Saddle Fitting: The Campaign for Lady’s Saddle

Do you have a horse that’s hard to fit a saddle to?

Some horses are simply easier to find a saddle that fits properly than others. And it is of utmost importance to have good saddle fit. While a “decent” fit will often have minimal effect on short rides, when you really start to add on the miles the misfit issues will multiply exponentially. Saddle fit is one of the most important aspects of traveling with a horse because the miles add up fast when you’re away from home trying to check out all of the sites.

Some horses may be able to put up without perfection, but others will have absolute intolerance for it. 

Here’s to hoping that the saddle fit woes for Lady are an issue of the past…

This young mare is a strange mix. On the one hand she is “uneventful bordering on boring” however if her saddle fit isn’t just perfect is quickly becomes “sensitive, quirky and downright frustrating.” To describe her as particular is an understatement and she makes it very evident when something isn’t to her liking.

 If a saddle doesn’t fit exactly perfectly she will hunch up, toss her nose, carry her head high and shorten her stride. The head shaking alone is a bother! When you ask her to change gaits she would brace at best and at worst this usually obedient and sweet mare would buck her bottom off. 

As a result mission Saddle-Fit has been an ongoing campaign. 

I think we finally nailed it with this wide gullet Tex-Tan saddle. 

This saddle caught my eye because it is exactly the same as my personal saddle, except with a slightly wider gullet. Lady did decently well in my saddle while on the East Coast Frontiersman trip this fall, but it was a bit narrow. 

After a nice test ride I think this may be it. Though she braced at the transition to the trot expecting a pinch she quickly grew comfortable and started stretching out and elongating her stride. By the end she positively wanted to canter (something she often balks at when uncomfortable). She also got that left lead much easier than usual!!

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