Does it Fit?
July 2, 2014
When you own horses and you want to ride them, there is almost always the dilemma, if you are paying attention, to whether your horse’s saddle fits. As a horse grows their back and withers change and along with those changes, the saddle fit will change as well.
Many people are unaware that one saddle does not fit all. I’ve seen scald marks on a lot of horses because the saddles did not fit. I’ve seen girth scalds too. Over the years I have accumulated quite a few saddles, and almost all of them fit the withers differently. As I’ve read clients’ horses I’ve heard the horses say, I don’t like that saddle or my saddle doesn’t fit. I inform the client what the horse has said but it is up to the horse owner whether he or she wants to take the time to figure out the correct saddle that will fit their horse.
A number of years ago when I was in a tack shop in Kelowna, BC I was talking about saddle fit with a young woman who worked there. In her hands, as she spoke to me was a tool to check the size of the gullet that will fit the horse. At that time I did not understand how one could actually measure the withers for a correct gullet fit. The only problem with this tool is that the gullet fitting system belongs only to the saddle that is made for that system. Being the introspective horse owner that I am, I took the time to research how this gullet system worked, found an online tack store that actually sold the saddle that used this type of system. I bought the saddle.
I bought a Wintec Stock Saddle with the Easy-Change Fit Solution. I am am a big fan of the Australian Stock Saddle and way back in 2002 I purchased a Syd Hill Stock Saddle for a mere $2500. I loved it until my young gelding grew out of it, and used it on my young running quarter horse next. That lasted one riding season and then he too grew out of it. Lucky for me my horses told me, hey that saddle does not fit. My young gelding chose to dump me while my running quarter horse only warned me with a lift of his hind end. I’m going to buck if you don’t remove this saddle he told me. I haven’t used that saddle since. It is so narrow in the withers. I now understand that I know a fitting saddle equals a happy quiet horse, I know that I probably won’t ever have a horse that will fit that Syd Hill saddle. Still, that saddle is a beauty. That’s probably why I still have it.
The other night I took out my gullet gauge and sized up the gullet for Hobo, my Canadian. I knew he’d fit a larger size than the gullet that had come with my saddle and I was right. He was a 1X. The gullet gauge came with a variety of gullets so you can change the gullet as your horse’s wither size changes. It took me a long time to find something like this, and even to realize that you can do this. Some people may not take the time to fit a saddle properly and then will wonder why their horses are not performing well, are sore, are bucking or are just unhappy in general. I’m writing this because I hope all of you who are reading this blog will realize that your horse’s tack must fit, for your safety as well as for the well being of your horse. Hopefully you will take the time to fit your horse for his or her saddle and check it throughout your riding season. If it doesn’t fit, please take the time to figure out what does fit your horse. You will be safe and happy and so will your horse. Happy riding!
When you own horses and you want to ride them, there is almost always the dilemma, if you are paying attention, to whether your horse’s saddle fits. As a horse grows their back and withers change and along with those changes, the saddle fit will change as well.
Many people are unaware that one saddle does not fit all. I’ve seen scald marks on a lot of horses because the saddles did not fit. I’ve seen girth scalds too. Over the years I have accumulated quite a few saddles, and almost all of them fit the withers differently. As I’ve read clients’ horses I’ve heard the horses say, I don’t like that saddle or my saddle doesn’t fit. I inform the client what the horse has said but it is up to the horse owner whether he or she wants to take the time to figure out the correct saddle that will fit their horse.
A number of years ago when I was in a tack shop in Kelowna, BC I was talking about saddle fit with a young woman who worked there. In her hands, as she spoke to me was a tool to check the size of the gullet that will fit the horse. At that time I did not understand how one could actually measure the withers for a correct gullet fit. The only problem with this tool is that the gullet fitting system belongs only to the saddle that is made for that system. Being the introspective horse owner that I am, I took the time to research how this gullet system worked, found an online tack store that actually sold the saddle that used this type of system. I bought the saddle.
I bought a Wintec Stock Saddle with the Easy-Change Fit Solution. I am am a big fan of the Australian Stock Saddle and way back in 2002 I purchased a Syd Hill Stock Saddle for a mere $2500. I loved it until my young gelding grew out of it, and used it on my young running quarter horse next. That lasted one riding season and then he too grew out of it. Lucky for me my horses told me, hey that saddle does not fit. My young gelding chose to dump me while my running quarter horse only warned me with a lift of his hind end. I’m going to buck if you don’t remove this saddle he told me. I haven’t used that saddle since. It is so narrow in the withers. I now understand that I know a fitting saddle equals a happy quiet horse, I know that I probably won’t ever have a horse that will fit that Syd Hill saddle. Still, that saddle is a beauty. That’s probably why I still have it.
The other night I took out my gullet gauge and sized up the gullet for Hobo, my Canadian. I knew he’d fit a larger size than the gullet that had come with my saddle and I was right. He was a 1X. The gullet gauge came with a variety of gullets so you can change the gullet as your horse’s wither size changes. It took me a long time to find something like this, and even to realize that you can do this. Some people may not take the time to fit a saddle properly and then will wonder why their horses are not performing well, are sore, are bucking or are just unhappy in general. I’m writing this because I hope all of you who are reading this blog will realize that your horse’s tack must fit, for your safety as well as for the well being of your horse. Hopefully you will take the time to fit your horse for his or her saddle and check it throughout your riding season. If it doesn’t fit, please take the time to figure out what does fit your horse. You will be safe and happy and so will your horse. Happy riding!