Aitken's Saddlery Saddle Fitting Saddle Fitting Explained by Graeme Aitken In the past the saddle was made to accommodate the rider. The horse was considered of secondary importance. Saddles were made by first class craftsman, some had no first hand knowledge of the horse. But times have changed mainly because riding has become so competitive and there is more concern for the horse’s welfare. The correct fitting saddle The size and the width of the tree must conform to the basic contours of the horses back. The larger the bearing surface of the tree the greater degree of contact with the horse. The flatter trees are for the straighter backs and the banana shaped for the dippy or sway backed horse. When fitting a saddle The saddle must be placed behind the top of the scapula or shoulder, so as not to restrict the rotation of the top of the shoulder, which can rotate as much as 75 mm. If the movement is restricted the stride will deteriorate and the forward movement will be impaired. The back of the saddle can not go past the 18th T or the last rib as this puts the saddle in the lumber area that has no ability to support the weight of the saddle. When checking the gullet of the saddle the distance between the saddle and wither should be at least two fingers high to offer adequate clearance. The arch of the gullet must clear each side of the withers. The angle of the gullet should conform to the shape of the horse. A gullet that is too narrow will result in pressure points and pain in the trapezius muscle and a gullet that is too wide will cause the saddle to sit forward causing the combined weight of  both the saddle and rider to bear down on the horses wither. The panel is much the same as the tree, it should conform to the horses back. A ‘bridging’ panel is easily checked simply by running your hand under the panel before the girth is done up. When the panel bridges it sits flush at the front and the back of the horse, but there is a gap in the centre. This will increase pressure at the front and will bear down at the back. It will cause resistance e.g. transition to the canter or worse still bucking. The panel that rocks or is banana shaped on a straight back can cause increased pressure in the centre causing the horse to dip and it’s back to deteriorate in the muscles. The Girth The girth strap must be positioned on the saddle so that the girth lies in the girth groove and is reasonably vertical. When the girth is tightened the saddle shouldn’t be pulled forward into the shoulder. And of course the saddle must be balanced so that the rider sits in the centre of the saddle. The leg will be under the centre gravity. Back Panels There are three different types of fills inside of the panels, flock, foam. or flair. Because of the nature of these products they do perform differently and it depends on what you want to achieve. Flocking does conform to the horse and is proven over the years but it does settle and change shape. Foam has tremendous shock absorption on impact from the rider but it does not conform or shape. Flair has the ability to assist in the correction of the asymmetrical horse and rider. It also conforms and has shock absorbing qualities. Bear in mind that in all saddles flocking will settle and horses do change shape. The time of year, the age of the horse, the exercise being done or the rider may considerably alter the way the saddle fits. It is good stable management to monitor and check for any signs of discomfort to your horse.