Saddle Versus Back Length; Is It Such A Problem?

I am constantly being contacted by riders who have been told by a no doubt well-meaning expert in the ‘horse’s backs’ department, that their saddle is too long for the horse, will be causing the horse harm, and that they must buy a 16 ½” to keep within the T18 boundary. As often as not the rider is – well let’s just say 5’6” and 11 stone. Not big by anyone’s standard and probably considered to be a healthy height to weight ratio, yet for them to ride in most 16 ½” saddles would be extremely uncomfortable.

Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter Kay Hastilow looks at the reality around this increasingly discussed issue...

Perhaps you think that a rider should just put up with this, if it’s for the good of their horse, but is it beneficial? If the rider’s weight is concentrated over a smaller area, it will concentrate those pressures considerably and that certainly will cause pain and damage. In addition, If the rider is uncomfortable in the saddle, they will be constantly moving as they attempt to find somewhere to sit.

Let’s ignore for the moment that such excessive movement could well lead to rubs, bruising and sores and think beyond this. A horse is constantly trying to balance both themselves and you, the rider. Anyone that has ever backed a young horse will know how they move like a dyslexic spider initially as they try to balance both themselves and this strange thing on their back. Okay, they get it sorted, strengthen up and cope, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t still re-balancing both of you. Every time the rider moves about trying to find a sweet spot, they are unbalancing the horse. He then must correct, repeatedly. This is unbelievably tiring as anyone who has ever carried a badly balanced, decent sized rucksack for any length of time can testify.

The position of T18 marked with tape

So, T18. Why is it considered to be the furthest back that a saddle can go? This is the point at which the last rib comes off the thoracic vertebra (pictured left) and is therefore considered (probably correctly) to be the last strong area of the back with regard to supporting weight. Beyond this are usually six lumbar vertebrae, which are not supported by the rib cage therefore unsupported beyond their length down the horse’s sides.

Let’s think initially about the saddle itself. Although the shape of the tree should conform to the shape of the horse’s back it is possible to make the seat much flatter, if necessary, by rasping down the cantle and webbing up tighter during manufacture. This will give you more area to sit on comfortably. You can also get broader seated trees which, provided the horse’s back can support that width, will give you yet more room.  Likewise, flaps can be cut longer and further forward to accommodate the rider’s legs. Especially useful for our taller riders who will otherwise find themselves sitting on the very back of the saddle whilst trying to find somewhere for their legs to go.

The balance of the saddle, always very important, is even more so with these horses as the rider will tend to be quite far back in the saddle, so tipping back, even slightly, could well lead to problems in the lumbar area. Please remember that a horse dynamic (moving), in this case ridden, will be a totally different shape than static so that a saddle that appears to be in balance static (I saw an eminent professor establishing this with a cotton reel once!) can change totally once the horse works. They don’t always lift either. Some lift, some drop and some stay the same. Because of this, no saddle fit where the horse is not ridden in that particular saddle is of any value whatsoever. It can all change in a moment with movement.   

Tree does not extend beyond T18

So far so good, but two very important factors have not yet been considered. The first is that the length of the saddle overall is not all completely weight bearing as, beyond the parameters of the tree there is little real downward pressure (Tree pictured right does not extend beyond T18). The panel will fold away from the back without the tree to keep the downward force. In many saddles, the area beyond the tree parameters at the back can extend for another 5cm, yet this area really is causing no trouble to the horse whatsoever (Saddle pictured below depicts this).

Panel can extend beyond tree and T18

Another factor to consider is that these horse experts rarely if ever see the horse ridden, and yet we know that just a slight change in outline when dynamic (moving) as opposed to static can lead to the area available to take a saddle increasing by up to 5 cm! 2 whole inches! Using laser measuring equipment we marked a horse at the point of the shoulder and just down from the vertebrae at T 18 and measured when standing and again when just encouraged into a more ridden outline. I think all were surprised at just how much different these measurements were - a full 5 cm initially and, with further measuring in other situations, this was repeated and repeatable; we even gained another 3.5 cm with a 23-year-old horse with a considerably dipped back. We really didn’t expect that.

So, what is taking place for this to happen? Certainly, the back itself isn’t lengthening – the thoracic vertebrae are tightly joined, and I doubt that you would get more that 1 cm in any circumstance, but the dorsal spinous processes? That’s a different matter and one can believe that these open as the horse ‘lifts his back’ as he works.

Now, as is self- evident I am no scientist, but I am very observant. I hope that you are as well and, having read this think ‘well, I could try that. Just use a tape measure with the horse relaxed and again with it more in an outline’.  You can also mark T18 with some tape, put your saddle on (neatly cut numnah so that you can see, not a huge saddle square) and you will probably be covering the tape. Then go and ride the horse and have someone film you. Almost certainly you will clearly see the tape.

Now that we know that the static horse is shorter in the back than the dynamic horse we can allow for a longer saddle, especially as we are aware that beyond the actual tree there is unlikely to be much pressure and we can therefore fit a saddle that is suitable for both horse and rider. In fact, in conversation with other saddle fitters, it seems that many of us believe it is better for the horse to have a saddle that, even considering the above information, is still a touch too long, but in which the rider is comfortable.

Fit with thought, fit with care but always fit with knowledge.

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