Show Me The Perfect Sadle Fit

buck1173 · 03-31-2008, 02:38 PM

haha NFA, I was thinking the same thing...

eagerly awaiting the first brave soul....

jumpthemoon · 03-31-2008, 03:43 PM

buck1173 · 03-31-2008, 06:31 PM

bravo! thank you! and beautiful horse!

Shikoika · 03-31-2008, 07:14 PM

YAY!!! Someone was brave!!!

Now, my understanding is that you should be able to fit 2 fingers beneath the pommel after girthed. Looks like you could ot do that with this saddle. Now, I'm sure I'm confusing something, so pleas explain this to little ol' dumb me.

Dawn · 03-31-2008, 07:45 PM

I have some photos of 'almost perfect' saddle fit.

There are some basics to look for though.

You want the pommel to sit approximately 2 inches lower than the cantle (assuming your horse is built even (not downhill or uphill). You want the billets to hang straight down, not angled forward or back. You want the back panels to rest evenly on the horse's back. You want wither clearance (usually 2-3 fingers width), but not too much. You want the girth to rest in the horse's natural girth groove when the saddle is properly positioned. You want even pressure under the saddle panels from front to back, no excess pressure or gaps. And you want sufficient width in the gullet to clear the edges of the spine (preferably 3" or more).

Here are some photos of 'good' saddle fit. I am not claiming them to be perfect.

This saddle causes the girth to angle slightly forward. Normally not a good thing, but on this horse it doesn't appear to be a problem. The cantle also appears to be slightly higher than ideal as he is built slightly down hill.

And another, this saddle is on the verge of being too narrow, once he adds muscle, it will be too narrow. In the 2nd photo, it's sitting slightly too far forward, which you can see has caused the pommel to raise and the flap to angle forward.

And here is an example of bad saddle fit. It is too narrow on him among a couple of other issues.

One of the biggest challenges in saddle fitting is learning how to properly put the saddle on the horse. Not too far forward (most common problem), not too far back.

Shikoika · 03-31-2008, 10:35 PM

Thankyou that cleared it up nicely!!

pinevalley · 04-02-2008, 06:14 AM

There was a great post about saddle fit already, do an advanced search as I think it went into 6 or more pages! That gal was asking for critiques and MANY photos were posted.

03-31-2008, 02:38 PM	#11
buck1173 Senior Member+ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 784 Images: 15 Blog Entries: 1	haha NFA, I was thinking the same thing... eagerly awaiting the first brave soul.... __________________ “It’s really amazing what a horse will do for you if he understands what you want.... And it’s also quite amazing what he’ll do to you if he doesn’t.” — BILL DORRANCE "Horses generally are doing fine until the people show up." — LESLIE DESMOND

03-31-2008, 03:43 PM	#12
jumpthemoon Senior Member+ Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: CA Posts: 3,739 Images: 24	__________________ I love the Backyardigans! "Last I checked, the snarky kids were not the judges." kellidahorsegirl

03-31-2008, 06:31 PM	#13
buck1173 Senior Member+ Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 784 Images: 15 Blog Entries: 1	bravo! thank you! and beautiful horse! __________________ “It’s really amazing what a horse will do for you if he understands what you want.... And it’s also quite amazing what he’ll do to you if he doesn’t.” — BILL DORRANCE "Horses generally are doing fine until the people show up." — LESLIE DESMOND

03-31-2008, 07:14 PM	#14
Shikoika Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California, USA Posts: 890 Images: 118 Blog Entries: 36	YAY!!! Someone was brave!!! Now, my understanding is that you should be able to fit 2 fingers beneath the pommel after girthed. Looks like you could ot do that with this saddle. Now, I'm sure I'm confusing something, so pleas explain this to little ol' dumb me. __________________ Soloist: 5 yr Quarab Feather: 22 yr Arab <3 RIP Duke, My Shy Prince <3

03-31-2008, 10:35 PM	#16
Shikoika Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California, USA Posts: 890 Images: 118 Blog Entries: 36	Thankyou that cleared it up nicely!! __________________ Soloist: 5 yr Quarab Feather: 22 yr Arab <3 RIP Duke, My Shy Prince <3

03-31-2008, 07:45 PM	#15
Dawn Senior Member+ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 29,612 Images: 1283	I have some photos of 'almost perfect' saddle fit. There are some basics to look for though. You want the pommel to sit approximately 2 inches lower than the cantle (assuming your horse is built even (not downhill or uphill). You want the billets to hang straight down, not angled forward or back. You want the back panels to rest evenly on the horse's back. You want wither clearance (usually 2-3 fingers width), but not too much. You want the girth to rest in the horse's natural girth groove when the saddle is properly positioned. You want even pressure under the saddle panels from front to back, no excess pressure or gaps. And you want sufficient width in the gullet to clear the edges of the spine (preferably 3" or more). Here are some photos of 'good' saddle fit. I am not claiming them to be perfect. This saddle causes the girth to angle slightly forward. Normally not a good thing, but on this horse it doesn't appear to be a problem. The cantle also appears to be slightly higher than ideal as he is built slightly down hill. And another, this saddle is on the verge of being too narrow, once he adds muscle, it will be too narrow. In the 2nd photo, it's sitting slightly too far forward, which you can see has caused the pommel to raise and the flap to angle forward. And here is an example of *bad* saddle fit. It is too narrow on him among a couple of other issues. One of the biggest challenges in saddle fitting is learning how to properly put the saddle on the horse. Not too far forward (most common problem), not too far back.

04-02-2008, 06:14 AM	#17
pinevalley Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Northern Midwest Posts: 447 Images: 1	There was a great post about saddle fit already, do an advanced search as I think it went into 6 or more pages! That gal was asking for critiques and MANY photos were posted.

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