Saddle Safety

• Billets: Bend in half and listen. Check for tearing and grooving.
• Tree: Check fork by spreading points. Check cantly by pressure with the heel of your hand. Check waist by holding saddle at gullet and cantle and twisting.
• Upper Pommel: Check for motion side-to-side and back-to-front.
• Leaping Pommel: Check for stopping at proper position, and amount of "play."
• Breakaway Mechanism: Check for smooth release and use of proper fitting.

Fitting the Saddle to the Horse

1. Determine the horse's shoulder blade, and locate the "pocket" below the point of the wither and behind the shoulder blade.
2. Place the saddle on the horse's back, point of the tree in the "pocket" (easier to see from the off side)
3. With saddle loosely girthed, use your hands to check the fit of the saddle to the horse's back. Run you hand between the saddle and the horse, down each point. Run your hand under each side of the panel from waist to cantle. Check for 2-3 fingers clearance at fork and at cantle.
4. With someone seated in the saddle, check all the above again. If the pressure hurts your hand at any point, it hurts the horse more!

Signs of Poor Fit

1. Pinching under long (near) point - tree is too narrow or improper curve.
2. Pinching at off-side wither - too narrow in gullet.
3. Bridging (saddle contacts at the fork and the cantle, with less contact at the waist) - saddle is too long and/or needs more padding at waist to conform to horse's back. (A lift-back or banjo pad increases bridging and is therefore only a temporary measure until the saddle can be properly stuffed.)
4. Hitting the spinal ridge at fork or cantle - tree is too wide and/or saddle needs more stuffing.
5. "Ruffles" - turned patches of hair that show when saddle is removed

Results of Poor Fit

To the Horse:

1. Behavior problems: wringing tail, humped back, bucking, sour ears, refusing the near canter lead.
2. Injuries: permanent white hair growth on off-side wither from prolonged pressure, resulting in tissue damage. Bumps on spinal ridge from compression damage. Soft swellings from pressure spots of unevenly stuffed saddle.

To the Rider:

1. Saddle "rolling" or "dragging" to near side - too wide a tree or improperly stuffed. Occasionally too narrow a tree, saddle "perching."
2. "Uphill" seat - saddle too narrow and/or too high in fork, and/or not enough padding at cantle or too much padding in gullet.

Proper fit to the horse is determined by a combination of factors: tree width, gullet width, saddle length and panel contour.

A saddle fits the horse when your hand can be slid comfortably under all points of contact listed above. Contact is even at all points, distributing rider's weight evenly. Saddle length appropriate to back length. Horse moves freely and comfortably.

THIGH LENGTH
The distance from a line drawn perpendicular to back line (B), to bend at back of the knee (A)



ESL or EFFECTIVE SEAT LENGTH
The distance from the front of the upright pommel (A) to center back of cantle (B)

SEAT WIDTH
Measurement across the widest part of the seat (C to D)

SEAT WIDTH AVERAGES
12" = child
12½" = teen or slim woman
13" = slim/average
13½" = average
14" = full hip

TREE WIDTH = barrel size

GULLET WIDTH = shoulder size

4" = narrow
5" = medium
5½" = wide
6" = extra wide

POMMEL PLACEMENT
Average set = average size leg
Wide set = full let (can be padded up for slimmer leg)
Bent pommel (acute angle) = impairs rider position & comfort

Proper fit for the rider is determined by a combination of factors: seat width, seat length and pommel placement.

A saddle fits the rider when there is aproximately 3-4 fingers space behind her in the seat. The "set" of the pommel allows her right thigh to parallel that edge of the side saddle. She "centers" easily in the saddle. She has a feeling of ease and comfort.