Have you ever gone to ride in a used saddle and noticed that it made you sit crookedly?  The previous rider or horse could have made that happen!  It’s true:  the rider’s position and the horse’s symmetry can have a direct influence on the way a saddle fits.

The rider’s position can:

• Cause asymmetry in the panels
• Cause the horse’s muscles to develop unevenly
• Over time cause a wooden tree to become crooked.

A crooked or unevenly muscled horse can similarly affect the fit of the saddle.

We all know how a saddle that does not fit the horse can have a dramatic effect on the horse’s soundness and general sense of well-being, but did you know that a saddle that does not fit the rider can cause an imbalance n the horse that can bring about the same problems?  Think about it:  if you’re having to constantly fight to get into the right position, your horse has to absorb that energy to keep you upright and balanced, making his job that much harder. Struggling with your position also prevents you from having correct timing with your aids and causes you to give your horse mixed signals.  Due to the confusion and frustration that this causes for the horse (and you), behavior problems can, and often do, arise.

Let’s also consider how our bodies influence our horses.  Stiffness in the rider causes stiffness in the horse.  It’s that simple.  It prevents the horse from engaging his hind end and relaxing into a collected frame.  The rider’s tension adds extra strain on the legs and subsequently more concussion with each footfall.  The result?  An increased chance of lameness and arthritis down the road.  This stiffness, because it adversely influences the horse’s movement, can, over time, cause the saddle to fit improperly.

Finally, how a horse is ridden is important to saddle fit, and oftentimes the causes and effects are so interrelated it’s hard to know where to begin.  A horse that is ridden in an “upside-down” frame will develop his back muscles in a concave fashion, causing an unnaturally swayed back over time that often results in bridging issues.  A horse with such a back often poses the most difficult challenge for the saddle fitter, and his condition is often VERY preventable!    This is why riding in a “long and low” frame as much as possible is crucial to a horse’s back health, and why so many equine experts so strongly advocate cross training, mixing a little bit of dressage into jumping and vice versa.  It’s good for their minds too.

Ultimately, while fit for the horse is paramount to his comfort and performance, the rider’s fit must be given just as much consideration, especially when an ill-fitting saddle for the rider can retard that rider’s progress significantly!  I’ve read that if you take a saddle that fits a rider only marginally and put that rider in a saddle built for that person, the rider will gain two to three YEARS worth of experience  in just a couple of lessons. Coming from the perspective of someone who falls into the “custom fit” category, when I finally made the plunge into having a saddle built for me,  I understood perfectly well how truthful this statement is.  When you are put into the perfect position, riding becomes effortless by comparison, and you’re able to progress further as a rider very quickly indeed.

It seems that although we as horse owners have become much more informed over the years, there is still a huge gap in knowledge when it comes to saddle fit.  When I attended the Society of Master Saddlers’ class in England this past fall, I realized just how huge that gap is, especially for American riders.  Since then, I’ve taken great pains to help educate each and every customer that enters the saddle room looking for a saddle on the importance of proper fit and attempt to explain what that customer should be looking for when trying out saddles.  It’s why I’ve developed the Saddle Resource Page…so that Olson’s customers can have a place to go to get relevant, accurate saddle-fitting information, because there is so much misinformation that has permeated through generations of riders, at the expense of our horses’ health and well-being.

On Sunday, May 2 from 9:30 am – 11 am, Olson’s is hosting an in-store Saddle Fitting Seminar, to be presented by yours truly.  It will be an excellent opportunity for you to learn the in’s and out’s of saddle fitting, from learning how to properly fit a saddle to understanding saddle construction in relation to equine anatomy.  I’ll be talking about symptoms of improper saddle fit and show you how to take wither and back tracings so that you can shop for saddles in an informed and enlightened fashion.  I will also discuss short-term padding options that may make all the difference until you can get a new saddle.

The class cost is $20. You’ll receive a wither tracing kit and detailed handouts to take with you to the barn.  Space is VERY limited (if only we had a bigger store!), so be sure to reserve your seat soon!  Call the store at 877-654-9453 for more information.

We’ve all been there – riding a horse whose behavior either frustrates or frightens us to the point where we make the decision to try a stronger bit.  Before taking that step, however, you should check to make sure that your saddle fits properly.

Horses are amazing creatures in their capacity to oblige us good-naturedly for all the things we ask them to do that, quite frankly, go against their very instinct.  We ask them to haul us around on their backs and perform all manner of tasks in a collected frame, and we ask that they listen to us and remain calm in the face of situations from which they would prefer to flee.  The fact that they put up with our mistakes as riders (and we all make them), mistakes that often unwittingly create some degree of pain for the horse, is a testament to their remarkable natures.  I believe strongly, then, that as their caretakers and custodians we must ensure that they are comfortable and happy so that they can continue to oblige us.  It’s the least we can do.

I won’t bore you with the details of the history of bits and bitting, for it goes back centuries, but I will say that there are thousands of nerve endings in and around the horse’s mouth, and because of this, we must be careful not only of what we put in their mouths, but also how we use them, because even the mildest bit can cause excruciating pain if ridden with the wrong hands. (Stay tuned, though, for an article on bits and bitting to come in the future – it’s a fascinating subject.)

A horse will display a variety of symptoms when a saddle doesn’t fit well, and it’s easy to dismiss the behavior as the horse’s bad attitude.  But seeing as horses are generally good-natured and gregarious, surely the “bad attitude” has to come from somewhere, right?  Let’s take a look at those symptoms:

• Behavior Problems Under Saddle
  • Refusal to move forward
  • Bucking, rearing, excessive tail swishing, pinning of ears and/or tossing of head
  • General bad attitude
  • Lack of concentration
  • Shyness or “spookiness”
  • Inability to move in a straight line
  • Difficulty maintaining impulsion or collection
  • Tooth grinding

• Behavior Problems on the Ground
  • Hypersensitivity to grooming
  • Unable to stand still – can be difficult to shoe
  • Objects to being saddled or girthed, and often will attack the cross ties or try to bite out at the saddle

In addition to resistance, unwillingness, and other behavioral issues, horses whose saddles do not fit properly will often have increased lameness issues, which further perpetuate said behavioral issues.  Think about it – if you were forced to run a mile in shoes that were too small for you, would you be happy about it, or would you maybe lash out at the person(s) who made you uncomfortable?

Keep in mind that if the horse is reluctant to stride out or has developed the “habit” of rearing, the front third of the saddle is often restricting the horse’s shoulder at the withers. Interestingly, I recently had a well-respected equine lameness vet say that he attributes many of the front end lamenesses that he sees to having the shoulder being restricted.  Ensuring that the shoulders have adequate room to rotate is critical to keeping your horse comfortable and sound.

A horse that is hollow-backed and is reluctant to use his back or hindquarters is often experiencing discomfort from the back third of the saddle. This can lead to heel pain and also puts more pressure on stifles, tendons, suspensory ligaments, and hocks because the horse cannot engage the hind end properly.

Sure, there are occasions when a horse may require a bit that delivers a stronger message, but those horses are a lot rarer than I think many people realize.  If you truly scrutinize the horse’s comfort under saddle and make sure that the saddle fits the horse perfectly,  you might be surprised at how mild a bit a horse with a “bad attitude” may require.

It is important to note that a horse’s teeth should also be checked when a horse presents with a behavior issue, as ulcerations in the mouth could also create problems under saddle.  Also, be certain that there isn’t some form of lameness going on with a horse. If you have determined that your saddle is a perfect (and I mean perfect) fit, having the vet out to check up on the horse is a great idea.  If everything is clean, then and only then we should talk bits.

With a mind-boggling array of saddle pads on the market, it’s difficult to know which pads to use and why, especially when it comes to corrective padding.  Every discipline seems to have its own trend in padding: fleece half pads for dressage, leather pads and “bump” pads for hunter/jumpers, etc., but it seems that few people have a good reason for why those pads are necessary.  Unfortunately, Americans have the reputation of haphazardly fitting saddles, “padding them to fit” with a cavalier attitude that is often to the detriment of the horse’s well-being.  While many modern riders have begun to take greater interest in how the saddle fits the horse, there are a surprising number of people who still merit the stereotype.

The fact is, if you have to “pad up” your saddle, your saddle DOES NOT fit your horse. As I mentioned in an earlier post, if your saddle does not fit your horse, he cannot perform the tasks you ask of him to the best of his ability, and over time, his discomfort could evolve into severe and debilitating lamenesses and a sea of vet bills.

Ideally, your saddle should fit your horse with the least amount of padding possible. Fleece pads, leather pads, and rear or front riser “bump” pads alter the saddle fit in some way and should NOT be used with a saddle that fits the horse well.    Adding excess bulk means the addition of pressure points that can lead to back soreness, muscle atrophy, and other lameness issues.  Furthermore, adding bulk between the rider and the horse can alter the rider’s center of gravity, causing enough of an imbalance that can ultimately lead to the horse’s discomfort.  It’s therefore essential to ask yourself why you need the newest rage in saddle pads before you go to the store.

Rear riser or “bump” pads (unless used very carefully for a very specific body type) cram extra weight onto the withers, causing a great deal of discomfort for the horse that could result in a myriad of lameness issues.  Unless the horse is built extremely uphill or has a sway back, the need for a rear riser pad indicates that your saddle is too narrow. If not used with extreme caution, rear riser pads can cause bridging.  “Lollipop” pads add the extra insult of increasing pressure along the spine, and thankfully have largely gone out of fashion.

Fleece pads can alter the fit of the entire saddle by adding bulk down the length of the panels.  Oftentimes, riders use this pad to offer the horse some extra padding, thinking that it will be more comfortable.  Adding this extra “cushion” may actually make it uncomfortable for the horse, as it may make the well-fitting saddle feel “tighter” along the shoulder which can cause pressure in the cantle area as the saddle tilts rearwards.

Pommel pads and “wither relief” pads are often extremely bulky and will change the way a saddle fits, often for the worse.  Both pads have the potential of causing pressure points where the edge of the pad rests on the horse, and ironically, both tend to compress upon the withers, completely undermining their intended use.

Leather Pads, all the rage in the hunter/jumper world, are bulky, and are marketed for the express purpose of “padding a saddle to fit.”  These pads are designed to go with one saddle brand or another, because said saddle is designed to have a “generic” fit and MUST be ridden with corrective padding to make it fit “properly.”  These saddles typically have only one tree and one paneling option, leaving it up to the rider to figure out the rest.   Not only is this approach to saddlery dangerous if the tree doesn’t fit well, if the panels do not lay flush against the horse’s back, you’re bound to have pressure points and the vast array of problems associated with them.

There are, of course, situations where one needs a temporary “fix” and corrective padding is the only solution.  I have to stress the word “temporary” here, though, as padding can only do so much to alleviate a horse’s discomfort before the fundamental problems of an ill-fitting saddle begin to arise.   The money spent investing in a properly fitting saddle is well worth it when faced with the high price of vet bills.

In the grand scheme of things, if you want to make your horse more comfortable, make sure your saddle fits well! If you want to make your horse more comfortable with padding, opt for pads that do not change your saddle’s fit while absorbing shock.  My personal pick?  ThinLine half pads, or better yet, ThinLine Contender pads – a two-in-one pad that incorporates Back on Track technology with ThinLine to deliver the ultimate in comfort and performance without adding extra bulk.  They’re the only pads I recommend riding in, because they actually make a difference in the horse’s comfort and performance.

There is no such thing as a saddle that will fit any horse.  Horses, like humans, come in different shapes and sizes.  A horse that has a broad, flat back and little wither will require a vastly different saddle than the narrow, slab-sided horse with a high wither, especially when you consider the fact that the entire panel must conform to the horse’s back.   “Padding it to fit” simply isn’t good enough (unless you’re expecting the horse to change, in which case a slightly wider tree with carefully shimmed pads is acceptable).  It would be like asking a very petite person to wear a huge pair of pants, saying that a belt should suffice in keeping them up. While this may be true, the pants will be bulky, the legs too long, and chances are the person wearing them won’t be terribly comfortable (and, of course, they’ll look funny in the process).

Since we are asking our horses to not only bear our weight, but also perform maneuvers while working in a collected frame, (jumping, lateral movements, etc.), it is up to us to ensure that they are comfortable so that they can perform at their best.  If your horse is not comfortable, he cannot carry himself correctly, and if forced into a frame while he’s uncomfortable, he cannot help but put added stress on his legs, let alone try to function with a sore back.  The fact that most horses perform under uncomfortable, ill-fitting saddles with stoicism only solidifies the need to pay attention to how the saddle fits the horse before the vet bills begin to accrue.  Oftentimes those subtle changes in behavior or movement are dismissed as the horse’s bad attitude.  Ask any equine behaviorist and they’ll tell you that horses are generally agreeable beings with a deep desire to please the humans in their lives.

Using one saddle on every horse, “padding it up” as necessary heightens the chance that you’ll end up with a lameness issue and the potential for an expensive vet bill.  When the saddle doesn’t fit right, there are pressure points.  When there are pressure points, there is a reduction in blood flow to the muscle, and over time you will see deep tissue damage and ultimately muscle atrophy (especially evident around the withers from an improperly fitted tree).  Pressure points not only affect the horse’s back, but also the rest of his body, especially the legs.  Think about it:  if he’s uncomfortable because of a pressure point digging into his back, he’s going to instinctively brace himself against the discomfort.  That bracing ultimately adds extra strain to his legs and joints, and you can wind up with arthritic changes, suspensory and ligament injuries, and muscle tears.

Making sure that each horse has a saddle that fits properly is a small price to pay to ensure that our equine athletes are comfortable, safe, and sound.  You wouldn’t try to make one pair of pants fit everyone in your family; why do the same thing with saddles?