Here’s a little to think about that may help you make
some decisions regarding the fit of your saddle.
There are really 2 factors in the width of a saddle and not
all saddle makers take them into account – which is part of why no one saddle
works for all horses. One is the
angle –you want the angle of the tree to match the angle of the shoulder
or else you have pinching or lack of stability. But the other factor which is often ignored, is the breadth.It is possible to have a horse with a
steeper shoulder angle be quite broad and have the same measurement between the
points of an English tree as a horse with a shallower angle that is less “broad”.
The recommendation of 2-3 fingers of gullet clearance is
based on flocked saddle which will pack down over time. You want to start with
sufficient clearance so that as the saddle breaks in and the flocking packs in
that the pommel will not contact the wither. For saddles that are not flocked and
cannot pack down, then “sufficient” clearance through all gaits and
motion, is,well…
sufficient.
So what does it mean when you have more clearance than just “sufficient”?You have to look at why, and what the
potential impact is.
It sounds like you have checked the angle match to your
horse. If the breadth is not wide enough, but the angle matches, this can cause
the saddle to perch a little high. This
isn’t necessarily an issue all by itself.Some people don’t like that
feeling, even if it is only a visual and doesn’t cause any problems.But if the saddle is sitting higher than
it was designed to, you may have lost opportunity for contact, stability and
weight distribution.
You do need to look at the balance of the seat as well. If
the seat is now tilted down toward the cantle it will be harder for the rider
to balance, post and 2 point, especially over a long ride. This can also put additional pressure on
the horse’s loins.
Since you had a bridging problem before, you have probably already
checked this, but a perched saddle can be more likely to bridge of the
curvature of the tree does not match that of the back.
So basically, keep doing the checks you are doing –
shoulder angle, bridging, gullet width.But take a look (and feel) at the amount
of contact the saddle has with the horse.If you just have a narrow little strip fairly high up, then you are
losing ability to distribute weight and may have side to side stability issues
when mounting or for big spooks.
If you are unsure of what you are seeing, you could try to
take some pictures with no pad, from the front of the saddle and I could take a
look.
Another thing to check is saddle placement.It is very common for people to place
the saddle too far forward – which increases how high the saddle sits
over the wither, and can cause bridging, when
otherwise, the saddle could fit perfectly. For a standard treed saddle, it needs to
sit with the points of the tree behind the furthest back rotation of the point
of the scapula. You can test this
with no pad or girth by holding the saddle in place with one hand, putting the
other over the point of the scapula and have someone lead your horse.Some horses have bulgier shoulder action
or muscle changes when the horse moves and this has to be taken into account
for saddle fit.
But if the saddle is balanced, fits the horse’s
shoulder angle/motion, seems to have a good amount of clearance and you are
comfortable, then it may work well for you both.
I hope that makes sense, feel free to email me if you want
to talk about this some more!
