Your Saddle Fitting Session

Saddle fitting sessions are a comprehensive assessment of the horse/rider/saddle combination. Sessions generally last around an hour. To gain the most from your saddle fitting appointment, horses should be presented clean and dry and riders should be prepared to ride. It is important that the primary rider of the horse be present at the appointment. It may seem obvious that saddles will fit riders differently. Less obvious may be the fact that the horse's dynamic saddle fit may change between riders. You should have all of your tack clean and ready for evaluation, including any pads or other accessories that you have been using.

Components of the Saddle Fitting Session

  1. Detailed health and riding history.
  2. The general health of the horse.
  3. Musculoskeletal evaluation and soundness exam in hand and or on the lunge.
       (note: any lameness should be evaluated by your general practice veterinarian)
  4. The saddle will be evaluated off of the horse.
  5. Static saddle fitting: evaluation of the saddle on the horse without a rider.
  6. Dynamic saddle fitting: evaluation of saddle fit with the rider in the saddle.