Western saddle fit

From: Sheila

I recently bought a horse who, although in his teens, has not been ridden much for a number of years. He was ridden in either an English or a Western saddle. When buying the horse we also bought a Western saddle that the seller *said* fit this horse. How can I tell if it does. That is, what should I be looking for/at to determine whether it does or not? In your explanation, please do not assume I know anything about this! Be excruciatingly simple! Thank you so much for providing this wonderful service; I have learned a great deal from all the horse-sense postings and really enjoy them!

Sheila

Now, as for the Western saddle, the excruciatingly simple answer is this: if you ride the horse in this saddle, and the horse moves well, is pleasant, and doesn't have a sore back afterward, THE SADDLE FITS. If he moves short, throws his head up, drops his back, tries to back up, bucks, rears, or slogs along with his ears back, he's telling you that the saddle DOESN'T FIT.

There's a bit more leeway with many Western saddles than with English ones, because they usually sit higher on the horse and so are less likely to interfere with the spine, and because they sit in the middle of the horse, and so are very unlikely to interfere with the horse's shoulders!

Now, here's something for you to think about:

This horse is in his teens. He hasn't been ridden in a number of years.

In other words, you are dealing with an older horse that does NOT have strong "riding muscles" at this time, although he may have had them when he was younger. The saddle may have fit him beautifully when he was younger and had bigger back muscles, and may fit him LESS WELL now, and may continue to fit him less well until you have (slowly and systematically) built up his muscles (and bones, and support structures) through work.

Alternatively, the saddle may fit him beautifully NOW, when he lacks riding muscles, and may fit him LESS WELL later, when he is stronger and his muscles are largere!

This does NOT mean that you need to run out and buy another saddle, just that you need to be aware of the possibilities. If this is the saddle that fit him when he was a riding horse (ask the seller!), you may need a heavier, thicker pad for the first few months. If this saddle fits him NOW, you may have to replace it when he's bigger and stronger.

Listen to your horse, Sheila. If he looks comfortable and moves out happily, don't worry. Horses don't lie. If he says he's comfortable, he IS. And if he begins to move badly, look crabby, and drop away from the saddle, if he says his back hurts, it DOES -- and THAT is when you can begin to worry about the saddle fit.

Your best bet, if you're worried, is to have someone (perhaps your vet, if he rides, or a GOOD local trainer) with experience in saddle-fitting come out and have a look at THIS horse and THIS saddle. It will give you some peace of mind.

If that isn't possible, here are some general tips for Western saddle fitting:

The saddle should clear the horse's withers by two or three inches, and should NOT rub the shoulders. The saddle should not put ANY weight on the horse's spine -- the gullet should be clear from withers to cantle when you are sitting in the saddle (have a friend check this). After a ride, your horse's back should be EVENLY wet -- unless the weather is hot and humid, his spine should be dry, because of the gullet allowing air to flow down his back. But the rest of his back under the saddle should be evenly damp or wet -- any DRY spots indicate pressure points, where the saddle is putting so much pressure that the sweat glands aren't functioning as they should. After a ride, your horse's back should be SMOOTH -- if you find areas that look rubbed, or areas where the hair is missing, or if there are bumps on his back, that indicates that there are pressure points. Look at the underside of the saddle -- with a Western saddle, the fleece will be worn, compressed, or both wherever there is a pressure point.

This should be enough to get you started!

- Jessica

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