Saddles and Such

SADDLES & SUCH ...

HOW DO I MEASURE A SADDLE?
Just how do you measure a saddle? How do you measure a horse to find what size saddle will fit? I hope to answer those questions for you, or - at least - steer you in the right direction. Knowing how to measure for a saddle is pretty easy, actually. Most horses will do fine with full quarter horse bars. But you're still going to want to measure your horse to be sure, as well as measuring the saddle so it will fit you too.

Saddle Seat

How to measure a saddle seat is determined by the type of saddle.
Western saddles are done by measuring the distance - in a straight line - from the front of the cantle (the back of the seat) to the front of the seat. Use a tape measure. Place close attention to the picture provided. Don't measure to the pommel as that will give you an inaccurate measurement. Be sure you measure only to the front of the seat, as shown. I sat in a lot of saddles to determine what size fit me the best. Riding in a smaller or larger seat will be uncomfortable and will not allow you to be as centered and balanced as you need to be on your horse.

English Saddle Seat

English saddles are measured by running your tape measure from the cantle at an angle to the nail head or rivet visible at the front of the skirt of the saddle.

You will take a different size in an English saddle, than you will for a Western saddle. For example, I like a 15" seat in a Western saddle, but if I were to get an English saddle I would likely need a 17" saddle.

Fitting a Saddle to Your Horse

First measure your horse so that you will have a template you can bring with your when you're ready to go saddle shopping. (Sounds fun, doesn't it?)

You can either purchase a simple tool, called a "flex-i-curve" at an office supply store. It's actually a drafting tool, or you can get a piece of 1/2" electrical or other similar wire, about 2" in length.

Using a piece of cardboard you simply trace the inside of the bent wires on the cardboard.

Here is how you measure the horse;

Find the shoulder blade and - two fingers back of the shoulder blade - take the wire and bend it so it fits over the horse's back. Do this with the same piece on both sides. Make sure the wire is sitting flat on both sides. Then you trace the inside shape of the wire on your cardboard.

Of course, if you have the flex-i-curve (shown in top photo), you simply use it and place it the same as for the wire.
Your template can then be placed in the inside of any saddle to determine how it will fit your horse.

When you are at a tack-shop

looking at a saddle, utilize the knowledge of the person you may be buying a saddle from. They can give you tips on how to make sure the saddle fits your horse. You'll want to make sure you put the saddle on correctly. Use a good pad underneath. The saddle needs to sit about 2 fingers behind the shoulder blades, and not behind the last rib. Also make sure it doesn't rub against the horse's hip. It also needs to sit level when it's on the horse, and you'll need to make sure you can slide a hand under the saddle at the withers on both sides. Make sure you can place two fingers vertically under the horn (inside arch for English saddles).

The whole point ...

is to make sure your horse is comfortable and not in pain when he/she is being ridden. You do this by ensuring there is no restriction of the horse's shoulder movement.

Remember:

The saddle should sit an inch or two behind the shoulder blade. Make sure the back of the saddle is NOT sitting behind the horse's last rib. A saddle and rider cannot be supported comfortably in this area of the horse's back.

Make sure the saddle clears the withers rather than being tight. You don't want it "pinching" the withers. Use the two-finger method. This means you need to make sure you can place at least two of your fingers' width vertically between the horse's wither and the inside arch
(the "horn" in Western saddles) of the front of the saddle.

Good Clearance

Always make certain the center underside of the saddle provides good clearance above the horse's spine - if not your horse will be bruised, sore and very uncomfortable. This situation has the potential of causing vertebrae damage.

I hope these tips on how to measure for a saddle have been of use. Be sure to view the videos we've provided below. They should be helpful too. Have fun saddle-shopping at the tack store!

WATCH THIS VIDEO ON SADDLE FITTING

We stumbled across this video a bit ago and thought you might find it of interest.
Look it over. We hope you find it helpful. (You can also watch it on our Vet page)

What's behind - or under -
a great saddle anyway?

Good craftmanship in a saddle is paramount to having a saddle that will last you and your horse for miles of rides.
Here are two good resources for helping you to determine what you want in a saddle and who can provide it to you.
EquiSearch gives you a good idea of how to determine, first of all, what you want in a saddle.
HorseTackReview provides you with reviews on all kinds of items for horse and rider. It has a ton of information for you to utilize.

How To Bridle A Horse

Since we've given you some info on saddles and saddling up your horse, we figured we outta give you some bridling tips too.

Other Helpful Resources

Books and Videos to improve your horsemanship skills.

How to saddle a horse.

We found some videos we think you'll enjoy that show you just how to saddle up your horse for that great ride you've got planned. Check em out!
Now, don't forget to browse
our Tack Shop Page too!