Signs of a Bad Saddle Fit

Signs of a bad saddle fit

A good saddle fit will equal a safe, balanced, relaxing ride. Your horse will be well-behaved, stay healthy, and enjoy himself. Your riding skills will be enhanced and improved. You don�t have to be an expert to tell if you�ve got a bad saddle fit for you and your horse.

Most of the time, your own body or your horse will let you know loud and clear. If you�re pretty certain that you have a saddle with the correct gullet size for your horse, simply paying attention to how your horse acts and how your body feels will let you know if you�ve got the right fit.

Signs of a Bad Saddle Fit for your Horse

Take a look at the saddle on the horse. You should be able to stick two of your fingers between the saddle gullet and your horse�s withers. The saddle should have even contact along both sides of the bars. After girthing up, your saddle should look even on the horse�s back, not tipping up or drooping down.

For a more specific description of the relationship between gullet width, bar angle, and how the tree should fit, visit our article here.

Another way to take a look at how the saddle fits your horse is to take him for a moderate ride, then unsaddle him and observe the sweat pattern. It should look like this horse's back. Everywhere you should have had contact between saddle and back should be sweaty.

There should be no odd dry spots, which would indicate that contact is not being made between the horse's back and the saddle. It could also indicate that too much pressure is building in one spot, not allowing the sweat glands to function.

If your horse is riding in a new saddle and starts acting bizarre, pay attention. Sometimes it is just a sign of the horse noticing and getting used to the new saddle, but it could also indicate a fitting problem. Some of the more common behavioral cues that something may be wrong are when your horse:

Lays his ears back, swishes his tail, and tosses his head
Walks off when you try to girth up or mount
Bites the saddle
Excessively stumbles or simply refuses to move
Becomes sensitive to you touching his back
Increasingly acts up the longer you ride
Can�t seem to relax under the saddle
Slows down, bucks, runs away for no apparent reason

Tell-tale Sign of a Bad Fit

Saddle Sores

Caused by friction or pressure, saddles sores often stem from tack or saddles that are too tight or loose and begin to rub the horse. Sores can also be caused by a dirty horse, tack or unbalance riding.

Dry Spots

After a ride, the horse's back should be evenly damp, except the spine. Dry spots indicate too much pressure in one spot. Untreated, these spots turn into white hairs.

Temporary Swelling

Your horse's back has too much pressure on it, which causes a restriction in blood flow and leads to swelling.

White Hairs

White hairs are caused by too much pressure on the same spot. The pressure stops blood flow, killing the sweat glands resulting in white hair.

Muscle Atrophy

The saddle is probably pinching the horse, not allowing the muscles to work and develop while riding.