Saddle Fit and Parts of Western and English
First off, as a rider you should know that parts of the saddle so if something were to break or someone is talking about a certain part you know what they are talking about. To the right is a picture of a western saddle with the labels of the part.
For the fit of the saddle looking at the conformation and gait of the horse is important. Depending on the position you rig the saddle should be based on the movement and structure. On the right are the positions that most saddles can be rigged at. The Full position of rigging keeps the pressure of the saddle right underneath the pommel. The next rigging position is the 7/8 position which allows the pressure to be more even front to back. The 3/4 position help remove most pressure from the front to the back side. The Center Fire Position is use for mostly gaited horse to allow more movement of the shoulder, and also for horses with high withers to keep pressure off.
Just like with the Western Saddle, it is important to the parts of the English saddle. This s important because if someone is talking about a certain part. So that it is understood when being talked about. Look at the picture and it will help you learn the part and understand where they are.
For the fitting of the saddle any owner needs to consider the conformation of the withers, back, shoulders, and the barrel of the horse. After finding a saddle that you think will fit your horse, be sure to follow this guide lines to check if it really does fit.
1. Place saddle on without a saddle pad to make sure that it is the right height for the withers and wide enough for the barrel
2. While the saddle is still on check if the saddle is level, is it going uphill or downhill
3. Check where the skirts ends and where the hip of the horse is, if the skirt touching the hip you might want a rounded skirt which may help with the inference (with a western saddle).
4. Next move your hand under the skirt to feel around by the shoulder to make sure nothing is rubbing or pinching
5. Now place a saddle pad on and clinch up the saddle, it should still be level
When checking the pommel to the withers, there should be at least a three finger gap.. If more than three fingers fit the saddle may be to narrow. If less than three fingers fit the saddle may be too wide.
Finally after the owner has checked that this saddle will be the best fit for their horse, have the rider mount to check that the rider is sitting right behind the heart girth and the fork and the cantle are still level.
As important that it is to make sure the saddle fits the horse, it also has to fit the rider. When fitting for the rider things that should be consider are:
1. Does the seat fit the rider (it is always better to have a slightly bigger seat than a smaller one)
2. There should be room on either side of the rider’s legs
3. When sitting the riders legs should fall with the stirrups right underneath
4. Also the width of the saddle is important, the rider does not want to be in a split position
These are the basics of fitting a Western or English Saddle. When buying a new saddle make sure you talk to someone that knows saddles before the purchase and will help you choose the right one for the rider and horse.