Saddle fitting continues to be a tricky business
because of the several ever-changing variables, namely the saddle (among
other things), the horse and the rider. Keep in mind that horses change
depending on their physical condition, and amount of training.
Saddle Fitting Guide:
Step 1. Stand your horse on flat, even ground.
Step 2. Place the saddle on the horses clean dry back, without a
pad or girth, make sure you set the saddle on his back starting at
the withers then sliding the saddle towards his back, letting the saddle
settle in the best area. A properly fitted saddle should rest comfortably
on the horse back.
Step 3. Check the skirt, does the skirt follow the shape of your
horses back? The skirt should conform to the shape of the horses back.
The skirt should not stick out away from the horses back, or be too long.
If the skirt juts into the horses hip, this may cause your horse
discomfort and impede his movement.
Step 4. Check for balance, step back several feet to view the
saddle from the side of your horse. The billets should follow the contour
of your horses girth area and the flat area of the seat should be
parallel to the ground. The fork should not be higher than the cantle,
however the cantle may be higher than the fork depending on the style of
the saddle.
Step 5. Check the fork clearance; you should be able to place
approximately 4 stacked fingers between the horses withers and the fork.
The clearance will shrink after the saddle is broken in.
Step 6. Check gullet clearance, from the same in step 5, look down
the gullet of the saddle and make sure there is clearance the entire run
of the horses back.
Step 7. Check the horses shoulders, make sure the saddle flaps
follow the contour of the horses shoulder and not pinching the horse
anywhere. The saddle should sit level on the horse. You should be able to
fit 3 to 4 fingers together verticaly between the wither and the pommel
(this will go down to 2 or 3 after the saddle is broken in). There should
be no obvious gaps along the back of the saddle. You should have a
space between the end of the saddle and the hips so they do not rub.
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