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“My
saddle sits up on my horse ‘like a party hat’!” We heard
this descriptive analogy from one of our customers who
was on the search for a saddle to fit her Warmblood
mare. We’ve had a lot of practice trying to find the
best saddle to fit the generously built horse. Here are
some of the issues that we face, and some of the
solutions;
This
saddle is too narrow a fit for this horse. Note
the space between the the pommel and the horse's wither.
Stability is always a
challenge. Saddles tend to slide on round horses. The
saddle tree is the frame of the saddle that helps to
secure it to the horse’s back. A tree with long
‘points’ can offer more stability, but can also create
more of an opportunity for pinching. Short points may
be more comfortable for the horse, but may necessitate
a more secure rider, careful padding and girthing to
stay put.
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Narrow horses can offer
some fitting challenges. We don’t see as many of these
horses as we used to, since not only are we tending to
breed more warmblood horses, including draft crosses,
but also, in good American fashion, we do
tend to keep our horses a bit on the plump side.
There are not many
horses that truly need a ‘narrow’ tree in a saddle.
Try to be very careful not to commit to a saddle when
your horse is underweight or in poor muscle condition.
Often, a tree that is too tight will actually hinder
the muscle development behind the shoulders and the
horse never does develop a good strong topline. You
can get tremendous changes in the shape of a horse as
he gains fitness and strength from good flatwork,
stretching and cavaletti work.
Typical
example of a narrow, high withered horse
Close up
of same horse's wither
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“My saddle is
constantly slipping off to the left.” “I’m having trouble
staying balanced on circles – my horse falls in to the
right.” “My horse drifts to the right instead of going
straight.” “I can’t get my weight into my left seat
bone.” “My stirrups feel uneven.”
Any of these sound
familiar? If so, the cause may lie with you. People’s
dominant sides tend to be larger, stronger and more
contracted. If one side of your body is significantly
stronger than the other, your balance will be affected and
you could be sitting much more heavily to one side than
the other.
Or, you may have an
asymmetrical horse.
An example
of a horse with an asymmetrical build
A tracing
example of a symmetrical horse.
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