fitting a saddle to a young horse

[Laney Humphrey <laneyh@mbay.net>]

Hi, it's me again!
	I'm having a discussion with a friend who has a 4 yo, just started mare
that he wants to get a saddle for.  He says he wants to wait until he has
been able to put some miles on her and till she finishes growing before
getting a saddle because he thinks her back shape will change considerably
between now and then.  I contend that the shape of a horse's back is
fundamentally determined by its conformation and muscle type (i.e.thin &
flat vs. thick & bunchy) and that any saddle maker worth their salt could
build a saddle now that would take growth and development into
consideration.  We both agree that a horse changes shape a lot over the
course of conditioning and doing rides and that a good saddle should be
able to accomodate a certain amount of that kind of change.
	Anybody want to take sides or comment?  Does anyone use more than one
saddle on a horse over the course of a ride year to accomodate changes in
the horse's back?
Happy trails!  Laney