Saddle fitting is one of the most difficult things when you have a horse. Good tips and advice and yes the saddle companies are mass producing and every horse is different. I'd like to apologize to a few horses I've owned as well
YES! Western saddles make me crazy because the makers rarely if ever stamp them with measurements so it is a guessing game, or trying to measure a tree on a completed saddle on the shelf which is difficult.
There should be a company that rents a bare tree .You can order two or three trees pay a price for using the tree then once finished mail back the trees. Once u have found the correc tree for your horse then u would have all info and then research saddle companies who use that tree and that gullet and that bar angle. Now how hard is that
Thank you so much for this video! My dad got a saddle for my horse but it's got to big of a spread on it and slides right off her no matter what, you have helped me know what to look for when getting a new one. Fit is everything!
What a well informed video..I want to watch all your videos. I am new to saddle fitting and finally got an adjustable gullet Zaldi dressage saddle for my growing horse which is a Friesian Draft cross..I went thru 3 non fitting saddles before finding that one. Now I would love to find the correct fit for a tucker western saddle for fun in the saddle and ultimate comfort on trail rides. Shes 5 now. So I plan on researching the bar width and angle in addition to gullet size etc.. keep your great videos coming...
Very informative, thank you. I am in the process of buying a saddle and the thing I noticed when ordering is the bar angle is not in any menu options but gullet size is. I will be very careful when ordering my saddles in the future, thanks to your video. Cheers !
Hey midget! REALLY cool video! I have to admit that saddle fit is something I really need to educate myself more on...this was really informative, thanks!
Great information and easy to understand. Have you looked at the TW Saddlery 3D Fitting System? It will allow you to adjust the fit to match the bar angles exactly for each side of the horse. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.
Great video. Lots of good info. Spread seems the more important factor. I am trying to fit a mutton wither walking horse. This video will help me determine witch of my saddles may work best. Thanks
gottanomi hi there, thank you for your question and watching my video! To measure your horse, I recommend bending a wire over his back, approx 3 inches back from the scapula. Then measure approx 8.5" down your wire. The measurement across from those 2 points is your bar spread. In my next video I discuss some of the questions I ask saddle manufacturers when I call. Ultimately, customer service, their knowledge of their product, and willingness to work with me is what influences my choices when shopping for a saddle.
Becky Amio thank you for your reply. Living in Canada AND in a remote area at that, makes it difficult to shop saddles which means I have to shop online and often from the States if I want the quality. Fit is my #1 priority at this point and am actively looking for a quality either reining or cutting/ranch saddle. One of my mares is a pretty hard fit. Broad shoulders and short back. I look forward to your next video in hopes it will help narrow down my search. Once again thank you!
gottanomi give Mark Jones a call from True Partner Saddlery. He has spent hours on the phone with me helping me understand construction and saddle fit. I'm confident he could help you or at lest direct you to to more answers. (404) 312-9356
@@BeckyAmio Measurements are important to fit a saddle. The Card System (aka Dennis Lane Equine Back Measurement System) provides that data including Rock/sway which can sometimes be the critical fit feature for a horse. I like it because the data can be stored and used to compare horse to horse.
Been in the saddle for 57 yrs. I still fret over saddle fit. I'm always checking and rechecking, never completely sure if the saddle is fitting my horse. But he goes good down the trail, and never seems sore. So why do I still worry?🤔
Same here. It’s because horses are so stoic and they will tolerate so much of our ignorance… until you find one that won’t and that one horse will make you question all your choices for the rest of your life.
Depends on the size of your horse. I start mostly quarter horses as 2 yo’s and my cinch on them is 24-26”. If you go with too long of a cinch, you are breaking up muscle groups.
I agree, that’s why I’ve had to learn how to shim properly and understand angles. If the bar angle is correct, I can shim to fit. If the bar angle is too flat or too steep, I’ll never get a descent fit to get by on.
Robert Williams I recommend learning how to shim really well. I used to believe, or was taught I should say, that a flex saddle could fit all horses and unfortunately that’s just not the case. It’s been my experience over the last few years that if the bar angle is correct, it’s pretty easy to shim to fit. However if my bar angle is wrong, as in, it does not match the shoulder angle, there isn’t a lot I can do to get that saddle work and function correctly. Then problems arise with shimming and I’ve created a video about that after over a year of shimming different horses.
Becky Amio I watched your shim. Video also and I can not find where to order a shim.. I have dry spots about the size of my hand right behind the shoulder blade on this one horse and my saddle sit on a down slope towards the front on him, I’m planning on ordering a saddle but I need to make this one work for the time being.
Robert Williams any material will work for a shim. Cut up an old felt pad if you have to. Lots of saddle pad manufacturers make shims. Look up Thin Line, they offer a pad with pockets to slide the shim into.
Can you come to NC and HELP me!!! Lol, I have 2 new horses, gaited. NONE of our saddles fit and we have no clue what to even look for! One has low withers and the straightest topline I've ever seen. The other has high withers and almost no muscles down the topline. We've started good groundwork to build muscle but can't put a saddle on him😔
The bar angles maybe too wide (obtuse) for both of these horses. Thou the remote video maybe misleading me, it appears that the bars are making contact along their upper edge and gaping at the bottom imo on both horses - the last horse more so than the first but both none the less. I don't think the horses will move very well under this saddle fit. IMO
Saddle fitting is one of the most difficult things when you have a horse. Good tips and advice and yes the saddle companies are mass producing and every horse is different. I'd like to apologize to a few horses I've owned as well
YES! Western saddles make me crazy because the makers rarely if ever stamp them with measurements so it is a guessing game, or trying to measure a tree on a completed saddle on the shelf which is difficult.
There should be a company that rents a bare tree .You can order two or three trees pay a price for using the tree then once finished mail back the trees. Once u have found the correc tree for your horse then u would have all info and then research saddle companies who use that tree and that gullet and that bar angle. Now how hard is that
Amen 😢
I know some companies and saddle shops do this, but only locally as in you pick them up at the shop
Thank you so much for this video! My dad got a saddle for my horse but it's got to big of a spread on it and slides right off her no matter what, you have helped me know what to look for when getting a new one. Fit is everything!
Very helpful, clear and understandable. Thanks!
This was very informative. You have clearly done your homework here. Thank you!
Thank you Becky , very helpful ! I enjoy your videos ! Be careful !
GREAT INFO ON THIS VIDEO THANK YOU!
Very interesting indeed. Many thanks Becky from Australia.
What a well informed video..I want to watch all your videos. I am new to saddle fitting and finally got an adjustable gullet Zaldi dressage saddle for my growing horse which is a Friesian Draft cross..I went thru 3 non fitting saddles before finding that one. Now I would love to find the correct fit for a tucker western saddle for fun in the saddle and ultimate comfort on trail rides. Shes 5 now. So I plan on researching the bar width and angle in addition to gullet size etc.. keep your great videos coming...
Very informative, thank you. I am in the process of buying a saddle and the thing I noticed when ordering is the bar angle is not in any menu options but gullet size is. I will be very careful when ordering my saddles in the future, thanks to your video. Cheers !
GREAT JOB! I'm real glad I saw this!!!
So buying a saddle online is a huge mistake thank you for this info I’m glade I didn’t buy a saddle on line
Also happy I saw your video
Very good video, and appreciate your knowledge. The information is clear and well packaged.
Very informative and descriptive
Hey midget! REALLY cool video! I have to admit that saddle fit is something I really need to educate myself more on...this was really informative, thanks!
Israel stay tuned! I have another one coming up in a few days that discusses what happens when we ride and use a saddle that doesn’t fit for too long.
AMEN!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!! Its so frustrating!!! Why I like coats saddles and despise martin especially the sherry cervi barrel saddles.
Great information and easy to understand. Have you looked at the TW Saddlery 3D Fitting System? It will allow you to adjust the fit to match the bar angles exactly for each side of the horse. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them.
Great video. Lots of good info. Spread seems the more important factor. I am trying to fit a mutton wither walking horse. This video will help me determine witch of my saddles may work best. Thanks
D. Riggs also look into Jen X Equine saddle pads. She makes saddle pads to help accommodate the movement of haired horses.
Thanks so much for a great video!!!! Wish more people knew about this
Hello, I want to know how to measure bar angle in saddle ?
How would you recommend measuring a horse and subsequently shopping the right saddle? Keep your videos coming.
gottanomi hi there, thank you for your question and watching my video! To measure your horse, I recommend bending a wire over his back, approx 3 inches back from the scapula. Then measure approx 8.5" down your wire. The measurement across from those 2 points is your bar spread. In my next video I discuss some of the questions I ask saddle manufacturers when I call. Ultimately, customer service, their knowledge of their product, and willingness to work with me is what influences my choices when shopping for a saddle.
Becky Amio thank you for your reply. Living in Canada AND in a remote area at that, makes it difficult to shop saddles which means I have to shop online and often from the States if I want the quality. Fit is my #1 priority at this point and am actively looking for a quality either reining or cutting/ranch saddle. One of my mares is a pretty hard fit. Broad shoulders and short back. I look forward to your next video in hopes it will help narrow down my search. Once again thank you!
gottanomi give Mark Jones a call from True Partner Saddlery. He has spent hours on the phone with me helping me understand construction and saddle fit. I'm confident he could help you or at lest direct you to to more answers.
(404) 312-9356
@@BeckyAmio Measurements are important to fit a saddle. The Card System (aka Dennis Lane Equine Back Measurement System) provides that data including Rock/sway which can sometimes be the critical fit feature for a horse. I like it because the data can be stored and used to compare horse to horse.
Doesnt a westernsaddle which fits great without a pad be to narrow with a pad? I’m wondering about that a long time actually my horse so is broad 😢
Been in the saddle for 57 yrs. I still fret over saddle fit. I'm always checking and rechecking, never completely sure if the saddle is fitting my horse. But he goes good down the trail, and never seems sore. So why do I still worry?🤔
Same here. It’s because horses are so stoic and they will tolerate so much of our ignorance… until you find one that won’t and that one horse will make you question all your choices for the rest of your life.
How long should the cinch be on a new saddle ?
Depends on the size of your horse. I start mostly quarter horses as 2 yo’s and my cinch on them is 24-26”. If you go with too long of a cinch, you are breaking up muscle groups.
It sure gets spendy if you need a new saddle for every horse
I agree, that’s why I’ve had to learn how to shim properly and understand angles. If the bar angle is correct, I can shim to fit. If the bar angle is too flat or too steep, I’ll never get a descent fit to get by on.
So how do you go about getting one saddle to fit multiple horses?
Robert Williams I recommend learning how to shim really well. I used to believe, or was taught I should say, that a flex saddle could fit all horses and unfortunately that’s just not the case. It’s been my experience over the last few years that if the bar angle is correct, it’s pretty easy to shim to fit. However if my bar angle is wrong, as in, it does not match the shoulder angle, there isn’t a lot I can do to get that saddle work and function correctly. Then problems arise with shimming and I’ve created a video about that after over a year of shimming different horses.
Becky Amio I watched your shim. Video also and I can not find where to order a shim.. I have dry spots about the size of my hand right behind the shoulder blade on this one horse and my saddle sit on a down slope towards the front on him, I’m planning on ordering a saddle but I need to make this one work for the time being.
Robert Williams any material will work for a shim. Cut up an old felt pad if you have to. Lots of saddle pad manufacturers make shims. Look up Thin Line, they offer a pad with pockets to slide the shim into.
Can you come to NC and HELP me!!! Lol, I have 2 new horses, gaited. NONE of our saddles fit and we have no clue what to even look for! One has low withers and the straightest topline I've ever seen. The other has high withers and almost no muscles down the topline. We've started good groundwork to build muscle but can't put a saddle on him😔
The bar angles maybe too wide (obtuse) for both of these horses. Thou the remote video maybe misleading me, it appears that the bars are making contact along their upper edge and gaping at the bottom imo on both horses - the last horse more so than the first but both none the less. I don't think the horses will move very well under this saddle fit. IMO
what about flex trees? they tend to sit up in the back of saddle.