Saddle fitting... advice please

[Flashbacksj]

A friend of mine has asked me to check her horses saddle as she thinks it may be too tight (he has filled out since she brought him a few months ago)

I told her honestly that i know very little about tack fitting and gave her Jane Sauders phone number... who i have used myself and know lots of people rate.

But before she contacts the experts and pays out possibly unessesarily could someone remind me of the basics of a saddles fit... i remember something about seeing daylight from front to back and being able to squeeze your hand fairly easily from wither to girth down the front of the saddle... but its been a while since i needed to know these things so could you remind me.

IF we are in any doubt about the fit being incorrect we will of course get the expert involved.. but i would like to refresh my memory of the basics... so i know what to look for!

Thanks x

 

[teddyt]

There is alot to fitting a saddle and it takes practice and experience to get your eye in, so if in doubt get a professional fitter to look at the saddle. TBH if a fitter has come out and said the saddle is fine then its not paying out unecessarily. saddle fitting checks are just as important as farriery and the dentist, etc and should be budgeted for as part of owning a horse.
However i do think that owners should also know what to look out for so that they dont wait until the saddle is really awful or the horse is bucking them off until they do something about it.

The very basics-

1) Stand horse on a level hard surface with someone helping to hold the head straight. Look at the horses back for rub marks, broken hairs, sore spots or lumpy muscles.

2) Make sure saddle is girthed up in the right place behind the shoulder blades, without a numnah.

3) Stand back from the side and see if the seat is level with the horse (NOT the pommel/cantle relationship). If seat appears low in front then saddle may be too wide, if higher in front saddle could be too narrow.

4) Lift up the flap on each side and see if the tree points are parallel to the horse underneath the points. Some horses have one shoulder bigger than the other and you need to fit to the wider side.

5) Feel under the panel all the way along to see if there are any gaps or bridges.

6) lead the horse in hand and see if the saddle moves.

7) ride the horse in all paces and look for saddle movement.

8) take the saddle off and see if any of the hairs are ruffled or broken

These really are basic points, there is much more too it than that but if the saddle isnt level, it moves to one side or up at the back for example, there are broken hairs or sore spots then the saddle doesnt fit.

Hope this helps

 

[Flashbacksj]

thanks teddyt you hit the nail on the head when you said "However i do think that owners should also know what to look out for so that they dont wait until the saddle is really awful or the horse is bucking them off until they do something about it."

Thats the main point for my post really... they are first time owners... and want to make sure that they are not mistaking "trying it on" with a physical issue... potentially caused by an ill fitting saddle.

The horse in question is a cobby type with a sweet nature and genrally a great novices horse.. but has of late been a little naughty out hacking... nothing the owners cannot cope with with they just want to be sure its nothing physical... will advice getting the saddle checked... which i have already really!

I told them yesterday the same thing you stated about not waiting till the behaviour became dangerous to get it checked...

Thanks for your tips will remember them for the future. x

 

[Donkeymad]

Spot-on teddyt - as usual