How do you know if a saddle fits well?

You should be able to stick two of your fingers between the saddle gullet and your horse’s withers. The saddle should have even contact along both sides of the bars. After girthing up, your saddle should look even on the horse’s back, not tipping up or drooping down.

How do you ensure a saddle fit?

How do you judge a saddle fit?

What happens if a saddle is too wide?

When a saddle is too wide in the front, it can sink down over the withers. This takes the saddle out of balance by making the pommel lower than the cantle, which in turn carries more pressure over the front of the tree (at the withers/shoulders) than a saddle with a properly sized tree.

How do you tell what size saddle your horse needs?

There should be about four inches between your body and the swell of the saddle. Anything less than that may mean a too-small saddle, and a bigger gap means the saddle may be on the large size. Larger may be more comfortable for you. Western riders with longer legs should choose a larger-size saddle.

How do I know if my saddle is too narrow?

Look at the angle of the point of the saddle, and look at the angle of the horses shoulder. You should be able to see if the point is following the shape of the horse, or if it is sticking inwards (too narrow), or if it is sticking outwards (too wide). You should be looking at the angle of the POINT, not the panel.

How tight should a saddle be on a horse?

You should be able to put one index finger under the cinch to your finger’s first joint. If you can reach in at the back of the cinch more than that, it’s probably too loose. If you can’t fit a finger in at all, it may be too tight.

Why is my saddle lifting at the back?

Check the Panel Contact

A saddle that looses contact in the middle of its panel could be too narrow causing the saddle to bridge and creating 4 point pressure. A saddle lifting off significantly at the back could be too wide and increase tightness around the horse’s shoulder and may lift and catch the rider behind.

How do you tell if a saddle is narrow medium or wide?

A woman’s hand will generally measure about four inches across. If there’s 1/2″ to 3/4″ of space on either side of your fist, the saddle is approximately a medium tree. If there’s 0″ to 1/2″ then the tree is narrow; and if there’s more than 1″ of space on either side of your fist, the tree is wide or extra wide.

How do I know if my saddle is bridging?

Identifying bridging is easy if there is gaping space but not as easy when there is a subtle amount of space. Generally, we suggest girthing up the saddle and trying to feel uniformity or a slight lightness under the center, but feeling the panel front to back.

Why does my saddle tip me forward?

Sometimes poorly fitting saddles cause riders to tilt forward or backward. This may be partially due to the saddle being uneven on the horse’s back, but it can also be caused by the saddle truly not fitting your body. If you feel like you’re constantly riding uphill or downhill, check your saddle fit.

How do you fix a bridging saddle?

What does it mean when a saddle bridges?

Bridging: this is when the panels at the center of the saddle do not have even contact with the horses back. This indicates that either the saddle tree is too straight for the horse’s back, or if the saddle fits otherwise correctly, the horse is showing signs of a swayback.

Is it better for a saddle to be too big or too small?

General Rules to Follow

Your rump should rest on the base of the cantle, but should not be pressed against the back of the cantle. Some prefer a tighter fit, some looser. In general, it’s better to have a saddle a smidgen too big than a smidgen too small. (A smaller saddle may cause uncomfortable chafing.)

What to do if your saddle doesn’t fit your horse?

“If the saddle doesn’t fit the horse properly at the withers and the shoulders, every time the shoulder comes back, it will hitch against the tree point and push the saddle forward.” Solution: The saddle needs to be properly adjusted at the gullet plate (if possible); otherwise, a different saddle would be the answer.

What do dry spots under a saddle mean?

Dry spots are most often seen behind the horse’s shoulder in the wither area. This is from the stirrup bars and the tree points of the saddle. The dry spots can be an indicator of a saddle sitting without movement or air flow in this area and can be a positive.

What causes sway back in a horse?

Lordosis, commonly known as ‘swayback’, is the weakening of a horse’s supporting ligaments along the spine. Many different causing factors can lead to swayback such as genetics, age, conformation, pregnancy, excessive strain on the back and/or a lack of exercise.

What is bridging on a horse?

You bridge your reins by crossing or folding the slack in the reins, then placing that fold across the horse’s neck. You then press down on either side of the horse’s neck, removing any slack from the reins.

How thick should a saddle pad be?

1″- 2″
5 Star recommends that your saddle pad stick out 1″- 2″ in both the front AND the back of your saddle skirts. If you have more than 2″ of pad sticking out, the felt can begin to curl up overtime causing it to become abrasive.

What causes white hair on horses?

The loss of hair pigment usually results from traumatic or inflammatory injuries, such as pressure from tack, too-tight or rubbing bandages, cuts, lacerations and even occasionally injections.

Can poor saddle fit cause lameness?

Poor saddle fitting can cause many lameness and movement problems that are often blamed on farriers. When an extra pad is necessary, a saddle does not fit properly. A lack of sweat under the saddle that is viewed immediately after a ride indicates too much pressure in those areas.