Saddle Fitting Explained
Most of us are familiar with the romantic notion of the cowboy wandering, looking for work, traveling with his favorite saddle. It is soft, comfortable, broken-in perfectly. He is ready to place it on the back of whatever ranch horse provided. It fits every horse... wait... is this possible?? Perhaps the ranch horses were similar enough that this idyllic scenario worked. Maybe there weren’t shark-fin withered thoroughbreds mixed in with mutton withered quarter horses. Or perhaps this isn’t real life. The problem lies with the idea. The learning curve regarding saddle fit is steep and bumpy. Most of us have fallen victim to the dream of the one perfect saddle.
I remember that at the age of twelve I saved my money and bought my first saddle. It was a beautiful Crosby Prix de Nations jumping saddle with sweet smelling leather that sat proudly in my bedroom on a wooden saddle rack that my dad built. I have no idea whether that saddle fit either myself or any horse that I ever put it on. However, that was my saddle and I used it with pride. Even into adulthood, I had my (one) jumping saddle, my (one) dressage saddle, and my (one) western saddle. I never heard any of my horses complain... I imagine that it was because I didn’t know how to listen, that I didn’t hear them.
Saddle fitting and the health of the horse’s back is often grossly neglected by amateur horsemen and professionals alike. Many times we ignore what we don’t think we can fix, especially if we can still get the job done in the saddle. What many don’t realize, is that the effects of an ill-fitting saddle can manifest in direct or (apparently) indirect ways. Direct effects would include injury to muscles, nerves, hair follicle damage, vertebral/spinal injury, etc... This might result in a horse who behaves badly when brushing, saddling, or mounting. You might also see a horse who physically cannot carry himself through the back or “engage”. Some horses give few clues to the rider, but are sensitive to specific palpation techniques along the back, yielding clues to a saddle fit issue. Indirect issues with saddle fit may manifest in a horse who performs sub-optimally (which may be blamed on a multitude of causes), a compensatory injury from improper self-carriage, or vague behavioral or training issues. As mentioned, many horses give little indication that the saddle is the root of the problem. Often it is only through experimentation with proper fitting that the horse/rider combination realize the primary offense.
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