Maryland Saddlery's Guide to Choosing and Fitting Saddles Issue 1 | Page 13

SADDLE FITTING GUIDE
TM

fitting saddle to horse

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Smith-Worthington Saddlery
www.smithworthington.com

For the Horse

Does Your Saddle Fit Your Horse?
Your horse will tell you.
• Does your horse drop his back when being groomed?
• Does your horse have white hairs, bumps, open sores in the area of saddle contact?
• Does he become agitated, swish his tail, paw the ground, pin his ears, or try to bite when you tack up?
• Does he stumble under saddle, yet is sure footed without the saddle?
• Does he take small steps and not move forward well under saddle, yet moves beautifully in the pasture?
• Does he constantly favor one lead over the other? Refuse jumps? Toss his head?
(All answers should be “no”.)
Things You Can Observe:
• Can you fit 2-3 fingers vertically between your horse’s backbone and the inside of the pommel?
• Is the cantle 3/4” to 1” higher than the pommel?
• Does daylight filter through the gullet? (Channel between the panels)
• Is the front of your saddle parrallel with the shape of your horse?
• Is the girth at least 1 hand behind the elbow?
• Does the weight bearing surface of your saddle fall behind the shoulder and in front of the last rib?
• Does the saddle sit well in the natural saddle pocket without rocking or bridging?
• After riding, is your saddle pad evenly sweaty under the panels?
(All answers should be “Yes”.)

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