There are many myths that have been going around with regards to saddlery and the use thereof. In this series of posts, I endeavour to show most of them are without foundations and can, in some cases, be the opposite of the actual facts.
Pictured left is author Kay Hastilow, Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter.
I have said medium fit, but here the same is true of all width fittings, whatever they might be.
I hear people say, ‘my horse is a medium fit’ and they expect that as a saddle fitter, you will pull out a variety of this width for them to chose from, expecting them all to fit the same; in fact expecting them all to fit! Nothing could be further from the truth. In British standard BS 6635/2015 a ‘medium fit’ is between 85 to 94.9 degrees – a massive 10-degree difference in one width fitting! It’s the same for all other widths as well. This is very helpful to a saddle fitter as all horses vary and it may be that a slightly wider ‘medium’ will fit the horse better than a slightly narrower ‘medium’ one.
If only this was all there is to it! The front of the tree, the head, incorporates the points, which is the part that comes down either side of the back just behind the shoulders. These tree points can be of different length and they can even be lengthened if necessary if you are having a saddle made for you. Why is this important? The longer the points, the more support there is for the saddle, so if you have a horse with a high wither you will need more length and a deeper cut panel to keep the saddle up off the spine. If you put this saddle on another horse with an identical width measurement but who has more development behind the shoulder, this same saddle will sit up miles above the horse and be totally unsuitable.
We also have to take into consideration the shape of the horse’s back and what shape (not width) of tree would best suit him. Open, U, ‘hooped’ tree? Fine if your horse has a very rounded back, all be it that he still measures ‘medium’, but if he is more V-shaped then such a shape of tree will be a disaster. It will only follow his back shape in a couple of places so not support the saddle in its side-to-side movement. Often it will drift over to one side and stay there, which will be really uncomfortable for him. Conversely, a V head on a rounder backed horse will likewise only follow his shape in two small areas either side, causing excess pressure in these areas of his back. It is also likely to be pretty unstable – not a nice thought!
These are just some of the factors that a SMS qualified saddle fitter will be taking into consideration when fitting for you, so it may well be that they have a van full of medium fit saddles but only bring out one or two for you to see and try. It may also be why, when you ask for a particular make of saddle they refuse to fit that make for your horse. For what ever reason, they know that it will not fit. Don’t be offended if such a thing happens – they aren’t just ‘trying to sell you a dearer / their own/ different saddle’ for their own benefit. Rather, they know that such a saddle will lead to discomfort and loss of performance, possibly poor behaviour or injury to your horse. Would you really want or expect them to do that? I, and I know many other SMS saddle fitters, have walked away from a sale in such situations. We refuse to do anything that could cause pain or discomfort to your horse. Would you want it any other way?
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