Over the past few weeks, I've learned more about saddle fitting than I ever imagined. There are as many views about saddle fitting as there are riders. One thing I know with absolute certainty, is that a saddle does not fit properly makes for a very unhappy horse, and understandably so. Harley had put on muscle in his shoulders from all the riding and schooling we had done, and I had no idea it changed the fit of his saddle. Here is a photo of how my saddle flares out at the bottom front panel, so that when I tighten the girth and the panel is pulled down against his shoulder, the top pinches into his withers.
I have a professional saddle fitter coming out to see if my saddle can be altered to correctly fit Harley. I am hoping it can be done, but if not, I will definitely invest in a saddle that fits him perfectly.
I have a professional saddle fitter coming out to see if my saddle can be altered to correctly fit Harley. I am hoping it can be done, but if not, I will definitely invest in a saddle that fits him perfectly. Fortunately, my saddle has a Gullet Exchange System, which means that different width gullet plates can be put in the saddle to make the tree wider or narrower as needed. When I bought my saddle, I also bought the 2 next wider gullet plates, with the idea that schooling and training would bulk him up. There are no guarantees that a wider plate will make the saddle fit him, as the angle of the plate also has to be correct, but I remain optomistic.
The photo to the right is my trainer's saddle; it fits him much better and conforms to the slope of his shoulder.
Will let everyone know how the fitting turns out. Meanwhile, I have a much happier horse now that I am using a saddle that does not pinch. Harley and I are working on coming back to strength and fitness gradually and carefully. Soon we will be back to schooling, and hopefully doing ground poles soon on our way to jumping.
