My Saddle is Adjustable - I Shouldn't Need a Saddle Fitter

Over the last few years adjustable saddles have really come of age and a large percentage of saddles sold these days are adjustable in some way, shape or form.  

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

 

There are many different methods of adjusting saddles, including tree squeezers, click bits on the tree points and a multitude of adjustable bars, this latter, when done correctly being the most common and successful in my opinion. Surely then this is all you need? Choose the saddle that you like, make sure it’s the right width fitting (easier said than done) and away you go! Where is the problem with this? No need for a saddle fitter and they are always so hard to get hold of anyway. They are always so busy! (I wonder why?) Here are some reasons explaining why fitting your own saddles isn’t such a good idea.

The first problem is that not all adjustable saddles will fit all horses. Some horses, such as but not exclusively, those with high, long withers (think thoroughbreds amongst others) need more support down the front of the tree points, which themselves will need to be longer, therefore needing a longer bar. Conversely, use a tree with long points and a long bar on a cob with a broad back and it is likely that there will be excess pressure either side of the back behind the shoulders. Also, the points may well stick out and catch the rider’s leg as they don’t follow the curved shape of his back. These shaped equines need a shorter bar, preferably more open at the head. In other words it’s more like an upside down U rather than a V.

Using a tree with short points on the more angular high withered horse means that the panel is not supported beyond the point ends. As a result, the saddle is ultimately supported by the rib cage of the horse. Although there is muscle and fascia above the ribs,  muscle works by expanding and contracting but cannot, of itself support weight. This is easy to prove for yourself. Make your thigh muscles as tight and rigid as you can. Press your thumb into it. See? It sinks into the muscle, doesn’t it?  

It's also the case that in high withered horses, the rib cage starts considerably lower down the horse’s sides than in a cob type and the muscle there can no more support the saddle and rider than the muscle in your thigh can support your finger. This is why the currently popular short tree points on many saddles need to be so much narrower than anything that I have fitted for many years. These tree points will put direct pressure through the muscle causing atrophy and scarring. Also, these saddles usually drop onto the wither so several pads are needed to get clearance. Err… close contact so that you can feel the horse – with loads of pads? This doesn’t equate for me but perhaps you see it differently?

Having decided on the type of saddle that you think will suit your horse, what width bar do you need? You might take a guess and you might be right but in my experience the more common problem is that too wide a bar is used. Thinking that wider is better for the horse is so totally wrong, as Russell Mackechnie-Guire’s work undertaken for The Society of Master Saddlers has proved. A bar that is too wide just causes all the weight to concentrate under the front third of the saddle, resulting in huge areas of excess pressure, often leading to white hairs, if not open saddle sores, behind the shoulders as well as restricting the movement of the horse. No, the muscle will not develop here if you allow space for it. The excess pressures will in fact cause the opposite effect, as many have found to their cost.

Having seen the importance of the length of the tree points, you now feel able to order the right saddle. He’s a thoroughbred so long tree points. Check. But hold on a minute? Is his back level or is he a bit uphill or downhill? Does he change when ridden? This will dictate the depth of rear gusset that he needs, so now you will at least need a friend to film you riding to see this - but hold on! Horses don’t always go the same in one saddle as another, so might be different in the adjustable saddle that you are going to buy….  Have to take a guess then.

This is the same in reverse for cobs. You might well need little to no rear gusset or a fairly deep one. Suddenly this isn’t looking just so easy is it?

Tree shape is next. Flat in the back or curvy? Something in-between? Tree types for each, both with long and short points. Mmm.

What about girth straps? Well everyone knows that you use the first and third don’t they? Not necessarily so with adjustable saddles. Many have several strap positions so that the saddle fitter can find the optimum girthing arrangement for you and your horse. With many, the first strap is attached to the tree points, a point strap. This is to help position the girth straps vertically with a forward girth groove. In this case a point strap is a preferred option, as otherwise, the saddle moving forward onto the shoulders will restrict movement and be uncomfortable for the horse. However, if the point strap isn’t needed, using it will tend to hold the saddle too far back and is likely to pull the front of the saddle too low on the withers.

For saddles with five strap position options the equivalent of 1 and 3 is 2 and 3. The fittings that you can fit straps to at the back are for when point straps are being used to prevent the back of the saddle lifting, or where an active horse tends to bounce the saddle at the back (so long as the front is fitted correctly and isn’t too wide). Another use is to help keep the saddle straight when either the horse’s action or an unbalanced rider tends to take the saddle over to one side. This usually calls for slight and skilful flocking adjustment as well, not something that the owner should be trying.   

Talking of flocking adjustment, this is one of the things that saddle fitters will usually have to do when fitting even an adjustable, as often the saddle will need a touch of wool here or there so as to get the balance, contact and straightness correct. Those who have had the misfortune to see a badly flocked and lumpy saddle will realise that it’s very easy to get flocking very wrong.

It is because a saddle fitter will be aware of all of the questions above plus many others and have answers to these that it is still necessary to have your saddle professionally fitted. One of the leading manufacturers of adjustable saddles will only sell through qualified saddle fitters so that their end user will get the very best out of their saddles.  And you know how busy saddle fitters are? Much of our work is sorting things out when someone has gone the DIY route. Often this has caused the horse pain or discomfort and often the saddle has to be replaced as you have bought something unsuitable. This can become a very expensive cost cutting exercise!

Like many riders and trainers, you've probably thought at some point that understanding more about saddles and saddle fitting would have the potential to help you improve your horse's comfort, performance and also long-term soundness - and not only are you right, you can now do that online, whenever and wherever fits into your busy lifestyle.

With online learning and training now much  more familiar to us all, Kay's highly acclaimed and informative 2-part video series continues to sell around the world since its launch in 2019. Aptly titled Saddle Fitting Know How - For Riders and Trainers, the two videos distil her 50 years of experience into over an hour of what is an unrivalled go-to resource for all Riders and Trainers interested in saddles and saddle fitting. They contain a wealth of information that will be of practical relevance to everyone serious about improving their riding, competing with more success or at a higher level and for those whose career is focused on training riders to develop their horses correctly.
Watch a brief trailer and buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow

If you are working as a saddle fitter or in training for a career in saddle fitting, Kay's 8-part video series titled Fitting Saddles: The Essential Guide will support your learning and help you develop a more in-depth knowledge of the subject and include invaluable insights into running a successful business as an SMS qualified saddle fitter.

Watch a trailer and invest in one or more of the series that together form a definitive resource to enhance your understanding of saddles and saddle fitting.
Buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fittingsaddles

 

Can Groundwork Replace Early Ridden Fitness to Save Saddle Fitting Costs?

Sharing expert knowledge helps everyone, emphasises Fellow of the Society of Master Saddlers, Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter Kay Hastilow, hence I thought it would be interesting to discuss a recent question in more detail, as it is both seasonal, and in these days of rising costs in every area of life, topical too….

Question - ‘Can I do just groundwork with my horse to start him back into work, so that I don’t have to have my saddle fitted now, and then re-fitted again quite quickly once he starts to gain fitness? It would be helpful to avoid the costs of two fittings if it is a sensible option.

Kay replies - I must say I was impressed that the enquirer had realised the horse’s saddle would be unlikely to fit when first starting back into work, and also that there would be sufficient changes to his shape to necessitate a second fitting in a relatively short timeframe. It seems that there is a much greater understanding of the importance of correctly fitting saddlery to the horse’s soundness and wellbeing and nowadays, for which we must all be grateful, as it is definitely a positive scenario.

If a horse has been out or work, the first thing to ask is why? Was it because of injury or lack of time / opportunity to ride? The answer to the former will be different to the latter, as correct and effective rehabilitation for an injury often requires the horse to be ridden. If this is the case, then it is imperative that the saddle is checked before the horse is ridden, which will include the saddle fitter checking that the saddle will stay straight and be balanced, as injuries often alter the horse’s way of going and can send a saddle over to one side. I expect that rehabilitation work will have included walking out in hand, but perhaps, if the saddle fit doesn’t look ‘too far out’, sit on for a couple of minutes before the saddler’s visit, just for safety. If the saddle does move when the saddle fitter sees it ridden in, steps must be taken to keep the saddle straight as the horse works, or there may well be further damage caused. Its also well worth noting that in most cases of injury rehabilitation, lungeing can be harmful because of the forces exerted on the leg, muscles or joint when working on a circle on a manmade surface, which might not be ideal in depth or consistency.

Should the break just be that the horse was turned away for convenience, so just purely unfit, it might be possible to do some preliminary work on the lunge and on long reins, provided you have a safe and secure area to do this. If using a roller, with or without attachments such as side reins, I suggest that you read Russell McKechnie-Guire & Mark Fisher’s research on pressures from rollers, which I shared recently. It makes you think - and no, just putting a pad under it doesn’t solve the problem.

It will be necessary to start to ride sooner rather than later though, as although you are getting the horse fitter, his back is not being prepared by groundwork to carry the saddle for any length of time. I am not talking about top line and shape, but the actual physical ability of the skin and coat to accommodate the normal wear and tear from saddle movement. Even with the very best fitting saddle there is always some movement side to side, and possibly a little back to front, as you are strapping a rigid item onto a moving surface. The skin needs to be prepared as much as the rest of the body. Also, the horse will almost certainly move differently when ridden, so the all the different muscles, ligaments, tendons and other tissues used to support this ridden shape need to be prepared and strengthened as well.

So, would this approach of groundwork to gain fitness be sensible? Possibly, in the short term, but my feeling is that, beyond a couple of weeks the horse really needs to be ridden – and unfortunately, this will lead to the need for the saddle fitter to call a couple of times during the period of increasing fitness, to get the saddle fit established. The risks of taking the alternative route could lead to the horse being injured and unrideable for a while. Just what we don’t want.

Like many riders and trainers, you've probably thought at some point that understanding more about saddles and saddle fitting would have the potential to help you improve your horse's comfort, performance and also long-term soundness - and not only are you right, you can now do that online, whenever and wherever fits into your busy lifestyle.

With online learning and training now much  more familiar to us all, Kay's highly acclaimed and informative 2-part video series continues to sell around the world since its launch in 2019. Aptly titled Saddle Fitting Know How - For Riders and Trainers, the two videos distil her 50 years of experience into over an hour of what is an unrivalled go-to resource for all Riders and Trainers interested in saddles and saddle fitting. They contain a wealth of information that will be of practical relevance to everyone serious about improving their riding, competing with more success or at a higher level and for those whose career is focused on training riders to develop their horses correctly.
Watch a brief trailer and buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow

If you are working as a saddle fitter or in training for a career in saddle fitting, Kay's 8-part video series titled Fitting Saddles: The Essential Guide will support your learning and help you develop a more in-depth knowledge of the subject and include invaluable insights into running a successful business as an SMS qualified saddle fitter.

Watch a trailer and invest in one or more of the series that together form a definitive resource to enhance your understanding of saddles and saddle fitting.
Buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fittingsaddles

 

'With Adjustable Saddles Available I Shouldn't Need A Saddle Fitter'

Over the last few years adjustable saddles have really come of age and a large percentage of saddles sold these days are adjustable in some way, shape or form.  

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

 

There are many different methods of adjusting saddles, including tree squeezers, click bits on the tree points and a multitude of adjustable bars, this latter, when done correctly being the most common and successful in my opinion. Surely then this is all you need? Choose the saddle that you like, make sure it’s the right width fitting (easier said than done) and away you go! Where is the problem with this? No need for a saddle fitter and they are always so hard to get hold of anyway. They are always so busy! (I wonder why?) Here are some reasons explaining why fitting your own saddles isn’t such a good idea.

The first problem is that not all adjustable saddles will fit all horses. Some horses, such as but not exclusively, those with high, long withers (think thoroughbreds amongst others) need more support down the front of the tree points, which themselves will need to be longer, therefore needing a longer bar. Conversely, use a tree with long points and a long bar on a cob with a broad back and it is likely that there will be excess pressure either side of the back behind the shoulders. Also, the points may well stick out and catch the rider’s leg as they don’t follow the curved shape of his back. These shaped equines need a shorter bar, preferably more open at the head. In other words it’s more like an upside down U rather than a V.

Using a tree with short points on the more angular high withered horse means that the panel is not supported beyond the point ends. As a result, the saddle is ultimately supported by the rib cage of the horse. Although there is muscle and fascia above the ribs,  muscle works by expanding and contracting but cannot, of itself support weight. This is easy to prove for yourself. Make your thigh muscles as tight and rigid as you can. Press your thumb into it. See? It sinks into the muscle, doesn’t it?  

It's also the case that in high withered horses, the rib cage starts considerably lower down the horse’s sides than in a cob type and the muscle there can no more support the saddle and rider than the muscle in your thigh can support your finger. This is why the currently popular short tree points on many saddles need to be so much narrower than anything that I have fitted for many years. These tree points will put direct pressure through the muscle causing atrophy and scarring. Also, these saddles usually drop onto the wither so several pads are needed to get clearance. Err… close contact so that you can feel the horse – with loads of pads? This doesn’t equate for me but perhaps you see it differently?

Having decided on the type of saddle that you think will suit your horse, what width bar do you need? You might take a guess and you might be right but in my experience the more common problem is that too wide a bar is used. Thinking that wider is better for the horse is so totally wrong, as Russell Mackechnie-Guire’s work undertaken for The Society of Master Saddlers has proved. A bar that is too wide just causes all the weight to concentrate under the front third of the saddle, resulting in huge areas of excess pressure, often leading to white hairs, if not open saddle sores, behind the shoulders as well as restricting the movement of the horse. No, the muscle will not develop here if you allow space for it. The excess pressures will in fact cause the opposite effect, as many have found to their cost.

Having seen the importance of the length of the tree points, you now feel able to order the right saddle. He’s a thoroughbred so long tree points. Check. But hold on a minute? Is his back level or is he a bit uphill or downhill? Does he change when ridden? This will dictate the depth of rear gusset that he needs, so now you will at least need a friend to film you riding to see this - but hold on! Horses don’t always go the same in one saddle as another, so might be different in the adjustable saddle that you are going to buy….  Have to take a guess then.

This is the same in reverse for cobs. You might well need little to no rear gusset or a fairly deep one. Suddenly this isn’t looking just so easy is it?

Tree shape is next. Flat in the back or curvy? Something in-between? Tree types for each, both with long and short points. Mmm.

What about girth straps? Well everyone knows that you use the first and third don’t they? Not necessarily so with adjustable saddles. Many have several strap positions so that the saddle fitter can find the optimum girthing arrangement for you and your horse. With many, the first strap is attached to the tree points, a point strap. This is to help position the girth straps vertically with a forward girth groove. In this case a point strap is a preferred option, as otherwise, the saddle moving forward onto the shoulders will restrict movement and be uncomfortable for the horse. However, if the point strap isn’t needed, using it will tend to hold the saddle too far back and is likely to pull the front of the saddle too low on the withers.

For saddles with five strap position options the equivalent of 1 and 3 is 2 and 3. The fittings that you can fit straps to at the back are for when point straps are being used to prevent the back of the saddle lifting, or where an active horse tends to bounce the saddle at the back (so long as the front is fitted correctly and isn’t too wide). Another use is to help keep the saddle straight when either the horse’s action or an unbalanced rider tends to take the saddle over to one side. This usually calls for slight and skilful flocking adjustment as well, not something that the owner should be trying.   

Talking of flocking adjustment, this is one of the things that saddle fitters will usually have to do when fitting even an adjustable, as often the saddle will need a touch of wool here or there so as to get the balance, contact and straightness correct. Those who have had the misfortune to see a badly flocked and lumpy saddle will realise that it’s very easy to get flocking very wrong.

It is because a saddle fitter will be aware of all of the questions above plus many others and have answers to these that it is still necessary to have your saddle professionally fitted. One of the leading manufacturers of adjustable saddles will only sell through qualified saddle fitters so that their end user will get the very best out of their saddles.  And you know how busy saddle fitters are? Much of our work is sorting things out when someone has gone the DIY route. Often this has caused the horse pain or discomfort and often the saddle has to be replaced as you have bought something unsuitable. This can become a very expensive cost cutting exercise!

Like many riders and trainers, you've probably thought at some point that understanding more about saddles and saddle fitting would have the potential to help you improve your horse's comfort, performance and also long-term soundness - and not only are you right, you can now do that online, whenever and wherever fits into your busy lifestyle.

With online learning and training now much  more familiar to us all, Kay's highly acclaimed and informative 2-part video series continues to sell around the world since its launch in 2019. Aptly titled Saddle Fitting Know How - For Riders and Trainers, the two videos distil her 50 years of experience into over an hour of what is an unrivalled go-to resource for all Riders and Trainers interested in saddles and saddle fitting. They contain a wealth of information that will be of practical relevance to everyone serious about improving their riding, competing with more success or at a higher level and for those whose career is focused on training riders to develop their horses correctly.
Watch a brief trailer and buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow

If you are working as a saddle fitter or in training for a career in saddle fitting, Kay's 8-part video series titled Fitting Saddles: The Essential Guide will support your learning and help you develop a more in-depth knowledge of the subject and include invaluable insights into running a successful business as an SMS qualified saddle fitter.

Watch a trailer and invest in one or more of the series that together form a definitive resource to enhance your understanding of saddles and saddle fitting.
Buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fittingsaddles