Fitting Saddles To The Back
Each horse is different regarding saddle fit, though minor problems can be compensated for with saddle blankets or pads. As a horse's muscles change with age or conditioning, one saddle may not fit during its entire life, and all saddles do not fit all horses. A properly fitted saddle should have enough height in the gullet to clear the withers of the horse and not be so wide as to press on the spine, but not be so narrow as to pinch the back and shoulders of the horse. It must not be so long in the tree that it interferes with the horse's hips, though a too-short tree may also create abnormal pressure points, particularly when it is too small for the rider as well. Professional saddlers and saddle-fitters may be able to make small adjustments in better-quality saddles to help them better fit an individual horse, but the underlying structure of the saddle tree cannot be changed and must have an adequate fit from the outset.
Read more about this topic: Back (horse)
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