Western Saddle Fitting
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13" NEW LEATHER MUST SEE WESTERN SADDLE BRASS FITTING $109.00 |
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13" NEW LEATHER MUST SEE WESTERN SADDLE BRASS FITTING $43.20 |
Western Saddle Fitting - Wither Clearance?
I rec'd a sadle from EBAY. I thought I needed a wider gullet, went with a 7", as the sides were so tight behind shoulders (around where breast collar dees are etc.) with my 6 3/4". Now that problem is better with this saddle, but now you can't fit fingers her wither, so I can't use this saddle either. Plus this one slid back.
So does those built up cutback withers correct this, or cause a different problem. She has never had rub marks or white hairs, but I don't want to risk causing it, as this saddle would hurt your finger while you are on her, if you tried to get in btwn the wither.
She is a Morgan/QH, very nice smooth build, not weird at all.
I mean't cut back built up pad, would that help, or cause more issues?
You can buy a built-up saddle pad (that is thicker on the front than the back for cases like this) to create space between the gullet and the withers, but is that really solving the problem? No. A built-up pad would just cover up the problem. And it certainly wouldn't help the fact that the saddle slides back.
Your horse deserves to have a saddle that fits her properly so that she can move freely without pain. So keep trying!
If you are struggling to find a saddle that fits, some tack shops will let you take the saddle home and try it on your horse to see if it fits (or you can trailer the horse to the parking lot and try it on there). Or you always have the option to have a saddle custom made for your horse so that it does indeed fit properly. While a custom saddle would be spendy, owning a horse isn't exactly cheap either, and like I said she deserves to have a properly fit saddle.
What kind of bars are in your saddle? Semi or full? That could also be playing a factor and not just the gullet width, since 7" is clearly too big.
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13" NEW LEATHER MUST SEE WESTERN SADDLE BRASS FITTING $109.00 |
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13" NEW LEATHER MUST SEE WESTERN SADDLE BRASS FITTING $43.20 |
how to fit a western saddle?
I think my new western saddle doesn't fit my horse. how do I tell if its too big or too small and how do I fix it, also he doesn't want me to mount him, any tips on getting his confidence back is appreciated
Thanks!
The first inclination that a saddle doesn't fit is if your horse, who would usually let you mount him, no longer does. I would say that your saddle most likely doesn't fit.
To see where your problems are, you have to ride in the saddle and get your horse sweaty enough for your horse to sweat underneath the saddle.
Pull the saddle off right after riding (don't wait for the sweat to dry), and see if there are any dry spots. The horse's back should be uniformly wet, if it isn't, the dry spots are where the saddle is pinching your horse. Most horses get dry spots over their shoulders on either side of the withers. To remedy this, you probably need a saddle with a wider gullet, do you know the tree size of your saddle? If you have a wide backed horse, like a quarter horse, you probably need full quarter horse bars.
If you can, borrow a saddle with full quarter horse bars from a friend. Put it on your horse's back without a saddle pad underneath. The saddle should lay flat along his back, with the top of the horn even with the top of the cantle. You should be able to fit your hand between the saddle and the shoulder of your horse-it shouldn't be really close to his body, but gently hugging his back.
Your horse probably doesn't want you to mount him because he's back sore. Give him a few days off to let the inflammation in his back go down. When you ride again, get on bareback. Show him that riding is not associated with pain. Walk around, let him stretch out. Ride bareback a few times so he knows that riding is not equal to pain. Then try and a find a saddle that fits him.
Hope that helps.
