Becky has been in touch with a great tip on how to properly fit a saddle to your horse:
So simple too:
“Collect 3 36″ long pieces of bale twine.
Place one piece over your horse withers.
Place the second piece in the center of the horse’s back.
Place the third piece around a hand’s length further back.
Now set your saddle on to the twine and your horse!
Pull lightly on each piece. All three should have similar tension.
None should be tight and not budge to your slight pull, this would show the places the saddle is too tight and an improper fit!
Too loose would mean one or two of the others twines is too tight.
This is a sure test of seeing if your saddle fits your horse correctly.
Becky”
How to properly fit a saddle to your horse
As always, it’s your comments that I love to read. Here’s Suella’s comments takend from below:
“With the saddle over the strings, you need the girth up and the regular rider I would have thought to see where it was too light. I’d still want to check clearnace front and back as well. Otherwise it could be pinching the withers with the rider aboard.
And the lightest rider can still ride heavy, lop sided or whatever. As can the heavier rider be light and balanced depending on their horsemanship and attention to detail.
I’m a light weight rider but I know that towards the end of an endurance rider I had to work hard to make sure I’m as straight as possible and as balanced as I can be.
Suella”
How to properly fit a saddle to your horse
And some wise words too from Vaella:
“A saddle needs to fit both rider and horse.
Imagine wearing a tight yet floppy backpack with high heels on in rugged terrain and having to use your body to adjust for it.
Makes for a sore and possibly lame horse whose posture will change.
I am a big proponent of professional saddle fitting. I have seen the difference in how horses move with a bad fitting saddle compared to a saddle that fits both rider and horse. It is really amazing the difference. The fluidity of both horse and rider is beautiful.
Vaella”
That’s all for today – hope it’s helped with how to properly fit a saddle on your horse.
Hoped you like it as much as I did.
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Best
And now onto Sarah.
“Fitting a saddle to your horse is key to keeping them comfortable and happy, and luckily, it doesn’t have to be complicated! Let’s walk through it step by step to make sure you get that perfect fit.”
“First things first: start by placing the saddle gently on your horse’s back without any pads underneath. This lets you see exactly how it sits on their back. Slide it back a bit until it finds the “sweet spot” where it naturally settles. This spot is right behind their shoulder blades, allowing freedom of movement.”
“Now, take a peek at the withers. You want about 2-3 fingers of clearance between the withers and the saddle’s gullet. Too much or too little space can cause pressure points or pinching, which we definitely don’t want!”
“Check that the saddle panels (the cushioned parts underneath) rest evenly along your horse’s back without any gaps. If you notice uneven contact or pressure points, your horse might not enjoy their ride very much. You can also use a sweat test after riding—an even sweat pattern under the saddle generally means the fit is right.”
“Now for the tree width, which should match your horse’s shoulder width. If it’s too narrow, it’ll pinch; too wide, and it can press down on the withers. An even snugness here is the goal.”
“Lastly, tighten the girth just enough to keep the saddle secure, but don’t overdo it. Your horse needs to breathe, after all! And make sure the saddle stays balanced without tipping forward or backward.”
“A well-fitting saddle keeps your horse comfy and responsive, and it makes riding a better experience for both of you. A quick check each time you tack up can make all the difference in your horse’s happiness and performance! Sarah”
Next up
🙁 for some reason either the blanket or the saddle has changed the color my horses hair on both sides. what i have done wrong? how can I fix this? please help
If you mean the hair has turned white, it means that your saddle doesnt fit and is putting pressure at those areas. This will lead to your horse being sore and eventually have muscle wastage. I suggest seek advice from a saddle fitter.
Yes, a good simple idea to help make your horse more comfortable and check to see if the saddle is the right shape. But only a guide.
Will definitely try this too and feedback!
Great tip!!
Speaking of tips, does anybody know a good tip for keeping a fidgety pony still while he gets his hooves trimmed?
thnx heaps this website rules 😛
handle his hooves between trims go for longer each time and start to tap his feet with a hoof pick.
in general get him used to it SLOWLY
Patience is the key to a fridgety pony. I agree that you should practice picking up the ponys feet and slowly working it into longer sessions. I also found that the person trimming the feet needs to be especally calm, and give little treats for good behiver, and good pony scratches. being in a hurry will get you no where and that is especially true with a pony.
Too true Natalie!
I had a pony that fidgeted a lot at farrier time! I found she was better when I tied her up and walked away. My farrier was great with her and I would just sit and watch from a few feet away. If I was holding her she would push at me and muck about with her feet. Just a thought….
Give him some hay or feed & tie him 😛
Try and practice standing it in a cross tie for a few hours at a time. It worked for me!
-Madison
Can anyone advise me? I am a novice horse owner. I have just got a seven year old gelding. He has been living in a field for the past 2 years. Before that he had only pulled a cart. I have spent the past month getting to know him, doing lots of ground work and he behaves impeccably. He understands stand, walk trot etc when on the lunge. He follows me around and is a true gent. I have slowly introduced the bridle and saddle no problem at all. After 6 weeks I sat on him today. He seemed totally relaxed but would not move. He just stood there!! I tried all I could to make him move but he just stayed put. I know this sounds ridiculous but how do I get him to walk!! When I a on the ground he does everything just on a verbal command from me. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Carry a schooling whip when you ride him. Squeeze gently with your heels and say to him “walk on”. When he doesn’t respond, tap him with the schooling whip immediately behind your heel. He should then start to move. If you keep repeating this process, he will begin to understand that he should move forward when you squeeze with your heels, and you will no longer have to use the schooling whip.
Be careful in using the crop. If his ears and standing straight up He’s probably “locked up” or as the old guys use to say he’s taken the “studs” One did that with me and I used the crop and he reared straight up and jumped as high as he could. He would have come over backwards if I hadn’t bailed. The next time he did this I just sat and waited him out [5 min at the most] and when I felt him relax and saw his ears start moving he moved off as he should have.
You could try placing weight in the saddle and lunging him. One I sea is to tie sand bags in the saddle. Just make sure they don’t bounce around and scare him. You can start with light weights then add until almost at your weight. If he is doing well with this try riding him again but you will have to use verbal cues followed with leg commands. Be patient with him, he will try to figure out what you want from him!
Have someone ride him while you lunge him. As he gets used to moving with someone on his back, have them apply the proper cues as you give him voice commands. Then take the lunge line off and continue having the rider work him in the round pen whilst you give commands.
he needs to be lead off by another horse and shown a few things like water crossings etc, he is just lacking a bit of confidence..
Angela, wait him out, quietly shift your weight a bit to pet his neck and HQ’s, for as long as it takes. He is trying to figure out if he can move without losing his new balance with you. Sounds like you have a great horse.
I totally agree with you I have done this with my own mirror back in the 60s I took a long time to get her to move but she in the end was the best work I ever had she died at 33. Lots of patience and just sit there and she will finally move
I have the same situation with my horse also. I was told it is call “lock down”. Would appreciate more info on this.
very interesting and will try this out. Thanks
Thanks for the saddle tip. Shall try it out.
As far as the driven pony he will have no idea about leg aids. You will need to give verbal commands and leg aid at the same time till he can get the association. Ask him to turn from a standstill to try get him to move off. Patients and consistence. Good luck.
I just bought a 2 yr old Egyptian Arabian gelding 2 wks ago. This morning he jumped a 4.4′ woven fence to get out of the pasture (he was found in the hay field). He cut his back legs up pretty good. I have him stalled now until he heals but my question is: How do I keep him in? I am worried he is going to jump more fences and hurt himself again. I spoke to the previous owner and she said he seems to be accident prone. What do I do with him-he is a really sweet boy.
Does your new friend have buddies in the field with him? Are they chasing him playing “Get the new guy!”? Give him plenty of good hay to eat, lots of work and make his home the place he wants to be. You also must accept that young horses hurt themselves even when turned out in a padded paddock. Still, turn that two year old out! A horse that age will go cause even more trouble if stalled.
If he is still jumping out let me know. He might be interested in jumping in the ring!
Had the same thing happen with my Rocky Mountain Horse. Got someone to lead him around with me on him for a few minutes, and that was all it took.
If you are using the same verbal command to walk on as you used from the ground, it may be that he is afraid of being unbalanced perhaps?
I’d either gently turn his head to the left or right far enough so that is does unbalance him enough to take a step in that direction. You may find that is enough.
Let us know how you get on. He sounds lovely.
Otherwise can you get someone to lead him into his first few steps?
You also might want to consider if your saddle fits him comfortably, your girth is not too tight, and you are sitting in balance, and not on your bottom.
I’d enlist a friend to check you and your tack, in the first instance, lead him whilst tacked up with the same verbal clues as you do without tack, and then get on him and try again.
You are using a mounting block to get on I hope? It is too easy to twist the saddle when mounting from the ground so it digs into his shoulders if it is an English one.
With the saddle over the strings, you need the girth up and the regular rider I would have thought to see where it was too light. I’d still want to check clearnace front and back as well. Otherwise it could be pinching the withers with the rider aboard.
And the lightest rider can still ride heavy, lop sided or whatever. As can the heavier rider be light and balanced depending on their horsemanship and attention to detail.
I’m a light weight rider but I know that towards the end of an endurance rider I had to work hard to make sure I’m as straight as possible and as balanced as I can be.
A saddle needs to fit both rider and horse.
Imagine wearing a tight yet floppy backpack with high heels on in rugged terrain and having to use your body to adjust for it.
Makes for a sore and possibly lame horse whose posture will change.
I am a big proponent of professional saddle fitting. I have seen the difference in how horses move with a bad fitting saddle compared to a saddle that fits both rider and horse. It is really amazing the difference. The fluidity of both horse and rider is beautiful.
i have a 4 year old friesian mare,iv just broken her in and she is amazing..how ever i a little worried as when im girthing her up she hates it.she only relaxes once iv fastened it on..then when i start to tighten it she is fine..anyone got any reasons on why she does this?? thanks sue
Hi We have a 6yr old who has never been in a float. I am trying to get him in before my daughter gets back from overseas. Not much exprience with horses. Tryed for 3 hours to coax him in gently but soon as his hoof hits ramp he panics and rears up. Any advice would be appreciated
When starting a horse under saddle, getting them to start moving forward is always the hardest obstacle! But he will. Just realize it is normal, you don’t really have a problem. You can also have someone lead him with you on him. Use your cues while being led, and start/stop a lot, so that he starts walking every time you squeeze and the person who is leading him cues him forward reach time (hopefully a little less after several tries.
Just want to make sure I try this saddle fitting tip properly…
Do I.place the twine over the pad or directly onto my horse’s back before the saddle?
I’m assuming the saddle will fit tighter with the pad.
Have you got a photo demo of the baling twine for saddle fitting? I can’t quite vision how the twines sit on horses back…
Thanks
In response to fidgeting pony when working his feet..As a bare foot trimmer I ask that my horses stand untied with a lead rope tossed across the withers( in that I may grab the lead should I need) when ever the horse does not stand still I round/lunge him on the lead in both directions and precede where I left off after a few times he realizes that I will make him work when he demonstrates negative behaviors..
Will you clarify for me, do I put a saddle pad on first?
Hi my name is jeanette I hope that I have it right this time that’s great I’ll try that one this is my first horse even though I’ve been riding most of my life I have a tb exracer she is 18 hands her name is ezy I love her she is with my sister at the moment as we are building our new house in the country we have 5 acres I just turned sixty years young last week I have been reading almost everything that is written and ive learnt so much I want to thank everyone this is a great forum keep up the good work my most kindest regards jeanette
P’s I live in Australia
Good for you Jeanette! I just got my first horse 3 years ago and I am 61 years young and my girl Bellamae is 26 yr young quarter horse.
Could it also mean if the middle string is too loose that the horse is low in the back. I have a mare like that. Should I use risers or more pads? If the strings are too tight, does it mean a wider saddle is needed?Or, can it mean that the saddle is too wide and sits too far down on the withers? What adjustments need to be made with this string test?
Thanks! I rarely use a saddle, but when I do this will benefit my horse.
Excellent, I shall try it the next time I go out to my pasture.
How can I tell if my saddle fits my horse correctly?
Start by placing the saddle directly on your horse’s back (no pad) and slide it back until it sits naturally behind the shoulder blades. Check the withers clearance—you should have about 2-3 fingers of space in the gullet to avoid pinching. The panels should rest evenly on both sides of the back with no gaps. Also, make sure the tree width aligns with your horse’s shoulder width; too narrow will pinch, too wide can press down. Once the girth is secure but not too tight, the saddle should be balanced, not tipping forward or backward. A quick check like this each ride keeps your horse comfortable!