You buy a horse with a good back and a good quality saddle and you won't have to worry about saddle fit. You shouldn't have to have a saddle custom fit to your horse to prevent soreness. I ride several different horses and I ride them hard but my saddle doesn't hurt them because it is a good quality saddle and they have proper conformation at least in regards to thier back.
Depends what sort of saddle you're riding in.
I have has huge issues trying to fit saddles to one horse of mine in particular, she had lovely conformation, nice length back, good solid sloping shoulders and a great size wither, but trying to fit a dressage saddle to her was horrendous! We went though so many excellent quality, expenisve saddles and nothing would fit without serious re-adjustment. The last saddle I tried was an old synthetic Wintec that had been sitting around for years, and it sat perfectly on her!! So no, I don't completely agree that the saddle has to be top quality to fit
well my horse is 3 and she is Quater horse. So if i got like a regular English saddle I shouldn't have a problem? I have one I want but I have to buy it off online and I just dont want to get it and not fit and have the hassle of returning it and trying to find another one.
Buying a saddle online is a big gamble, particuarly when it comes to fit!
You can buy a saddle from a saddlery, have it fitted by a certified saddler, and still not have it fit because it just doesn't suit the shap of the horse no matter how many re-adjustments are made.
I stay away from purchasing online, mainly because I've been bitten alot of times buying saddles and having them repeatedly re packed/fitted. I like to ride in the saddle before I buy as well, to make sure that you feel comfortable in it, they also feel different on each horse.
If you are set on buying online though, I would get a saddler out to take measurements of your horses back, recomend types of saddles that would likely be suitable, and specify what gullet size you need. The standard gullet sizes are narrow, medium, wide and extra wide, with a few brands making 'in betweens'. Then from there usually to get a perfect fit you will need to have it re-packed and adjusted.
If the horse has a high wither, you'll need to find a saddle that is cut to fit a high wither. Not nessacarily a narrow gullet! Also some horses have very narrow shoulders, so the saddle will slip forward onto the shoulders and restrict their movement.
There are so many different issues with fitting saddles, I don't find saddle hunting at all exciting, as it is just so hard to find one that is suited to both myself and my horse.
I agree with Kayty... buying a saddle online is a huge gamble. Improper saddle fit can cause a sour and sore horse who doesn't want to perform to his/her best or perform at all. I would be careful. However, if you get a good enough deal on a decent saddle online and there is a market in your area - even if you buy the saddle and it doesn't fit your horse, you will likely be able to resell it and buy something else that does.
Yes but usually the reason for buying a saddle online is that certain saddles are cheaper. Generally anything decent with a changeable gullet is usually around the same price - online or otherwise.
Well thank you for the help! I'll keep this in mind when choosing a saddle. The thing is I just want a cheap starter saddle kit! Its from StateLine tack.com. I just want a saddle the i can wear and tear while i save up for a nice show saddle. HERES what i what. Economy English Starter Set - Statelinetack.com
With great difficulty. Some horses are more difficult to fit than others, and, contrary to what kevinshorses says, a good quality saddle won't fit every horse, quality just helps because a more balanced, well-flocked saddle will fit a greater range of horses within the specified gullet width. You needn't have a custom saddle, but you do need to have one that has the right shape and width of gullet for your horse. I went through this with my horse, and what I ended up doing was taking a wire coat hanger and molding it to her back (right over her withers), then taking a picture of it, which allowed me to compare the shape of her back with the pictures of prospective saddles. I also measured the distance across the widest part of her spine so I could make sure that the panels of the saddle wouldn't be too close together and consequently put pressure on her spine. It's not exact, but it's a start, and I found that it was worth it. And my mare doesn't even have odd back conformation.
I bought a saddle online after I'd bought a saddle from a tack shop, so I knew roughly what size to look for - I was lucky the one I bought online fits almost perfectly - in fact it seems to fit better than the other saddle!
If you buy an English cut saddle, to fit a horse to ride English, over the internet it is a bit like buying a dress suit over the internet - you'll find out if it fits when you try it on.
But a dress suit you only buy to wear on very rare occasions and if you don't like the feel of it, then you can take it off. Whereas a saddle you buy to ride every day.
Western saddle are designed to fit a broad range of horses and are mostly used with a thick under blanket - an English saddle is selected to fit one horse, ideally to be used without any numbnah.
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