Your horse wears it, you ride in it, you
clean it, you lug it around, you buy new stirrup leathers or girth for
it and you cover it with protective padding to keep it clean and scratch-free.
You rub pounds of expensive leather conditioner into it. You saved for
a year to buy it, or you put it on a credit card; it was a staggering
purchase but you wanted "the best." But do you really know your saddle?
I guarantee: your horse knows that saddle.
He knows every line, every seam, every tack, every knot of stuffing in
the panel, every bump or lump in the bar, every time you alter the length of a stirrup leather or wear
a new pair of boots. Your horse knows when you are wearing new jeans or
a new pair of breeches with a full seat. He knows when you lose a pound
or gain 20. He knows when your saddle has spent some time lying on its
side or standing on its pommel. He almost knows what you had for lunch
- because your saddle tells him.
What does your saddle tell you?
Your saddle has many, many things to tell you: it can tell you things
you did not know about your horse. It can tell you why your horse stops,
bucks, rears or bolts "for no apparent reason." It can tell you why your
horse has one shoulder more prominent than the other. It can tell you
why your horse has a hollow back. It can tell you why your horse won't
pick up a particular lead. Your saddle can tell you things about your
horse that you never dreamed. It's all a matter of knowing what to ask
your saddle in order to get the answers you need.
To start a conversation with your saddle, get to know it. Uncover it,
sit down, and look it over. Know the basic parts of it: on a Western saddle tree,
you have a horn, a fork, a cantle, a seat, and skirting. On an English
saddle you have a pommel, a seat, a cantle, and flaps.
Saddles are built on "trees."
Click here to see a Western tree.
Click here to see an English tree.
Turn your saddle over, and look carefully at the part that actually comes
in contact with the horse. On a Western saddle, you will see mostly a
fleecy covering. DO NOT assume that that entire fleecy covering comes
in contact with the horse! With your fingers, feel for the edges of the
tree. When you find those edges, follow them so you can get a feel for
the size and shape of your tree. Try and memorize where those edges are
because you will need to know that later.
An English saddle is easier. Instead of a fleecy covering, you have panels
filled with stuffing, more accurately known as "flocking." The best flocking
is wool, but many materials - not all of them optimal - are used to stuff,
or flock, saddles. Look your panels over for symmetry and usefulness.
Turn your saddle back right side up and examine it closely (Western and
English). Look at the seams, and lift every flap to check for loose stitching,
or tacks. Check your stirrup leathers and where they are attached. Go
over your saddle with eagle eye, very sensitive fingers, and make notes
of things you find that seem odd or different to you.
Picture your last ride on your horse and see if you can remember what
it was like. Did something happen, or not happen, that you wondered about?
Now is the time to ask, because you have what knows your horse better
than anyone, right there in your lap and it's ready to talk.
Ask it some questions!
Are you straight?
It's easy to check your saddle for straightness.
Western saddle: Stand the saddle up on a towel or soft pad- set it so that
it balances on the horn and the forks. Stand behind it (at the underside
in front of the fleecy padded part), lean over it slightly, and sight down
the center of the seat. Try not to be distracted by conchos, decorations
or stitching; just draw a mental line dividing the saddle into two halves
down the center, and see if you have as much saddle on one side as you do
on the other. Look for assymetry, spots that look "off," or just downright
twisting.
English saddle: Sit in a chair with your legs extended straight in front
of you and set the saddle on your legs as you would set it on a horse. Just
like with the Western saddle, mentally draw a line down the center of the
saddle, dividing it into two halves. Try not to be distracted by stitching,
cantle ID plates, or other "decorations" or lines on the saddle. Look for
assymetry, not as much saddle on one side as the other, and twisting.
Turn the saddle over and check the panels. Are they straight? Are they the
same size and length and width?
Set the saddle on a saddle stand or rack, and look at it from above. Are
your stirrups hanging in the same spots on their respective sides? Or is
one stirrup set in front of the other?
Most saddles are, unfortunately, crooked. And many times, they begin life
that way. Lots of things can cause twisting: the way the saddle is assembled, the way the saddle is stored at home, heat, a horse
who is out of alignment, mounting without a mounting block, humidity, neglect.
This applies to both English and Western saddles.
What do you do if a saddle is badly twisted? Well, the bad news (or the
good news, depending on how you look at it) is that you are going shopping.
I know of no way to straighten a twisted saddle that will make that saddle
safe or comfortable for horse and/or rider. And padding won't help either.
A twist is a twist, and no saddle pad will correct a saddle that has lost
its shape.
Are you properly flocked?
Obviously, this is for English saddles. Examine your panels closely. Run
your fingers down the panels from front to back and from back to front -
close your eyes and let your fingers "see" what is inside your panels. Are
there lumps? Bumps? Is there enough flocking (stuffing)? Too much? Is there more flocking
on one side than the other?
All these things can give you boxcars full of information about your horse
- and about yourself.
What is inside your panels? Anything other than wool can (and often does)
lump up into hard knots, and your horse feels every one of these knots when
you are sitting on his back. Pads or no pad, the knots and irregularities
of the saddle panels are THERE, and your horse feels them. And sometimes
they hurt!
How filled are the panels? "Pinch" them to see if they are well-flocked.
Run your fingers along them and see if you can "pinch up" any leather -
if you can, easily, then your saddle may need some flocking added.
Are the panels overstuffed? Do they look like sausages? You may have too
much flocking! Are the panels even? Do they have the same amount of flocking
on both sides?
Turn the saddle over on your extended legs so now you are looking at the
underside - sight down the panels and see if they match. If one is flatter
than the other, check your seat - are you riding heavier to one side?
Are you making proper
contact?
A saddle tree is intended to form a "base of support" for the saddle, and
to allow even weight distribution of that saddle - and a rider - over a
horse's back. In order to properly do that job, a saddle must make as much
even, regular contact with the horse as possible.
To check for contact, you will need to set the saddle on the horse's back.
Do not use a pad. With your horse tied as you usually tie him to tack him
up, approach him with the saddle. Watch his face. His expression will tell
you something you need to know. If he stands there and looks around and
pays little or no attention to the approaching saddle, chances are good
that he and his saddle are friends.
However, narrowed eyes, pinned ears, snarling, tossing the head, biting
air, the walls or the nearest innocent bystander tells you that your horse
and his saddle have exchanged ugly words. This is very valuable information
and something the saddle would not normally tell you - you have to hear
it from the horse.
Set your saddle on the horse's back - remember, no pad. Set it where you
usually set it to tack up. Stand back and look at it. Where is it on your
horse's back? Where are your horse's shoulderblades? If they are completely
or partially under the flap of the English saddle, make a mental note of
that.
Feel under the Western saddle tree - where are the shoulderblades? Step
closer and begin an exploration of your horse's back UNDER the saddle. Begin
with the front (pommel) of the saddle. Look at how the saddle sits on your
horse's withers and shoulders. How much of the panel is making contact with
the horse, and where is that contact originating? You want your contact
to originate 2-3 fingers' width behind the shoulder blade, and you want as
much even, snug (not tight) contact as possible.
Move down along the panels or Western tree bars. Lift the flaps or skirts
gently and slide your hand as best you can under the panels or bars and
pay close attention to the contact - is it even all the way down? Or do
you feel spots where the contact is lighter or heavier than others?
As you go, gently press your fingertips into your horse's back - any reaction
from the horse may tell you you have found a sore or sensitive spot that
the saddle is causing or aggravating. At the back of the English saddle
(cantle), look at the panels and how they sit on the horse. Are they "perched"
on the lower back? Do they sit up high?
Imagine the weight of a rider in the saddle's seat - what would the panels
do? Would they dig down into the horse's back? Or would they gently "squash
out" and support that rider?
On the Western saddle, feel under the fleecy covering for the ends of the
bars of the tree, called the "fan." What do you feel? Does the fan dig into
your horse's back? Or does it lie smoothly against the horse, providing
gentle, even contact?
Press gently with your fingertips into the horse's back under the fan. What
does your horse do - how does he react? If he snarls at you, you may have
a contact problem.
Stand behind the horse and look down the channel of the saddle - the "open"
part in the center of the underside of the saddle. Does it clear the center
of the horse's spine by at least an inch and a half on both sides?
Two inches is better. If your channel is any narrower than this, your saddle
is probably causing pressure on your horse's spine.
Are you pinching my
horse's withers?
Pinched withers are torturous to horses. If the saddle is too narrow and
sits too tightly on the withers, the entire shoulder is impaired, making
it incredibly painful for the horse to move forward. To determine if your
saddle pinches, set it on the horse, again, no pad, and inspect it from
the front.
Is the saddle "perched" on top of the horse's withers? Hold it at pommel
and cantle, and gently rock it back and forth... does it want to tumble
off onto your feet? A "perched" saddle has no stability and will happily
sail off the horse if the horse moves before the saddle is girthed up.
Slide your hand under the saddle at the point of contact at the withers.
Is the saddle pressing down on your hand? Does the entire front of the saddle
seem more "tight" to you than it needs to be?
If necessary, do up the girth gently and then check for tightness. Imagine
the weight of a rider posting or sitting on your hand. Would it hurt? Or
do you think it would just feel nice and snug and even as the rider rises
and falls with the motion of the horse?
If you think the saddle is too tight on the withers, it probably is.
Click here to see a saddle angle that is too narrow, and pinches.
Click here to see a saddle that is too wide, and pressures the withers and shoulder.
Click here to see a saddle that has the correct angle for the horse wearing it.
Are you interfering
with my horse's shoulder?
Look closely at where the saddle tree falls on the horse's back,
and where that puts the shoulder blade. Your main point of contact at the
front of the saddle should be 2-3 fingers' width behind the shoulder blade.
Does the saddle tree cover the shoulder blade? Is there room for the shoulder
to float back when the front leg comes forward?
Get to know your horse's shoulder. Remove the saddle and stand back while
a friend lifts the front leg so you can watch the way the shoulder moves.
Step forward and put your hand over the edge of the shoulder blade and FEEL
how the shoulder moves. (Switch places with your friend so he or she can
experience this too - it's a learning thing.)
Feel your horse's shoulder both standing and with the leg held forward -
you MUST understand how your horse's shoulder works in order for your saddle
to fit properly and not cause your horse pain or lameness issues. Now, re-place
the saddle on the horse's back and look at how the shoulder blade moves under
the saddle.
Slide your hand under the front of the saddle, on top of the shoulder blade,
and feel how the shoulder blade moves under the saddle. Shoulder blades are
as different as the horses they are attached to. Some poke out, some float "inward" as they move back, some are
flat, some are wide, some are narrow.
Sometimes, shoulder blades will obligingly slide "in" and slip under the
saddle with no problem; other times the shoulder blade that looks flat as
a pancake will bulge out and slam into the edge of the tree or panel when the front leg moves forward. Check
your saddle fit both with the horse standing, and with the shoulder rotated
back. If the saddle does not pinch when the horse is standing straight,
but DOES pinch when the horse is moving, you have a problem.
Are you leaving
dry spots?
Dry spots indicate severe tightness or pinching of the saddle. The best
way to determine if you have such pressure is to put a clean white cloth
or light quilted pad under the saddle, ride long enough at all three gaits
for the horse to break a decent sweat, and then carefully remove the pad
and lie it flat and sit down and examine it. This pad will tell you almost
as much as the saddle... think of the white, wet pad as the "tattletale!"
If your horse is too clean, you might spray a little oil-based fly spray
on him, and then walk him about a little or longe him for a few minutes
to let his back pick up a little dust. That will help make an even clearer
impression on your white pad.
Also, if you have a digital camera, take some photos of your wet saddle
pad - that pad is an imprint of a moment in time on a particular day, the
result of a particular ride, and will give you bucketfuls of information
about you, your horse and his saddle.
Click here to see an example of dry spots left by a tight saddle.
Are you bridging?
Bridging is a situation that occurs when the curve of the saddle does not
match the curve of the horse's back, or when the saddle is simply a poor
fit for the horse. Thus you end up with too much contact in the front, too
much contact in the back, and little or no contact in the middle of the
panel.
This is the point at which "contact" becomes "pressure." Pressure is a bad
thing - it is the cause of pinching, gouging, digging and many, many behaviour
problems under saddle.
To check for bridging, set the saddle on the horse's back with no pad, and
lift the flaps or fenders & skirts, and look under your saddle. Run your
hand under the saddle and check for places where you can tell the saddle
is not making contact. I also find a flashlight useful in this situation
- you can shine a flashlight up underneath the skirts or panel of the saddle,
and have a friend look down the gullet. If he or she sees light in the gullet,
you have a bridging problem.
Click here to see photos of a bridging
saddle.
Are you gouging?
Gouging is what happens when your saddle tree is shaped such that the outer
edges "dig" into the horse's soft muscles and tissues. Some English saddle
panels are also cut & flocked in such a manner as to want to "curve" down and in, and as a result the outside edges dig into, or "gouge" the
horse.
Check for gouging the same way you checked for contact and for bridging
- run your hand under the edges of the panels and see if the outside edges
are more "in contact" with the horse than the inside and center parts of
the panels or tree.
Are you throwing me
off my center of gravity?
Do you find yourself riding behind the motion of your horse? Do you always
feel you are being left behind? Does it always feel that you and your horse
can't quite get it together? Your saddle is telling you something that seriously
affects your riding: the center of gravity of the horse does not match the
center of gravity of the saddle.
Take a small pocket level and a piece of chalk. Set the pocket level on
the horse's spine right at the base of his mane where the mane hairs end.
Slide the level gently until the bubble hits the dead center of the level.
Make a chalk mark at this point on the horse's back.
Now, place the saddle (no pad) on the horse, and do the same thing - set
the pocket level near the front of the saddle and slide it back until it
centers in the seat of the saddle. Make a small chalk mark on the saddle
(it'll rub off.)
Do the two marks match? If not, you have a center of gravity problem. In
an English saddle this can sometimes be corrected by re-flocking, if the
saddle is a decent fit otherwise and the two centers of gravity are close.
In a Western saddle.... it's not that simple. Your first instinct would
be to "pad up your saddle (Western OR English) and change the center of
gravity that way, but you may not be changing anything. You may be merely
padding up your saddle and making it unstable.
There are ways to use pads to improve saddle fit - but pads should not be relied upon to "make" a saddle fit if it doesn't fit to begin with. Pads can make a horse more comfortable and can buy you some time to make the changes in your saddle that will allow it to fit your horse properly.
Do you need help?
By now, you are aware of your saddle's issues, its needs and what it has
to tell you. Use that information to make an educated decision on whether
you may have found the answer to some problems your horse is having, and
where to go from here. Perhaps you can have a saddler re-work your saddle
to fit your horse better; perhaps not.
Overall, however, you have enough information now to make a more educated
purchase should that become necessary.
Do I need help?
Also by now, you have probably discovered some pretty interesting things
about yourself as a rider. Do you ride heavier to one side than the other?
Do you need to mount from the right as well as the left, to equalize the
torque on your saddle tree? Should you use a mounting block every time you
mount? The answers to these questions are almost always yes!
Talk to your saddle - make friends with it. Every few months, sit down,
just the two of you, and have a long conversation. Your saddle will increase
your insight and your awareness of your horse more than any other tool available
to you.
