting one from my collection for backing but have not had an issue as I have a good idea of fitting anyway.

I don't think a saddler is going to be able to do a good job when he may get his back up, overreact or, as some do, refuse to move when a saddle goes on for the first time, you want his first experience to be a good one, it may work but equally it may not, I would be concerned that you really will have little idea whether he likes it or not, depending on how he reacts, whether it really does suit and fit, again depending on his reaction, you may find a basic second hand one that looks ok to get you started and get a fitting again once he is backed and it can be properly assessed.

You need something so see how it goes but be prepared to stop the fitting if he does get unsettled and also to buy another later on.
 
I just used an old synthetic to plonk on in the stable and then progressed to lunging and long reining with it on, then when I was ready to sit on I got one fitted, it's not worth getting one fitted now he will change so much even in the 6 months.
 
Has he had a roller girthed up? If not even done that I think you are taking your life in your hands trying to get one fitted. You don't want a negative association. I would see what the fitter has (or perhaps you have one that might fit that the fitter could look at to see if it's suitable for going on with) but I would be very careful if he really has not had any saddle experience as he could explode if asked to move with it girthed up and then you are in a bad position for trying to sort that out during a fitting.

I certainly wouldn't use any old saddle that didn't fit, but personally I would have found something suitable to start the process with before booking the fitting. Now you've booked it it's probably best to just make sure the fitter know exactly the extent of the horse's training before they start.
 
another plonker here!

tve10749-19850221-258.jpg


nothing really hideously bad fitting, but something that 'seems to fit ok'
 
I plonked it on too for backing! And it was an old one my mums friend lent - it even had sacking underneath (used with polypad) I then got a treeless for long reining and sitting on and then had one fitted when we were at the ride stage. 8 years later my horse has no saddle issues or girthing issues :)
 
Thanks all - I dont have an old saddle or access to a treeless/synthetic type thing so I definitely would have gone down that route had that been an option, but unfortunately not hence why I felt in a bit of a chicken/egg situation.

Saddle fitter already knows the score with him, and he is bringing some second hand options for me to have a look at - I'm definitely not out to be spending a small fortune on something that will need changing again in a few months so want something fairly cheap and cheerful, likely synthetic with an adjustable gullet so we can back him in it, then when next year comes and he is doing a bit more we'll see about buying a 'proper' grown up saddle - but fingers crossed a synthetic will last for a bit with regular checks from the fitter. I'm more after advice today really on what make/model will suit him, I've read so many different things about the Thorowgoods and Wintecs (and then all the other synthetic options!) its really hard to know what is going to suit him, hence relying on an expert to advise based on looking at his shape! I didnt want just to order a random second hand online and it turn up and be totally useless, hence going down the fitter route.
 
if i was in your boat i'd just borrow a spare saddle off someone and just practice a bit of saddling up before fitter arrives
 
Plonk! There are plenty of older saddles about that as long as are sound, you can pad up or down with numnahs or pads and they will be adequate for some time until you see how he changes shape.

Unless you have money to burn, why would you shell out so much on a MTM for a horse that is still growing, will change shape regularly for the next two years and still might not fit the saddle you had measured for him?
 
Just to clarify I was never looking at a proper made to measure saddle - the saddle fitter in question has a range of second hand saddles, I'd selected three of his list before he came for the fitting to try - all three adjustable so they would last. I'd never spend a small fortune on a made to measure brand new saddle, they depreciate too quickly in the first couple of years and as many of you have said - no point when the saddle could easily not suit him in a couple of years when he has changed shape. Second hand was always the intention so there isnt such a big drop in the saddle's value meaning if I need to change it if it no longer suits him, its not the end of the world.

In the end I went for a Kent and Masters, fitted him nicely, adjustable gullet and easy to play around with the flocking in the front as he's still a bit croup high at the moment. Its leather rather than synthetic so I did spend a bit more than originally planned, but this is something that will be easily changed as he changes shape and I can keep it for a long time, its not something I will want rid of next year as its good quality and could happily go out competing in it.

I didnt have anything to worry about with the actual fitting, he wasnt remotely bothered by the saddle or having the girth done up either - more interested in whether any of it was edible! Thanks again everyone for your input, as usual with him I over-think things when actually I know he's a chilled out little dude and I just need to get a grip - he's been fine with everything for the last 2 years of his life so why would he start being any different overnight!
 
:D Brilliant news and I find I always spend more than anticipated when it comes to saddles :o, well done you and baby horse :) here's to the next chapter!
 
I have been present at backings where I've been fitting a saddle but the horse has been well prepared, had a saddle that is VERY roughly right length and width, girthed up firmly, lunged with it on, or at least with a surcingle. All have gone well but I suspect they were all the sorts who the owners knew should fare ok. It meant I could see the saddle with the rider up which makes a huge difference. Have your fitter out asap to check the fit with you in the plate, if you can do a few strides of rising trot it will also help a lot with the fitting.
 
I think it would be very unfair on a saddler to present them with a horse that has never had a saddle on its back. However, I would never back a horse that had not had its saddle correctly fitted. Obviously, the saddler will not be able to see the person sit in the saddle or the effect of the saddle on ridden work, and so I would always go for a cheaper end saddle such as a second hand one. I would want to do ground work in a saddle which I thought was a good fit first before getting the saddler. When it came to fitting my mare, I had lunged her in a wintec which I fitted to her and which sat on her quite well, but it was 17.5 inch and therefore too long. However, because I wasn't loading it and I didn't do more than a few minutes lunge work each time, this did not matter. Then I got the saddler. She was 3 at the time, but I wish now I had waited until she was 4 because I decided she wasn't mature enough for backing at 3. However, the saddler couldn't find a saddle that was short enough for her (16.5) or long enough for me (ideally 17.5 as I'm tall). We tried a few 17 inch ones but they were still too long for her. In the end I ended up buying a Ghost treeless, which my saddler checked and was happy with. I have backed her in that and she seems totally happy. I do wonder now if she has grown enough to take a slightly longer saddle and will probably try again once I am properly riding her.
 
It was my worry that I was being unfair to the saddle fitter by asking him to fit my youngster with a saddle when he hadnt had one on before - but I've known my boy 2 years and have a good grasp of his character now, and thankfully gut instinct was right, he was 100% fine with the saddle when the fitter placed it on his back, and the girth was done up tight (enough to actually get on), again he didnt bother and it was all fine.

I wouldnt recommend doing what I did with a horse thats nervous, but in my case despite him being a WB he is so chilled out and naturally inquisitive so happy to let you play around with him, he is just interested in everything rather than being scared. As I mentioned before, if I had access to a treeless or cheap synthetic to practice with I would have used that, but at the yard I'm on the horses are (the majority anyway) are expensive competition horses with fancy saddles, and I've only been at the yard 10 weeks so wouldnt have felt comfortable asking someone 'oh by the way can I borrow your £2k saddle to plonk on my youngster please'!

All went well ultimately, as usual me worrying about nothing, we have a lovely second hand saddle that fits (for now!), plus a very kind and patient saddle fitter who was superb I have to say - he'll keep coming back regularly to keep re-fitting it as he changes shape.
 
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