Tips on how to fit a new saddle - and keep it in top condition

The choice and selection of a new saddle may be made more difficult by the various bodies giving advice and recommendations to those with little more than salesmanship to secure a sale. The Society of Master Saddlers and the British Equestrian Trade Association, to which most of saddle manufactures and retailers are members, is continually promoting the importance of saddle fitting and the use of suitable qualified saddle fitters.

Most of today's saddles are produced by top craftsmen manufacturing well-made saddles and many saddle makers will not come in contact with the horse or ever meet up with one! The skill and ability to make a saddle and the fitting of the finished item is a rarity in one individual. The complexity of the production of a saddle is equal to the complexity of fitting one.

There are many styles of saddle available, depending on the purpose for which they are intended to be used. The fitting, in relation to the conformation of both horse and rider will contribute to the performance of both. In many experiences, when a rider has been corrected in the seat through a badly fitted saddle, the increase in performance in horse and rider has been dramatic.

Before purchasing and fitting a new saddle a few points need taking into consideration: A new horse with no saddle; keeping up with modern trends; to meet an improved standard of riding or an advanced discipline; a refit due to natural condition changes e.g. grass fitness to lean fitness; and advancing athleticism coupled with building up of the shoulder muscle. We also have to consider other factors such as the age of the horse; a young horse may still be maturing and developing muscle rapidly whereas an overweight horse just about to be brought into work, slims to an acceptable shape with diet and exercise. From experience, a horse in poor condition will change beyond recognition with combination good diet, exercise, teeth examination and worm control.

It is important to realise that on the day the saddle is fitted, it will be fitted to the confirmation of the horse and for the reasons mentioned above the horse can change shape. In the case of a poor conditioned/young horse the purchase of a brand new saddle may be better left until maturity or muscle development has been reached

When purchasing a new or second-hand saddle be aware of a few key points:

* The tree forms the framework of the new saddle. The size and width of the tree must conform to the shape of the horse for the finished saddle to fit correctly. A tree that does not fit correctly cannot be corrected by adjusting panel stuffing. With the diversity of breeds of horses and ponies many tree sizes and width fittings are available. A far cry from when I first started fitting - all we could get was narrow, medium and wide by request!

* Your new saddle must clear the withers (Fig 1) and have clearance along the length and width of the spine. With the rider sitting in position there should be clearance in front arch (pommel) of the saddle and viewed from the rear daylight through the channel (gullet). With second-hand saddles it is important to check the gullet as this can close up. This then can cause the riders weight to press directly on to the spine and detracts from the effacing of movement. The horse's paces could be shortened and, irregular and the back stiff and hollowed, the lateral suppleness will also be affected and the horses jumping potential will be reduced as the horse tries to avoid discomfort when attempting to arch the back.

* The panel of the saddle bears evenly over the entire panel surface on either side of the spine. This is to distribute the riders weight evenly. If a panel is stuffed to high on one side this will put the rider out of balance and will prevent free movement of the horse and causes galling through concentrated pressure over a small area.

* The position of the saddle on the horse's back is important. If the saddle is placed too far on the shoulder this can have serious consequences. The top of the shoulder blade can rotate up to 8cm backwards and if the movement of the scapula is restricted, the stride of the horse will deteriorate, tire rapidly and the forward movement severely restricted. Girth straps must be positioned to allow the girth to lie in the girth groove. When tightened it should not pull the saddle forward.

* The size of the saddle must be suitable for the size of horse and rider. Problems will arise when riders are too large for the saddle and indeed too tall where imbalances and weight concentration will occur.

There are three principal types of saddle: dressage, jumping and general purpose, including event cross-country riding. In addition there are a number of varieties, working hunter, show, long distance, polo, Western, and race.

Dressage: In design the dressage saddle where the horse's balance is carried more to the rear, the saddle stirrup bar is positioned accordingly. The flap is much straighter to allow the rider a longer leg position and usually two girth straps used with a short girth as so to remove the bulk from under the leg that might be caused by girth buckles. A good dressage saddle will place the rider close to the horse, allowing full and easy contact with the inside of the leg down the length of panel providing the most effective transmission of "feeling" from the horse.

Jumping: In comparison to the dressage saddle the position of the stirrup bar is placed forward and the corresponding saddle flap enables the rider with a shorter stirrup leather, to carry the rider's weight over the advancing centre of balance of the horse. Many "close contact" jumping saddles have flatter seats and allow the rider a closer contact with the horse. In fitting the jumping saddle we aim to allow the rider to be in perfect tension-free balance and co-ordination with every change of the horses posture through the approach, take off, flight, landing and getaway for every fence.

General Purpose: This design of saddle falls between the two aforementioned saddles. Probably the most popular saddle bought is the Event saddle. A middle-of-the-road saddle which enables you to ride cross-country, school, show jump and perform dressage tests. As a bonus on days off you can hack with it!

What should our new well-fitted saddle do for the riders riding? Firstly, the saddle should allow the horse to use its full potential athleticism. It should allow and encourage the rider to adopt a position and balance appropriate for the discipline (fig 4). A dynamic factor is allowing the rider to adjust the balance/position to least hinder the horse's athleticism. For instructions to your horse the saddle will allow the rider a secure platform/balance from which to apply the aids. It will also allow the rider to ride with least fatigue, tension and discomfort. Finally it should transmit an awareness of the horse's posture to the rider and with experienced riders it allows transmission of instructions through our saddle to the horse.

21st Century saddlery: Over the last 25 years of saddle fitting I have seen many innovations and developments in the saddle industry. Synthetic saddles notably creating an impact with advanced panels, trees and coverings. Panels that are flocked with wool require regular maintenance. If this is neglected lumps, hardness and unevenness of the panel may occur so creating high-pressure points on the horses back. Available on the market are systems where the panels are filled with air. When the saddle is balanced evenly on the horse the riders weight is distributed evenly across the entire length of the panel virtually eliminating pressure points (Figs 2 & 3).

The most significant advance in technology is the int roduction of the variable head/gullet plate. This system has been designed to change the fit of the saddle to suit the change in shape of the horse. This is ideal for the horse changing shape as its maturity, type of work and level of fitness change. There are nine gullet sizes available including Haflinger sizes (extra wide sizes) that are up to four X wide!

Saddles can be fitted and adjusted and with minor adjustments a made to measure saddle available on site.

Cleaning and maintaining your saddle

There are many proprietary leather care products available. Many are time saving and require less work than previously but the old principles remain the same! Leather is a living material and requires "feeding". It has two sides a grain or smooth side, which is sealed and waterproofed in the leather processing stages and a flesh side, which is not sealed. It is this side, which will absorb the "food" in the form of oil, grease, or fat, which all modern leather care products contain in variations. Loss of this "food" occurs every day as the leather is subjected to heat and wetness therefore reducing the fatty content.

After riding, remove mud and sweat deposits with dampened sponge using warm water. "Jockeys", small black lumps of grease, should be removed before saddle soaping. Once a week apply "food" to the flesh side of the saddle. Be careful not to apply too much.

When not in use the saddle should be stored on a saddle rack or saddle horse. Saddles are best covered with natural materials. Do not store with polythene as this will induce condensation and encourage mould. A new saddle should be checked 2-3 months after use and all saddles should be checked twice a year by a competent saddle fitter.

The golden rule is that the saddle must fit the individual conformation of the horse without any restriction of its natural movement. It must never cause pressure, discomfort or damage to the horse. Although the rider is of secondary importance, the saddle must be comfortable and balanced providing impaired performance.

Published: 29/10/2004