Posted: 8th March 2021 | Back to news feed
Former Society of Master Saddlers’ President, Kay Hastilow, provides advice on making saddle fitting checks at home.
Q. What are some quick checks I can make day to day to ensure my horse’s saddle fits him well between visits from the saddler.
A. Once a saddle has been selected and carefully fitted by a SMS qualified saddle fitter there are four main elements to the fit that you can watch out for. These are balance, clearance, stability and straightness. Balance can be seen initially when standing by the tacked- up horse. The saddle should look level, so that the rider will sit in the centre of the saddle. However, this is just a preliminary view, and nothing can be assumed from this until the horse is being ridden. Luckily these days we all have phones with a video function, and these are a huge help with saddle fitting. Get a friend to film you riding the horse at all paces, not galloping about in the distance but rather more up close so that you can see the balance of the saddle as the horse works. On some horses the saddle will stay level, some horses drop their back under the saddle and some lift. The film will show you what is happening.
Stability can be checked at the same time as any lifting, bouncing or movement in the saddle will also be apparent.
When you are being filmed, take some footage from behind and in front as you are riding on a straight line, walk and trot. You will see any slippage over to one side or the other or any excessive movement and of course you will do this on the right rein and the left. It will also pick up any faults that you are developing as well.
Clearance should be checked both before moving off and after some work. Remember to check both the front and the back of the saddle. Make sure that there is sufficient clearance so that, when the horse is working there is no contact from the saddle to the top or sides of the spine. Best to get a friend to check this whilst you are mounted so that you can sit straight. PLEASE do not be tempted to have someone run their hand under the front part of the panel and on down the underside of the knee roll whilst you are sitting on it as you should expect there to be pressure here at that time. If there isn’t, then what is supporting your weight? I hear this all the time from so called ‘experts’ who believe that you should be able to do this, not realising that to get good distribution of weight and pressure THE WHOLE AREA OF THE PANEL that is supported by the tree must bear the pressures as evenly over its length as possible.
Kay Hastilow M.S M.S.F
The Equestrian Index newsfeed is compiled from articles submitted by advertising members and expresses the opinions of those members. Watsons Directories Ltd shall not be held liable for any inaccuracies or mis-statements therein.