Hallmarks of a Good Fitting Saddle

PRIORITY #1 – COMPLETE CLEARANCE OF THE WITHERS

It is essential that there is absolutely NO contact between the underside of your saddle and the top and sides of your horse’s withers. The height of two to three fingers is a good guideline for clearance of the underside of the pommel. After you’re all cinched up and in the saddle, reach underneath one more time to be certain your hand is not pinched.

Withers are more sensitive to painful pressure than many people realize

Evidence of repeatedly poor and painful saddle fit.

Tuck Western Blanket and halfpad high in gullet

Pull up Western blanket and HalfPad high in the gullet

Worth an extra tug up to make sure there is plenty of wither clearance

PRIORITY #2 – FREEDOM FOR THE SHOULDERS

Another essential: eliminate pressure, pinching and restriction of the shoulders. While some people do understand this concept, unfortunately many are thinking of the shoulder shape when the horse is standing still, rather than when the horse is in motion. There can be a big difference. Your horse’s comfort and performance depend upon your awareness of this.

Key Saddle-Fit Success To Do’s: Locate the back edge of the shoulder blade (scapula) while your horse is standing still. Feel where the firm muscular area drops off. Then, lift his knee up and forward to feel how the powerful muscles bulge as they pull the scapula back and down. This is similar to what happens when your horse is in full stride. Our saddles are designed to ensure generous room in the scapula to freely slide back and forth without restriction. Paired with our special VersaFit(tm) interface system, we can guarantee full freedom of movement for your horse’s shoulders.

Mark indicates position of the back edge of scapula while standing

Jazz stand max scapula mark w Georgio 1024x773 1

Pull a leg forward and feel BEHIND the BULGE to identify position of the scapula at maximum backswing in movement

Scapula swing range from standing to maximum in stride

This is where a shim goes to ensure that the scapula is not restricted during movement

PRIORITY #3 – SPACE FOR THE LIFTING BACK

Your horse carries ALL the weight of rider and saddle on his back, and yet he must be able to lift his back in order to engage his hind end for sound biomechanics. If a saddle puts too much pressure in the wrong places, your horse will have difficulty or pain when he tries to lift his back – compromising health and happiness. We’ve engineered our saddles and customizing interface to provide just the right amount of space so that your horse can use his back as nature intended.

Mele and Courtney stand lift canter copy

To "collect" properly, the horse's lifting back must not be blocked by the saddle

A horse's standing profile usually has a downward curve

Check out how high your horse can lift

Dynamic Tolerance_ room to lift and expand under saddle

PRIORITY #4 – RIDER BALANCE

It’s important for a saddle to help the rider find that ideal balance point…and thousands of riders joyfully report our saddles have done just that! If the rider is unbalanced, the horse will feel uneven or changing pressure as the rider tries to find equilibrium. Our saddles are engineered to provide that sweet spot of fit for the horse and balance for the rider. Of course, no two horses are exactly alike, and we can micro-adjust for ideal rider balance with our convenient customizing VersaFit Shims.