Saddle Fit

[icnmary]

I've heard so much on saddle fit and as many ways on how to determine that the saddle fits properly. I want to make sure my guy is as comfortable as possible when I ride him. What do you all think I need to check for? I've heard that you should look at the sweat pattern on his back after removing the tack, but I'm not clear on which spots should be dry and which ones should be wet etc........

[NoviceNic]

Could you get someone out who is more experienced for saddle fitting??

I wouldn't try to check a saddle to see if it fits. I would worry I had done it wrong and that I was hurting their backs

[cvb]

icnmary

The general principle is that you want to carry the weight where it is easiest for the horse. That is over the true ribs, and also over the muscles, not on the spine. You want a smooth spread of pressure over the area, not high spots or points of no contact - except over the spine where there should not be contact.

Finally the saddle should not impede the action of the shoulder.

You don't say of this is western or english saddle ?

[icnmary]

Oops, sorry, this is an all purpose english saddle. Unfortunately there are no saddle fitters locally...:( It appears to fit him correctly (I can slide my hand comfortably under it) but it's not so loose as to be too big. And from what I've been told and what I've read you need to be able to slide your hand underneath it while not mounted because the weight of the rider will sort of mold it to the horses body. I use a quilted all purpose pad.

[cvb]

aha - more comfortable with GP fitting than western ;)

BTW, one of the posters here - Galadriel - has written a book on saddle fitting which I thoroughly recommend. And its available as an ebook as well !

Anyway - basic principles.

3-4 fingers between wither and saddle to give clearance at the front. Obviously this reduced when you get a rider on !

Saddle should sit level, and lowest point is where the rider ends up - so check that it is sensible versus where the stirrups hang (i.e. no water-skiing !)

When you look down the spine, you should not see any contact. But also one of the "hidden" dangers is that you have contact front and back (either side of the spine), but none in the middle - this is when the saddle is bridging and that you will see from sweat marks etc.

But this http://lorienstable.com/book/

explains it much better ;)

[barebackqueen76]

wat do u mean by water-skiing?

[Peace]

I bet she means the tendency some saddles have to put your feet out in front of you. :) It's my pet peeve about western saddles - I looked and looked for one in my price range at the time that wouldn't do this and finally gave up and bought an endurance saddle.

[galadriel]

In addition to my book--icnmary, I work in Florida. There are indeed saddle fitters around :) I also travel throughout the state. You can find out more about what I do on my site:
http://lorienstable.com/services

[icnmary]

Galadriel,

I purchased your e-book today......:) So as soon as I get it I plan on reading it thoroughly. When I said that there were no saddle fitters around I meant that there were none around in my immediate area (at least none that anyone could tell me about). I'm currently looking at purchasing a new saddle due to the fact that I don't think my current saddle helps my leg position at all. I plan on purchasing one in a couple of months, so I'm setting the money aside. Admittedly, the custom fit saddles appear to be a little out of my league financially at the moment....:(

[galadriel]

From the info in your purchase, you're certainly well within my range :) You should have gotten the email with the download URL by now, by the way, it was sent shortly after your purchase came through.

For an English saddle, it's often possible to get a used, good quality saddle, and have it adjusted to fit your horse--for less than a "cheap" new saddle would cost. So don't despair :) There are ways to make both you AND your horse comfortable and happy.

[cvb]

wat do u mean by water-skiing?

Peace has it pretty much right. Think about how a water-skier looks - hands out in front and legs out in front. Bleurgh !!! Trouble is that if a saddle sits you "in an arm chair" its actually really hard to balance and you can end up using the reins to make up the difference :( and hence be a "water-skier"

[barebackqueen76]

oo that makes sense now cvb

i had a lot of questions but i dont kno wat they were...

ill think of them later