Spicy Little Number is a chestnut Thoroughbred gelding whose owner enjoys trail riding, as well as occasional dressage and jumping. Although he’s usually happy and easy to get along with, on a recent long trail ride, Spicy got very fidgety and bucked his rider off. His owner admitted that the bucking episodes had happened before, especially when jumping. Rather than blame the horse, she thought it might have something to do with her being off balance and leaning too far forward, something she was working to correct in her riding lessons.
Upon closer examination, Spicy was very sore around his withers, but it wasn’t his rider’s fault. The problem was her English saddle, which was significantly too wide. This concentrated almost all of her weight in the wither area, and pitched her forward and out of balance. Not only was it causing pain to Spicy, but it was also causing his owner to constantly fight to maintain proper balance. Once she found a saddle that fit Spicy’s back correctly, his soreness and bucking episodes were history.
Simplify is a bay Quarter Horse gelding whose rider primarily uses him for trail riding and, on occasion, some trail class competitions. Over a period of months, Simplify started showing signs of grumpiness on long trail rides, especially when he had to go downhill.
This gelding is very short-backed and built so that his rump is higher than his withers—the classic “downhill” conformation. He also has somewhat of a swayback. Although his western saddle was comfortable for his rider, it was actually too long for Simplify’s short back, and the shape of the tree was too straight. As a result, the saddle was “bridging” over his back where it should have made contact, putting all the rider’s weight on his loin and the back of his shoulders. The more sore his back got, the grumpier he became.
Acupuncture and chiropractic treatments helped, but what really solved the problem was finding a saddle that had a shorter tree with the correct curves and angles so that it fit comfortably on his back.
The cases of Spicy and Simplify are just two of many in which improper saddle fit was causing serious problems. The good news for these horses is that their riders realized something was wrong and sought expert advice. Unfortunately for plenty of other horses, their owners get frustrated and switch to a stronger bit or other equipment in order to “make the horse behave.” They may even end up selling the horse because he eventually becomes unpleasant—or dangerous—to ride.
“Bad behavior is the most common problem I see as a result of improper saddle fit,” says saddle fit expert Joyce Harman, DVM, a veterinarian since 1984 and a certified veterinary acupuncturist whose Harmany Equine Clinic is located in Virginia. “It’s a sad thing, but a lot of people have a really nice horse that was an appropriate horse for them when they bought him. The horse then gets grumpy or nasty, and they feel they have to sell him because his behavior gets worse as time goes by.”
Harman has written books on saddle fit for English and western horses (The Horse’s Pain Free Back and Saddle Fit Book and The Western Horse’s Pain Free Back and Saddle Fit Book, both from Trafalgar Square Publishing). She was the first veterinarian in the country to use a computerized saddle-fitting device that produces a color scan of pressure points under the saddle while the horse is being ridden.
As we saw in the case of Spicy, a saddle that doesn’t fit the horse can also hamper the rider’s ability.
An ill-fitting saddle often puts the rider out of balance, notes Harman. “As humans, we are always going to go where gravity sends us, so if a saddle is too wide for the horse’s back, that saddle will pitch the rider down and forward. If the saddle is too narrow for the horse and sits too high in front, it will push the rider to the back of the saddle. This puts you behind your horse’s motion and puts your legs too far out in front of you.”
After the horse, your saddle may be one of your greatest expenses. In many cases, the saddle can cost more than the horse! An expensive saddle that feels great to you doesn’t necessarily ensure proper fit for your horse.
“I’ve heard many riders say, ‘Well, my horse will just have to get used to this saddle,’” says Harman, adding that this is the wrong approach. “When the saddle fits both the rider and horse, it’s fun to ride, the horse is happy, and you feel safe. What I often see—particularly with saddles that are too wide—is that people start to feel unsafe. This is because the saddle makes them tip forward, affecting their balance.”
If you’re constantly struggling to stay in balance when you’re riding, this can indicate that the saddle doesn’t fit your horse.
“Tipping forward is very common in western saddles that don’t fit right,” Harman says. “People buy a Quarter Horse, so they get a saddle that has ‘Quarter Horse bars,’ which is a very wide fit. Many Quarter Horses today have more Thoroughbred in their bloodlines and are not wide across their topline.”
Because there are no industry-wide standards, saddle-tree sizes can vary, sometimes significantly, especially with English saddles. What one manufacturer may call “wide,” another saddle maker might call “medium.” The bottom line is that you want to find a saddle that matches the shape of your horse’s back as closely as possible.
With the prevalence of Internet tack sales, many people buy saddles online without ever trying them on their horse.
“This is a very risky idea unless there is a return policy,” Harman cautions. “The problem with buying on the Internet is that it’s a great place for someone to sell a ‘bum’ saddle, one that is crooked or has a broken tree. You also have no idea of fit. Because a saddle is assembled by hand, you can ride in your friend’s saddle made by a specific manufacturer and buy a saddle on the Internet that looks just like it, but it’s not the same. What you see advertised may or may not be the product you’ve seen elsewhere, and it may not fit the same.”
You always want to buy a saddle from a seller who lets you return it if you try it on your horse and it doesn’t fit. A reputable seller will allow this, provided you do so within a specified time frame and there is no damage or wear to the saddle.
You can buy a fancy, high-tech saddle pad, but it won’t fix a poor-fitting saddle.
The pad is meant to provide cushion and comfort, but it should enhance the fit of the saddle, not try to correct equipment that doesn’t fit. Your choice of pad should be secondary to your choice of saddle.
“Changing pads can initially give the horse relief because you move the pressure point to a new location, but if you have a problem, it will find its way through the pad,” says Harman. “I call it the ‘princess and pea syndrome.’ It may take three weeks or it may take six months, but the problem will find its way through the pad and your horse will feel it the whole time.”
So, how can you tell if that saddle you fancy actually fits your horse?
Ideally, you’ll have a saddle fit expert (find one in your area using an Internet search) come out in person to see the saddle on your horse and evaluate fit. If this is not possible, you should educate yourself and check key areas to determine fit.
First, let’s look at the basics of saddle construction. The saddle is built on a “tree,” and this is what determines whether or not the saddle will fit. If you could remove all the outer leather of the saddle, you’d find the framework of the tree. In a western saddle, the “bars” of the tree are the portions along each side that rest on the horse’s back. If those bars follow the contours of the back, they will make full contact all along the back. This gives optimal fit and comfort because it spreads out the weight-bearing area. Problems begin when the bars are not the same shape as the back, because this forces the rider’s weight into a smaller area.
Be careful that the saddle is in the right position on your horse’s back when you tack up. There should be a natural “pocket” just behind the shoulder, and this is where you want the saddle to rest. Putting the saddle too far forward or too far back can cause pain and inhibit the horse’s stride.
“The weight-bearing part of the horse’s back is from behind the shoulder blade to the last rib, so the weight-bearing portion of the saddle needs to fit this area,” explains Harman. “On a western saddle, the skirting can extend past these areas, but no part of the saddle that bears weight.”
One final note: The right saddle fit won’t make your horse more athletic, but the wrong fit can negatively impact performance and attitude. You and your horse will have the best opportunity for success and safe riding when you choose a saddle that fits him well.
Cynthia McFarland is an Ocala, Florida-based freelance writer and horse owner. The author of eight books, her latest is Cow-Horse Confidence: A Time-Honored Approach to Stockmanship, co-authored with Martin Black.
This article originally appeared in the 2015 edition of Your New Horse.
Cynthia McFarland is an Ocala, Fla.-based freelance writer, horse owner and avid trail rider. The author of nine books, her latest is The Horseman’s Guide to Tack and Equipment.
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