Position Of The English Saddle
Place the English saddle slightly forward on the
horse's withers. Next, press down on the
pommel and slide the saddle rearward until
it stops at the resting-place which is
dictated by each horse's conformation.
Repeat this procedure several times until
you feel the saddle stop in the same spot
repeatedly, well behind the shoulder blade
(approx. 2.5‚-3‚). Resist the temptation to
place the English saddles too far forward on the
withers. This is a very common fitting
mistake and can interfere with your horse's
soundness and movement.
Angle Of The Points
To find the points, lift the flap of the
English saddle and look for a little leather pocket
into which the wooden processes of the pommel
are fitted. This is the point pocket and
there is one on both sides of the pommel of
the English saddles just under the stirrup bars.
These points should lie parallel to the
withers and not on top of the musculature.
If the angles are too narrow, the points
will dig into the musculature, also causing
the middle of the English saddle to be in uneven
contact with the horse's back. If they are
too wide the saddle will sit down in front
putting pressure on top of the withers or at
the top of the point panels. To assess the
point angles, stand looking from the front
with the flap lifted; the points should be
parallel with the musculature within 10
degrees of the heaviest side. Some points
are concealed making it difficult to
determine their angles. If this is the case,
you will have to rely more on the panel
pressure procedure to determine if the point
angles are correct.
Panel Pressure and Contact
(Note: The panels are the wool stuffed
underside of the English saddle, which rest on the
horse's back.) Place one in the center of
the English saddles and press down to secure the
saddle in place as you test for panel
pressure. Run your other hand between the
front of the panels and your horse's
musculature and feel for any uneven pressure
under the points. The front panel should not
pinch the withers in any area. While
maintaining pressure on the top of the
saddles, run your hand, palm up, under the
entire panel along the back feeling for even
pressure. You may also raise the sweat flap
to ensure that the panels fit snugly and
evenly on both sides of the withers and
along the back to check for bridging.
Bridging is a space near the center of the
where the panels do not make good contact
with the horses back. Wool stuffed panels
are almost universally considered superior
to foam for the following reasons.
Assuming correctly designed panels, wool
conforms to the many shapes of the horses
back and can be adjusted if necessary to
correct for a multitude of fitting problems.
You can not, however, correct for a poorly
designed or incorrectly fitted tree of teh
engils saddle.
Pommel To Cantle Relationship
Visualize a straight line parallel to the
ground from the pommel to the cantle. In
English saddles with deep or moderately deep seats,
the cantle should be between 2 to 3 inches
higher than the pommel. In shallower seats,
such as close contact jumping English saddle, the
cantle may only be approximately 1 to 2
inches higher than the pommel. In almost any
saddle, if the cantle is level with or below
the pommel, the saddle is not properly
fitted.
Level Seat
Visualize the same straight line parallel to
the ground and look this time at the deepest
part of the seat. This area should be level
in order to put the rider squarely on their
seat bones and in balance.
Wither Clearance There should be adequate clearance between
the pommel and the top horse's withers,
approximately two to three fingers. More
than three fingers‚ clearance may mean the
pommel is too high, i.e. the tree is too
narrow. English saddles with less than 2-3 fingers
may mean that the English saddle is too wide. With
wool stuffed panels, make allowance for the
English saddles to settle a half inch or so. There is
an exception to this indicator; horses with
flat, round withers may have more clearance
than usual under the pommel. In these
situations you may need to rely more on the
balance of the seat and pommel to cantle
relationship. On horses with high narrow
withers maintaining proper clearance is
something that has to be monitored and
maintained.
Channel Clearance/Gullet Width
There should also be adequate clearance over
the spine and connective tissue throughout
the channel of the saddle. A channel that is
too narrow will impede the horse‚s movement
dramatically and may even cause the spine to
be observably sore. Feel the width of the
spine and connective tissue with your
fingers and estimate its width.
The channel of the saddle should completely
clear this width, resting on the long back
muscle of the back called the longissimus
dorsi. Repeat Steps 6 & 7 with the rider in
the saddle, checking for adequate clearance
over the withers and spine.
The saddle should not shift excessively from
side to side or up and down. Keep in mind
that such shifting may be a function of your
horse’s symmetry and not the saddle. A
qualified saddle fitter should be able to
make suggestions to minimize or eliminate
the problem.
Seat Length
The saddle should never go behind the 18th
thoracic vertebrae, which is the vertebrae
corresponding with the last rib. Behind this
vertebra is the lumbar vertebra, which is
the weakest, non-weight bearing area of the
back.
Horse Response
Throughout the whole saddle fitting process,
monitor your horse's response. Watch his
ears and body language. Does he try to step
away from the saddle or flinch when it is
placed on his back? Or is the opposite true;
is he more accepting of the saddle? How does
he move when he is ridden? Does he seem
freer or more restricted? The horse is the
most honest indicator we have when fitting a
saddle so pay attention to it and note any
changes. *Girthing: Some horses object to
the girth. The Logic girth is proven to
dramatically relieve problems associated
with girthing.
