The Importance of Saddle Fitting Young Horses

Starting under saddle is a very important (if not THE MOST important), moment in a horse’s life.

The tone of this experience (good vs bad) will follow through in the way it acts and behaves moving forwards. Saddle fit is a huge part of this. A saddle that does not fit correctly can not only cause pain and discomfort as the horse tries to learn his new purpose in life, it can also restrict both movement and correct muscle development. This is unacceptable at any time in a horse’s life, but especially so when trying to build your horse’s confidence in his work and his saddle.

How often do young horses need to have a saddle fitting?

Typically, young horses will need to have the fit checked and changed on their saddle every three to six months whilst they are developing. This seems like a very expensive and tedious task, but in most cases, once you have had a saddle fitter do an initial fitting, these changes can be managed through different saddle pads with wool, inserts or shims. In saying this, it is recommend that you have another proper fitting at least once a year whilst the horse is still growing. This will allow your saddle fitter to check that the tree has not become too narrow/wide for your horse as he has developed.

What happens if my tree no longer fits my horse like it should?

If your tree has become a poor fit, this can usually be rectified in a few ways depending on your saddle. The easiest fix is swapping the gullet to a more suitable width (obviously this is only applicable to saddles with changeable gullets such as: Trainers, Thorowgood, PDS and Pessoa. If your saddle does not have a changeable gullet, depending on what the tree is made from, your saddle fitter may be able to resize your saddle in a press or heat machine (as is the case with Prestige and Ideal saddles). Finally, if your saddle does not fall under either of these categories, you may be able to adjust the fit by reflocking/packing the saddle or utilising risers, wool or gel pads or shims.

What is the best saddle for a young horse?

Well, there is no right answer to this. Each horse and rider is different. That is why if you are starting the process of buying a new saddle, we recommend that you sit in as many as possible. Come into the store and sit in 5 or 6 different saddles, borrow your friend’s saddle for a ride, talk to your trainer about their favourites. You can never have too much information at this stage.

Once you narrow down your favourites, it is important to then actually ride in them. A saddle can feel completely different once it is on a horse. Quite often when we bring saddles out to clients for demo rides and fittings, they find that the saddle they loved in the shop actually doesn’t suit their horse, the way they ride, or doesn’t provide the particular feel that they are after. This is why we always bring out a selection for you to try – it’s a big investment and we want to make sure you and your horse will be happy long-term!

Should I choose a flocked or air-cell saddle?

Regardless of the make and model that you end up choosing, we do recommend getting a flocked over a foam or air-cell filled saddle. The reason behind this is that as your horse’s muscle changes over time (or if you start to ride a different horse), a saddle fitter can make many more adjustments to the saddle in order to keep it balanced.