Saddle fit and computer

From: Mariane

Hi Jessica! I know you answer a lot of questions about saddle fit, but I don't think any body asked this one yet. My horse has a funny back, he is wide bodied but has high withers. Most saddles don't fit him. I've been trying a lot of different saddles on him, and it is frustrating to find one that fits him. My friend says that I should go to a tack store about 100 miles away, which is a really long drive for me if I have to take my horse in a trailer. I just got my lisence. Anyway this store has a computer scan system for telling you if the saddles fit your horse, but you have to take your horse there and they put it under your saddle on the horse and see if it fits. My friend says that they will try the store saddles on your horse and see what one fits best.

Have you ever heard of this kind of computer scan and what do you think? I am really frustrated with looking for a saddle!

Thank you in advance for your help, HorseSense is the best!

Mariane

ps, I want a saddle to learn to event, because that's what my horse is suposed to be good at!

Hi Mariane -- I'm glad you like horse-sense, and I certainly understand your frustration with saddle-hunting. It's probably not easy to find something with a wide tree AND enough pommel space to accomodate your horse's high withers.

First, let me suggest two saddle brands: Courbette and Steubben. Both make wonderful saddles, including the type that you want -- an eventing model or a VSD model. If you've been riding Western until now (just a guess!) you would be happiest in a VSD model -- all of my crossover students love those, and you can easily jump up to 3'3" in complete comfort. Your horse will be comfortable too -- these saddles come in a lot of different tree widths, and they provide a LOT of space for withers.

Here's a quick saddle-type cheat-sheet for you, for any dressage or eventing saddles from any good saddler:

VSS means all-purpose/tendency jumping -- flaps cut a little more forward, and saddle-balance emphasis on jumping. VSD means all purpose/tendency dressage -- flaps wider and cut slightly forward -- fine for jumping low jumps (3'3" and under). D is dressage -- straight flaps. S is forward-cut jumping type, usually with knee or thigh rolls or blocks.

If you're thinking NEW saddle, call Steubben USA (they're in Richmond, Virginia; the number is 1-800-550-1110, and if I remember correctly, they have a very nice customer service staff) and talk to them, or call Courbette headquarters in Heath, Ohio at 1-614-522-1555.

My next choice for a saddle would be an Albion -- some of those models are great for hard-to-fit horses.

The bad news is that good new saddles aren't cheap -- but don't despair. You may be able to find a good used one. Most big tack stores have some used saddles for sale on consignment, and there are even some stores that deal ONLY in used saddles. For the same price, a used, first-rate saddle in good shape is a much better bargain than a brand new, second-rate or third-rate saddle. Look for a used one -- you may find one for half the price of a new one, or even less. It's worth the bother!

And if money is a real issue, don't waste several hundred dollars on a bad saddle of ANY kind; take a good look at the Wintec synthetic saddles instead. I have several students who ride in Wintecs -- some because that's what they can afford, and others because that's what they PREFER. A good synthetic saddle, balanced and with a decent tree, is better than a poorly-made leather saddle, any day.

Now, as for the computer scan, yes, I know what you're talking about. It's called the SaddleTech Computer Saddle Fitting System (how's THAT for a name), and it really isn't very helpful for people like you who are still looking for a saddle for a particular horse. It's useful for people who do research on saddle construction, and once you've found a saddle, it MAY help you determine whether that saddle FITS. But it may not -- let me explain.

I happen to have met the man who invented this system, and he isn't very happy with it himself just now. It works -- but it's being abused in some of the stores, by computer operators who set the computer to show "saddle fits great" when they hit one key, and "saddle doesn't fit" when they hit another key. This is very useful to a store that needs to get rid of certain saddles in the inventory -- but it's not very useful to someone like yourself who is sincerely looking for a good saddle that fits your horse! Very few stores have this system in place, and of those stores, not all of them have gotten creative with their computers and their saddle inventories. But it happens enough that the inventor is SICK about it, and he doesn't want anything to do with in-store testing anymore. So that's something you might want to think about....

On the other hand, the same man has invented something else that you CAN use! It's called the SaddleTech Gauge, and it's a simple (well, relatively!) mechanical device that looks a little like a futuristic metal insect with six legs, three on each side. You place it on your horse's back with one end of it just over the withers, adjust it so that each surface (each "leg") rests comfortably against the horse with no pinching and no gaps, and record the calibrated measurements. You will then have an accurate record of YOUR horse's back measurements for saddle-fitting: withers angle, spine arc, back angle, a second spine arc, and loin angle.

With these measurements, any good saddler can tell you which of his company's saddles have measurements that correspond to your horse's -- he will look for a likely saddle and then match your numbers to the saddle's pommel angle, spine arc, back angle, spine arc, and cantle angle.

This is a much easier method than driving the horse somewhere, and a much more accurate method than using a bent piece of wire to make tracings on paper.

And it is NOT expensive -- well, it would be if you wanted to BUY one, but you can rent one for very little. If you want to use this gauge on YOUR horse, just call 1-888-SADDLE. You can find out who in your area -- vets, saddlers, tack store owners -- can rent you the gauge for a day. If nobody in your area has one or will rent it, then you can rent one directly -- you'll need to use a credit card for a deposit, but the rental itself is only $5 per day plus shipping and handling costs.

You are right to be concerned about saddle fit -- you can't afford to hope and guess when you're buying a saddle, new or used. It's too important to your horse's comfort and health, and to your riding, and to your bank balance!

I hope you find just the right saddle -- good luck. ;-)

Jessica

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