The Importance of Good Saddle Fit by Sarah Kim

Equine Anatomy vs. the Saddle

As riders there are responsibilities that are to be taken on when caring for our horses, and one of those things is to find correctly fitting equipment. One of the most important pieces of equipments we use, regardless of discipline, is of course the saddle.

Though it appears that a saddle lies on a horse's back, in reality it is designed to bear the weight of a rider on the muscular areas covering the ribs, not on the horse's vulnerable spine. Also, when properly placed, the rider should be in the horse's centre of gravity or the lowest point of the horse's back and the saddle (Callery, 2000) .

Poorly fitting saddles can cause such physical problems as cold/stiff backs, pinching of nerves and muscles, sores and rubs and even poor circulation. The horse's natural movement and muscular build can also be altered as it tries to resist causing pain to itself and avoids the use of certain areas of its body. This can cause uneven muscle growth (which may further the discomfort the saddle is causing) as well as cause uneven wear on the hooves (Howling, 2006). Having an uncomfortable horse will also often lead to training and behavioural problems (mental affects) as the horse will begin relating work to pain and discomfort and be reluctant to work, as well as be saddled and mounted.

Some of the areas most likely to become affected by an ill-fitting saddle (whether through soreness or by restriction of movement) include the withers, scapula, thoracic vertebrae, latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles. If a horse shows reluctance to be saddled, is ‘girthy' or seems unhappy when being ridden (bucking, backing off, pinning ears) these could be signs of a poorly fitting saddle. Having a saddle placed too high on the withers will bring the saddle flap (and rider's leg) in contact with the scapula. Pressure to this area while moving will make the horse uncomfortable and perhaps not move to the best of its ability, shortening its stride. If a saddle's tree is too narrow, it can pinch the thoracic vertebrae through the skin on which it will be sitting and cause sores, bumps and pinching to occur. The horse may also try to hollow its back and escape the pain, which will also affect its movement and head carriage. The muscles of the back, neck and withers can become stiff and ‘cold' with a poorly fitting saddle which often calls for a longer warm-up period and reluctance to move forward and engage the hind end.

The very basics of saddle fitting will tell you that there should be room for three to four fingers between the top of your horse's withers and the pommel of the saddle as well as clearance for your horse's spine in the channel of the saddle (Harrison). The horse's spine rises upwards in bony ridges leaving not much surface area for weight to be borne on, so it is essential that care be taken to leave the horse's spine free to move without any pressure on it. The rest of the horse's body that comes in contact with the saddle should also be taken care of in that there should be no areas of excessive space or tightness between the saddle and the horse ( Jabez Cliff & Co. Ltd., 2000) . However, all of these things are difficult to properly judge without the aid of a professional, certified saddle fitter.

With all the problems that can occur when using a poorly fitted saddle (a properly fitted saddle is unfortunately not as common as one might hope) one wonders why we use saddles at all. This is where the bareback ‘saddles' and bareback riding come in, but right from the start there are problems with this idea. As mentioned above the horse's spine is very vulnerable and is not designed to carry weight on top of its narrow vertebrae. Also, from the rider's point of view, a saddle is designed to help the rider use their legs, body and balance to their best advantage for their chosen discipline, and of course a well balanced rider that is carried at the horse's centre of gravity is more likely to have a successful and comfortable ride (Callery, 2000) . Riding without a saddle (or even with a saddle that has an improperly placed pad that is pushing down on the spine/withers) will cause points of soreness and pressure on sensitive areas, just as riding with an ill-fitting saddle might do.

To prevent your horse from being injured by a poorly fitting saddle, the best thing to do is of course get a true professional out to see your horse and get a fitting done. If your horse has already been subject to an improperly fitted saddle, however, there are some things that can be done to make the horse more comfortable and help it get back to its best form. Rest (from riding) may be needed, depending on the severity of the injury/soreness, but plenty of turn-out and even some light lunging can be beneficial to keep the horse moving, fit and using its muscles without having to worry about the pain of the saddle on its back. Have the vet come out and check the horse over, and if necessary, call in a massage therapist, acupuncturist or chiropractor to help your horse get rid of any painful or stiff areas. Some people even prefer homeopathic or naturopathic methods or even the use of magnetic blankets to help heal their horses (Howling, 2006) . While your horse is healing, get your saddle fixed (ie. Restuffed, broken tree mended) or replace it with a properly fitted saddle. This fitting will in the end be more cost effective than getting an off-the-shelf, unfitted saddle as you will save money in vet and therapy bills in the future, and of course both you and your horse will be happy with a properly fitting saddle. Once the saddle and horse are ready to go again, the rider may have to be re-taught how to be balanced and use their seat properly in case they have picked up bad habits in trying to compensate for an ill-fitting saddle without knowing it (Howling, 2006) . They should also be taught how to recognize signs of discomfort should any problems arise later on. A properly fitted saddle can make all the difference in a horse and rider's performance.

For those that ride several different horses or ponies with one saddle, the questions is always asked whether a saddle exists that can fit each and every horse. Unfortunately, even with all the advances in technology, the answer is: no. With all the custom fitting and work that goes into buying a properly fitting saddle for one horse it is rather unrealistic to look for a saddle that will fit every build of horse, regardless of whether the saddle has a ‘special' gullet change system or other new features or technology (Weininger, 2006) . The fact of the matter is that each horse, though they have the same basic structure, is different and unique in both musculature and skeletal build, just as we humans are. This uniqueness may even change through different seasons of the year or switches in discipline (Baker, 2005), so to create a saddle that fits any and every horse could be near impossible.

Fitting a saddle for a horse is something that is becoming more advanced in its techniques and a more specialized area of expertise than ever. Professional saddle fitting is as much an art as it is a science these days. A fitter with the right training, equipment and technology, knowledge and, perhaps most of all, experience, will make finding a saddle easy for both you and your horse, and a great learning experience.

Some of the newest ways of fitting saddles involve the use of thermographs and pressure-sensitive pads to find areas of soreness and unevenness in a saddle in contact with a horse (Fullerton, 1999). This type of technology is rather new in the world of saddle fitting, there seems to have been much success with it. Traditionally, however, a saddle fitter will use a special measuring tool (there are many variations of this tool) and take measurements at specific points on the horse's body to ensure that a proper fit can be made. Once each measurement is taken, tracings are made on a sheet of paper, and from there the measurements go to the saddle maker (Harrison).

Though this process sounds easy enough, it must be remembered that when we are riding horses, we are not just standing still all the time; a saddle must be put to the test on the moving horse (West, 2005). Even if a saddle has been semi-custom made, it should be tested on a horse with a rider on board to get a real feel for things. Of course there will be some ‘breaking in' that will take place with a new saddle, but if the measurements have been properly done, even after a saddle is well used it will fit the horse just as well as when it was new.

In the end we can see that getting a saddle to fit a horse properly can be a bit of a tedious task that involves both time and money, but it is imperative that these steps be taken to ensure both the safety and health of the riding horse. Humans have come a long way in their relationships with their equine partners and now more than ever it has become a major priority to keep them as content as possible. Properly fitted equipment will not only make a ride more pleasant for horse and rider, but it will also help the communication between the two to be at its best. An animal should never purposely be put in pain, and when asking them to work with us it is of the utmost importance that we take their health to heart. Each horse has a different build and as riders we must remember to take this into account when buying an important piece of tack such as a saddle. We must also recognize that we do not all carry the knowledge to properly fit a saddle and therefore call on a professional to help us through the process, just as we would a vet for an injury. With the knowledge of today's professionals and the understanding of the equine anatomy that we have today, the health of a horse is in better hands than ever before.

Appendix

Detecting Interference/Pain from the Saddle

•  Horse shows reluctance to have saddle placed on back

•  Horse is reluctant to accept rider onto back

•  Horse is ‘girthy' (pins ears, may try to bite while having girth attached) as tightening the girth will put more pressure on sore areas

•  Areas of puffiness/swollen areas or bumps on saddle area (there may or may not be heat present) – horse may flinch or seem unhappy when touched in these areas as they may be tender

•  Shortening of gaits, reluctance to move on when being ridden

•  Stiff muscles requiring longer warm-up periods

•  Hollowing of back while being ridden, which raises head (trying to avoid pain)

•  Dry spots underneath saddle (this means the saddle is not touching the area) can be signs of pressure points

•  Behavioural problems while being ridden such as: bucking, kicking out when asked to move on, not wanting to move at all