The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
- Posted by Alexandra Beckstett
- Topics: Back and Spine, Blogs, Farm and Barn, Horse Care, Sports Medicine, Tack, The Winning Edge
Earlier this month I spent two days at the American Association of Equine Practitioner’s Focus on the Sport Horse Symposium, in Louisville. I listened to hours of lameness and rehab presentations from renowned researchers, and my right hand has finally recovered from rapid note-taking.
In a discussion about rehabilitating horses with back problems, Dr. Philippe Benoit, a private practitioner at Clinique Equine des Brviaires in France and former veterinarian for the French show jumping team, touched briefly on the importance of saddle fit. He gave the usual advice: “Check for any abnormal pressure and bridging of the panels and padding of the saddle itself” to help avoid back soreness. Many of us have heard it before.
Then, offhandedly, he gave another bit of advice that caused several vets in the room–along with myself–to perk up
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Written by:
Alexandra Beckstett
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13 Responses
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
Hi, Alexandra. I am a relatively new reader of TheHorse.com newsletter and am enjoying it as a resource. Your blog on this subject echoes concerns that so many of us have in our desire to provide the best possible saddle fit for the horses we lov
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
My saddle fit fairly well before the expensive saddle fitter. Afterward it didn’t even lay down evenly on the horse. This particular fitter TEACHES saddle fitting. He did not return my calls. I think it is mainly a scam. T
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
Whenever a horse has been ridden in a clean white or light-coloured saddle-cloth, i always inspectt the under-side of the saddle-cloth afterwards. Dirt-marked areas show where the saddle has been resting on the horse’s back. Non-contact are
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
This is an interesting article, but would have been an excellent article if Alexandra had waited until she found out what her particular dry spots meant to an expert before she ran the story.
I agree with Deborah about the saddle being too far f
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
If you ride your horse long enough to make him/her sweat you get the same basic result, even with a saddle pad – dry spots are no good, you want an even sweat pattern on both sides of the horse. I tend to ride with more weight in my left stirrup
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
Thanks for the talcum powder tip, Christine!
Kelli, great to hear from you!!
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
For those who don’t want to wet their leather saddles, talcum powder is equally effective . Sprinkle talcum powder over the saddle area and then carefully place the saddle on top. After a few minutes work , carefully lift the saddle off . A
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
Alexandra, your saddle is placed too far forward on your horse’s back. It should be placed so the panel is well behind the shoulder. Notice how the seat is not level. The cantle should be higher than the pommel. Try putting the
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
Don’t know how any one could possible consider fitting a saddle properly on a stationary horse. Think about the fact that as the horse moves, his back also moves up, down & side to side. When the back moves up it fills out, thus changin
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
I assume this works with western saddles as well?
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
I cringe at the thought of getting my saddles wet!
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
Very handy for a quick check! No, not exactly scientific, but a good general idea of where sore spots might be. By the way, good to see your name as an editor with TheHorse.com! I used to ride & work at Pine Hollow when you were there, when you rod
re: The ‘Poor Man’s’ Saddle Fitting
I have been experiencing saddle fit problems, and am very curious about what saddle adjustments would be indicated by the location of the pressure points in your article. Does this indicate the front of the saddle should be widened or narrowed?