The importance of correct saddle fitting
We all know that it is important to ensure your horse’s saddle fits correctly but have you ever actually stopped and considered why it is so important and the level of impact a badly fitting saddle can have on your horse, far beyond discomfort for horse and rider?
First of all it is important to acknowledge that any saddle, no matter how well-crafted and fitted it is for horse and rider, will never improve a horses natural way of moving, however a poorly crafted or badly fitted saddle will have a direct impact on the horses natural way of moving and can cause more serious muscular skeletal problems. Imagine wearing a pair of shoes that are too tight and pinching or too big and rubbing with every step you take – there is only so long that you would be able and willing to continue wearing these shoes to perform any sort of activity (OK, so this does give me flashbacks of my late teenage years wearing completely ridiculous shoes in the name of fashion, but my point still stands – they were agony and I was glad to take them off at the end of the night and paid the price for days afterwards!).
So, let’s first consider why we have saddles in the first place. Saddles have evolved over time to assist riders in their pursuit of horse riding; as once quoted by Ken Lyndon Dykes (the former president of the Society of Master Saddlers)
“Saddles are merely a convenience, not a necessity”.
If you look at the history of human interaction with horses, centuries ago all riding was done bareback with no saddle at all, therefore the rider’s weight was in the centre of the horse and contact between horse and rider was flexible and mobile leaving the horse’s gait free to move comfortably and without restriction.
It is only in the past 30 years or so that the importance of good saddle fitting has really been understood. Before this, riders tended to be more focussed on the comfort of the saddle for themselves rather than for the horse with many people owning one saddle that they used across a number of different horses, at best using some extra padding to keep the saddle off the horse’s spine. Thankfully however, today horse-people are far more aware of the importance of a correctly fitting saddle and the impact it can have on a horse’s movement and performance. The saddle-making industry has undergone rapid change with a wide selection of saddle types now available in addition to the traditional tree and flocking types, such as air-filled, treeless, half trees and detachable panel saddles, to name a few.
To summarise, saddles have little if any benefit to the horse other than perhaps helping to keep the rider’s weight and balance in the best position possible to minimise the impact on the horse’s gait and back when being ridden.
Detectable signs of pain or injury caused by an incorrectly fitting saddle
I am sure we all want the best for our horses and will not knowingly ride in a saddle that is either uncomfortable or badly fitting, however with the best will in the world, a horse’ shape will change throughout the course of its life and what was once a perfectly fitting saddle may cease to be as the horse either gains or loses body fat or muscle either through changes in lifestyle, age or injury, so it is important to be able to identify when a saddle no longer fits well so that you can make the necessary changes early, minimising any long term damage to the horse’s back. Take a look at the table below showing a few of the most common signs of a badly fitting saddle before we look at a few of them in more detail.
SORES & WHITE HAIRS
Bald areas where the saddle has rubbed against the horse’s coat causing sores to appear is an immediate and very obvious sign of an ill-fitting saddle. With repeated use, these sores will cause white hairs to develop which can often be seen along the spine, withers or trapezius area of more mature horses that have had a badly fitting saddle in the past. These white hairs occur over time through excessive pressure from the saddle on key points, eventually damaging the hair follicles – once damaged the follicles produce hair without pigment hence they are white in colour (the same principle is used for freeze marking). Care must be taken to ensure the white marks are not being caused by other external sources such as rugs, martingales, breastplates etc. or even a badly fitted saddle cloth.
In addition to white hairs, you may notice that the rest of your horse’s back becomes sweaty after a long hard ride but these white areas remain dry – this can be due to the fact that the excessive pressure from the saddle has not only damaged the hair follicles but also the sweat glands so badly that they are no longer capable of producing sweat!
If these visual signs are caught in the very early stages it is possible for the extent of damage to be minimised and the hair follicles and sweat glands to recover.
BALD PATCHES
Another common visual indicator of a poor saddle fit is bald patches of hair from where the saddle has been rubbing excessively. This usually appears close to the rear panel and gussets as a result of too much movement or swing or from a saddle that is out of balance with too much pressure at the rear. Such areas of baldness can become very sore and inflamed and if allowed to become too bad will need time to heal before a new saddle can be fitted.
Bald patches of hair can be seen at the rear of the saddle from where the panel has been rubbing, probably due to too much movement.
GIRTH GALLS
Galls from an ill-fitting saddle occur in much the same way as sores and bald patches, i.e. due to friction, however galls are most commonly associated with the girth area rather than the saddle itself but it is important to understand that a change in saddle can affect the position of the girth causing galls to appear. Early signs of galls are small raised areas of skin that is tender to the touch and very painful when girthed up. As the galls develop, the hair is lost and the skin in the affected area rubbed raw. If you notice galls starting to appear it is important to consider all possible causes including saddle fit, type of girth, poor girth hygiene (dirty/sweaty), or even simply having the girth too tight – a common mistake by many riders.
PAIN UPON TOUCH
Referring back to my earlier, badly fitting shoe metaphor, just as feet will become sore wearing a poor fitting pair of shoes, so too will the horse’s back wearing a poorly fitted saddle. Some horses have a higher pain threshold than others so may endure discomfort for longer before showing any visual signs of pain, therefore even the slightest change in behaviour is important to note. Early signs may include resistance when trying to groom along the back and ribcage (including but not limited to flinching, tail swishing, ears back, biting). If you suspect your horse is in discomfort run the palm of your hand along the longissimus dorsi (the muscle that runs along either side of the horse’s spine) applying gentle even pressure; this muscle supports most of the weight from the saddle and rider. If the horse doesn’t react at all, repeat using a little more pressure. If your horse is sore through his back he will most likely do one of the following:
1. Dip his back or move away from the pressure
2. Swish his tail in discomfort
3. Lay his ears back and/or try to bite you or a neighbouring object (such as a tying post or stable door)
Palm and finger pressure being applied along the longissimus dorsi.
ATROPHY
Horses backs vary in shape and size and so it is important to understand what is “normal” for your horse and monitor any changes from this. As a general rule of thumb a horse’s back should be fairly symmetrical with even muscle tone and development on both sides. If a horse has a saddle fitted incorrectly and it is pinching one side more than the other you will, over time, notice atrophy (muscle wastage) on that side which is best viewed from behind and slightly above (e.g. from a mounting block or stool). It is important to remember that atrophy may not necessarily be as a result of a poorly fitting saddle and could be as a result of general stiffness on one rein or an unbalanced rider, however poorly fitting tack is often a key denominator.
If these visual signs are identified early and appropriate action taken, it is possible to minimise the degree pf atrophy and gradually build muscle tone back up to its normal balanced level. You will find that if you have a horse that has severe atrophy from an ill-fitting saddle, you may need to buy an new saddle or have a professional saddle fitter alter your existing saddle to better fit your horse’s current shape and then follow up with regular assessments as you work to build the muscle tone back up and adjust the saddle accordingly.
Points of a saddle
There are various types of saddles available on the market as mentioned at the start of this blog including treeless designs, however below is a labelled diagram identifying the main components of a traditional general purpose saddle.
Points of a traditional general purpose (GP) saddle.
Saddle fitting basics
For an accurate saddle fit you should always consult a qualified saddle fitter who is an expert in this field, however here are a few tips on things to check on your own saddle to help you recognise when some alterations or a new saddle may be required.
5-POINT SADDLE CHECK LIST
1) TREE ANGLE: The angle of the front and points of the tree must be at a similar angle to the trapezius muscle on which they sit. There is a degree of tolerance but no more than 10 degrees. Care must be taken to ensure you are looking at the angle of the tree and not the front panel as these do not necessarily match. If this angle does not match, there will be pressure points on areas of the trapezius muscle rather than an even load, which will cause discomfort.
A good way to test if the tree angle is correct is to position the saddle on the horse’s back without a girth or saddle cloth and run a flat hand from the gullet down to the point of the tree; you should be able to do so without any difficulty or undue pressure and the pressure should feel even all the way down without any pressure points.
If you cannot run your hand down evenly or easily this would indicate that the tree is too narrow. Likewise, if your hand moves in total freedom and there is excess space between your hand and the saddle then this would indicate it is too wide. It is important to stress that this test must be carried out “off-loaded” without girth, saddle cloth or rider.
See below some drawings of front elevation tree widths that indicate correct angles and incorrect angles of the tree in various tree sizes.
As you can see, the correct tree angles are evenly balance along the trapezius muscle without any pressure points.
2) GULLET WIDTH: Next you need to check the gullet is wide enough so as not to impose on either side of the spine and that there is also clearance in height between the top of the withers and the underside of the saddle. You must ensure that the gullet is plenty wide enough all the way down its length as some (especially older saddles) can we wider at the front but become very narrow as they move along in length. Check without the saddle loaded in the first instance and then again with the saddle loaded and again after having been ridden in for 10 minutes or so. Clearance can vary on saddle designs but a good rule of thumb is three fingers between the withers and the saddle. Very fine breeds or older horses can sometimes be hard to fit as they can have very high withers and a low back.
When checking the gullet width, you want to ensure it is wide enough to give clearance of the spine all the way along so as not to cause pressure or trauma to the vertebrae but also, you do not want the gullet so wide that it makes the panels very narrow and therefore unable to distribute the riders weight effectively.
3) PANEL WIDTH: As touched on briefly in saddle check tip 3, the panels of the saddle need to be broad and fairly flat so that they sit evenly along the longissimus dorsi muscle ensuring even weight distribution; the fewer kgs per square inch the better.
Furthermore, the panels need to be even and not too hard so that they have an element of absorption/cushioning yet still firm enough to support the rider’s weight. See the photo below demonstrating how you can assess the evenness of the panels by sitting the saddle on a flat surface and viewing it from behind.
The panels in this saddle are totally different; the left is wider and less flocked than the right.
A well fitting panel will mould to the horse’s contours; to check this, with the saddle on your horse, unloaded, slide a flat hand underneath the front of the panel and gently slide it backwards along the panel length. You should feel an even pressure/contact with the panel the whole length. If the panel is not flocked correctly then bridging can occur which is where the panel only has contact with the horse at a couple of points therefore increasing the weight per square inch which will be very uncomfortable for the horse and cause muscle damage and back problems. Similarly, the saddle may rock or twist which can cause bare patches and sores as well as discomfort and pain.
Examples of good and bad panel fit and pressure.
4) LENGTH OF PANEL: The length of the panel is also important and should not extend beyond the 18th rib of the horse. This element of saddle fitting can be challenging as many horses are either short or dipped backed or have a rider that is too large for them and therefore to get the saddle to fit the rider, the saddle is too large for the horse. A saddle that extends beyond the 18th rib will put rider weight on the weaker lumbar region of the back.
See below a drawing showing the correct length of the saddle in conjunction with the 18th rib of the horse.
A correctly positioned saddle that does not impede the scapular or reach past the 18th rib.
5) BALANCE: The final thing to check is that the saddle is in balance as this will enable the rider to sit in the centre of the saddle allowing their weight to be evenly distributed throughout the length. An experienced eye can be required here as some saddles are designed with a very high cantle which can make it look unbalanced when actually, it is not.
With the saddle unloaded on the horse’s back you must look at the length of it to see if it looks like if you could put a pencil on the seat it would sit balanced in the deepest part and not roll forward or backward.
See the drawings below demonstrating balanced and unbalanced saddles.
The first example has good central balance that will spread the weight of hte rider evenly.
Behavioural problems that may occur as a result of a poor saddle fit
It is inevitable that if a horse’s saddle does not fit well and comfortably then it will impede the horse’s performance but it can affect their behaviour too. Depending on a horse’s character this change in behaviour may occur immediately upon use of a badly fitting saddle or, a more tolerant horse may endure the discomfort until it becomes unbearable and even then only show subtle signs. You are far better off with the first horse in this scenario so that you are indicated immediately when there is a problem as a tolerant horse that does not alert you to the pain until it is extreme, may have a lot of muscular skeletal problems to resolve by the time you are made aware there is an issue. Here are some common behavioural problems to look out for that may indicate a saddle fitting problem (some of which we touched on earlier) - but remember, you know your horse best so look out for subtle changes in behaviour from the “norm”:
Resistance to girthing or biting when saddled
Avoidance of rider
Difficult to groom particularly over the back area
Difficult for farrier
Tail swishing
Head tossing
Bucking or rolling excessively in paddock with minimal movement around the field
Resistance top aids/willingness to work
Moving away from rider or mounting block when trying to mount
Dipping back upon mounting
Tense during exercise
Sluggish
Stiff/lateral resistance
Rushing up or down hills
Rushing fences or refusing to jump
Twisting over fences when jumping
Twisting during flatwork
Refusing ground poles
Unnaturally high head carriage
Unreasonable nervousness/spookiness
Reduced range of movement or poor engagement
Lead change difficulty
Difficulty with collection
Gait abnormalities
Obviously, the above reactions can also be associated with other muscular skeletal or behaviourlal issues but if you do notice any of them, checking your saddle can be a good first point of call to rule out any issues there in the first instance.
The long and short of it is that saddles were designed for the convenience of humans and not for the horse, therefore we have a duty to ensure that any saddles we use are well fitted and comfortable for our horses. Qualified saddle fitters have received specialist, in depth training to ensure a saddle fits your horse correctly and therefore they should always be consulted for any saddle fitting requriements. Owner/rider observation plays an important role, however, to identify potential issues early nad seek the help requried. As an equine massage therapist I conduct tack checks on many of my client’s horse’s during the first assessment to see if there are any immediate and obvious potential issues that may be causing soreness through the neck, back or limbs and will advise my clients if I feel it would be worth having a professional saddle fitter come and carry out an inspection. My hope with this blog is to to try to offer a summary of the key principles of a good saddle fit to help you horse owners/riders spot potential problems sooner.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and hopefully you have learnt something that will help you in the future. Remember to share it with a friend and feel free to get in touch if you think your horse would benefit from my equine massage services.
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