Why do people put their saddles so far forward?

Magicmillbrook

Magicmillbrook

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I've no idea. I was looking through some online pro photos the other day and the amount of people I saw with the saddle up the horses shoulder was surprising.
 
Blimey that ones is extreme

I know what you mean So many many don't know points should sit behind shoulders :(
It is probably the source my biggest 'pet hate'
 
I like the excessive use of contrast on the photo to make the markings pop, too *rolls eyes* :D
Do like the saddle, though...
I have saddle envy. I seriously need to replace mine!
 
Because they have not been taught otherwise?

One of my Boarders had never put on an English saddle before, she called me over for help with the girth, the saddle was in the middle of his back, the girth was around the widest part of his belly. When I showed her how the saddle falls naturally into the correct place when slid back and that the girth is then also in the right place she laughed and said "Well, that all makes sense, you learn something new every day" she simply did not know, now she does :)
 
Have to say I'd heard this complaint before, but never really taken enough notice of ads etc to notice myself. Looking at that photo does funny things to my head, as though my eyes are trying to balance the saddle by trying to push it back on the photo - it just looks wrong!
 
Enfys said:
When I showed her how the saddle falls naturally into the correct place when slid back and that the girth is then also in the right place she laughed and said "Well, that all makes sense, you learn something new every day" she simply did not know, now she does :)
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Haha, I used to be constantly unsure of whether I put on a saddle right until I read this somewhere, I think I had actually been made paranoid by other ill-knowing people such as the owner of a horse I had on loan, telling me it was too far back. I have also learnt that a saddle that fits generally finds its own place, rather than sliding wildly back or being stuck on the shoulders.

I really like that horse though, bring it to me and it shall have the best placed saddle in town!
 
mandwhy said:
Haha, I used to be constantly unsure of whether I put on a saddle right until I read this somewhere, I think I had actually been made paranoid by other ill-knowing people such as the owner of a horse I had on loan, telling me it was too far back. I have also learnt that a saddle that fits generally finds its own place, rather than sliding wildly back or being stuck on the shoulders.

I really like that horse though, bring it to me and it shall have the best placed saddle in town!
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I like it too - as does my grown up daughter. If it wasn't being sold by that particular vendor I think she would have gone and had a look!
 
I know an instructor who does this to any horse she teaches, I've had a discussion with her about it and her reasoning is that it's sat on a stronger bit of back. I asked about the shoulders and she said you can't restrict them because they're powerful enough to move under the saddle. :/
 
Hugely old fashioned - any old BHS'y book you look at has the saddle sat over the withers ???????????

I guess in the olden days nobody really understood about the scapula and what it did!
 
Probably ignorance. It took my first pony bucking me off multiple times for me to question how I was tacking up when I was young. It really bugs me now, too!
 
I think mostly people need to locate the scapula and then place it behind that - in every horse it is different.
 
Yes the saddle is so annoyingly too far forward it makes me want to reach into the photo and drag it back :eek: I really like the mare though and those snowflake dapples :)
 
I had a discussion about this with someone last year who I thought was fairly knowledgeable. When I suggested that the saddle was up its neck, and restricting shoulder movement she thought the girth would be in the wrong place if it was sat further back. I think the old idea that the girth should be in the girth groove makes people override all common sense when looking at the total horse and the saddles position.
Most of the saddles that I see that are a poor fit seem to have far to narrow a tree and the saddle perches on the poor horses back like a peg on a clothes line. If there are so many saddle fitters now why do there seem to so many poorly fitted saddles?
 
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