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Saddle
Fitting Guide |
As good and as innovative
as any design of saddle can be, one still has to put the correct fit
of saddle to your particular horse for a successful marriage of the
two.We ask a lot from our horses and it is our responsibility to make
our very best efforts to see that we do not inflict pain and suffering
through badly fitting saddles. We can help to do this by making sure
that every effort is made in obtaining the correct fit when purchasing
a new saddle.There is so much written today about saddle fitting, nearly
every magazine features an expert telling us of the latest technology
from computers to 'gizmos' of every description, it is no wonder that
people are confused.As we know it is not always possible to have an
expert saddle fitter on your doorstep. We at L & R Saddles have therefore tried to offer
a simple, no-nonsense guide to saddle fitting which can then be followed
up by telephone consultations with a member of our knowledgeable staff.
We have found this to be a very successful solution in numerous cases.
 Correct Position Of The Saddle -- It is important that when we take the measurement of the horse's withers for fitting the saddle that we take it in the correct position.With your horse standing on a level surface, take you existing saddle and place it over the horse's withers and press down gently. Now slide it a little back until it comes to rest in a natural position just behind the shoulder blades. What we are trying to achieve is to take our measurement about one to one and a half inches (1" - 1.1/2") behind the front of the pommel of the saddle. If you lift your outer saddle flap you will see the points of the saddle tree. These are made of wood reinforced with steel. We need to take our measurement directly under these 'points.' See the Fitting Diagram. Top Taking Our Measurements -- OK, so now we have the saddle in the correct position to take our measurement. The next thing we need is a little item called a Flexi-Curve. This is obtainable from most office supply stores for about $4. It is basically a flexible ruler (a wire coat hanger can be used if a Flexi-Curve is not available).Place your fingers under the saddle about one and a half inches behind the pommel and slide the saddle back clear of your hand. Now bend the Flexi-Curve over the horse's withers in this spot smoothing against the horse to fit the its profile. Carefully remove the Flexi-Curve taking care not to bend it from the shape you have just taken. Now place it on a piece of paper and carefully draw around the inside of this form.Good! We now have the shape of your horse's withers at this very critical point. We will need your drawing with your order to insure the saddle will fit your horse. Top What Is The Correct Fit? -- What we are looking for is a saddle that sits level, puts the rider in balance and does not injure the horse by being too narrow or too wide -- the majority of injuries occur with saddles that are too narrow.We need our saddle to sit clear of the withers with the ideal being a clearance of two to three fingers. With correct clearance one should be able to draw an imaginary level line from the top of the pommel through the middle of the cantle. The deepest part of the seat should be directly behind the 'twist' of the saddle. This puts the rider in the correct balanced position. If the saddle is level, this is naturally where the deepest part occurs.The saddle that fits correctly will sit level with two to three fingers height clearance between the pommel and the withers. This is with the rider seated and the saddle girthed up correctly. One must also make an allowance that as all of our saddle panels are stuffed with 100% pure English wool, they will settle down--possibly as much as 1/2" or thereabouts during the first couple of months, depending on the weight of the rider and the frequency and length of use. The points of the saddle should lie down the flanks of the horse and not dig into the shoulders. The panels should be in contact the whole length of the horse's back so there is no bridging. Top Too Narrow? -- However if the saddle is too narrow, the pommel will be too high at the front throwing the rider's weight to the rear and putting weight and pressure through the loin area of the horse. The rider will also be unbalanced tipping forward in consequence.The panels (the soft pads under the saddle) will probably also 'bridge.' By bridging we mean that there is not full contact by the panels all along the length of the saddle onto the horse's back. This in turn distributes the rider's weight only at the front and back of the saddle creating harmful pressure points in both of these areas. The saddle that is too narrow is the most common problem that we come across with Arabian horses. Too Wide? -- The saddle that is too wide is not such a common occurrence but nevertheless is to be avoided. If the pommel sits down lower than two fingers height from the withers, the saddle will more than likely be tipped forward out of balance. A saddle that is too low at the pommel will possibly create damage to the horse's withers. You will more than likely also find that there will be a gap between the panels and the horses back under the area of the seat of the saddle, so the rider's weight yet again is not distributed through the full length of the panels onto the horse's back. Top
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