Parts of the saddle | The gullet

The gullet of the saddle is one of the most crucial parts. It holds the bars of the saddle together and its angle determines how the saddle is going to fit the horse. If the angle of the saddle bars is too wide and the gullet height too short, the saddle will rest on the horse's withers. If the gullet height is too tall and the angle too narrow, the shoulders of the horse will be pinched. Both situations create a cranky horse. A good gullet height is between two and four finger's width between your horse's withers and the saddle fork. You should be able to see the tunnel in between the two.

A common misconception is that the saddle industry has standardized measurements for different gullet widths and bar angles. Unfortunately, our manufacturers greatly vary in what they call a "semi quarterhorse bar" or "full quarterhorse bar." That's why we've created our own gullet templates and standardized our terms on our website to create an even comparison between saddles.