AT HOME SADDLE-FITTING WORKSHOP WITH PATTY MERLI: PART 1

As riders, horsemen, and competitors, we are all looking to maximize our horses’ performance, and we approach our horses as high-performance athletes now more than ever. USEA Editors Leslie Threlkeld and Caroline Culbertson met with professional saddle fitter Patty Merli to discuss the basics of saddle fitting, as properly-fitted equipment is one of many pieces of the puzzle of keeping your horse sound, happy, and willing to do his job. It was quickly apparent that this complex topic is much like riding in that the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know.

Imagine running a marathon in a pair of shoes that don’t fit. Unlike us, the horse does not get to go to the store, try on the shoes, and verbalize an opinion. Horses often begin to express their discomfort in the forms of fussiness, unwillingness, or other forms of decreased performance. In this way, a saddle fit issue may sometimes manifest as a training or behavioral issue.

The best, most comprehensive way to fit your saddle to you and your horse is to consult a

professional saddle fitter. As Merli explains, many of saddle fitting issues are counter-intuitive, but there are some basics that you can assess on your horse before calling a pro. Here are some simple but important factors to checking the fit of your saddle: the placement of saddle on the horse, tree width and clearance, tree shape, overall length of the saddle on the horse’s back, balance of the saddle, contact, and overall stability. In this two-part series, we will go over each of these factors.

SADDLE PLACEMENTBegin by checking the placement of the saddle, since an incorrectly placed saddle will affect all other aspects of the fit. A common placement error is setting the saddle too far forward on the withers. If it’s too far forward, it will restrict the shoulder’s freedom.

Follow these steps to ensure that the tree points are behind the horse’s scapula: First, locate the back of your horse’s shoulder, then locate the tree points of the saddle. Lift the top flap of your saddle (if it

is a dual flap) and look at the sweat flap underneath. You will see a pocket that the tree sits in. The points of the tree need to be behind the back of the scapula, not necessarily the flap itself. If your saddle has a forward flap, the flap will appear to be on the shoulder but the tree itself may be adequately behind the scapula.

If you cannot locate the tree pockets, look to see where the breast plate rings and nails heads are, as they are attached to the tree. Those markers must be far enough back that the shoulder has room to move. It may seem that if the billets and the girth do not line up with the horse’s girth groove,

Placing a saddle too far forward is a common mistake. Compare the saddle placement in the image above to the image on the opposite page.

Locate the point of the tree, as indicated by the white circle on this particular saddle. The point of the tree should be behind the horse’s scapula for proper placement. Use the point of the tree to determine proper placement, not the position of the saddle flap.

then the saddle is not far enough forward, but this may not be the case. Some horses have a forward girth groove, and some saddles have billets that are set back. An easy solution to this problem is an anatomical girth, which is a girth that is curved to accommodate a girth groove that is not directly in line with the billets.

TREE WIDTH AND CLEARANCENext, check the tree width. Once again, locate the tree points. The angle of the tree should be the same angle as your horse’s back behind the shoulder. Contrary to popular belief, a tree that is too wide will usually do more damage to the horse than a tree that is too narrow. With the weight of a rider, a tree that is too wide will put more load onto the trapezius muscle and give the withers less clearance. Additionally, it will change the balance of the saddle and sit with the pommel too low, affecting the rider’s position. On the other hand, if the tree is too narrow you are going to create pressure points both at the tree points and at the very back of the saddle as well, as this saddle will sit pommel-high and cantle-low.

Check the clearance of your saddle between the pommel and the withers while mounted. The weight of the rider will dramatically change how much clearance a saddle has. You want two to three fingers clearance. Before mounting, check the clearance along the sides of the withers as well. Standing alongside your horse, cup your horse’s withers with your left hand just under the pommel. With your right hand on top of the pommel, pull the saddle slightly towards you, as if you were stepping in the stirrup to mount. When you do

this, do you feel pressure along the sides of your horse’s withers on your left hand? Some horses have a broad spine, and some saddles have a “V” shaped head or pommel. This would create pressure along the sides of the withers even if we had adequate clearance at the top of the withers. The shape of the front of your saddle should match the shape of your horse.

Part II will discuss tree shape, saddle length, contact, and stability.

About Patty Merli: Prior to becoming a saddle fitter, Merli was a competitive event rider and trainer who had spent a lifetime in the tack. Reconizing the importance of saddle fitting, she decided to direct her commitment to the sport to this and in 2008 traveled to Scotland to study saddle fitting. Learn more about Merli and her business at www.pattymerlisaddles.com.

The saddle’s clearance is indicated by the vertical white line above. Check the clearance on sides of withers before mounting (right) and the clearance between the pommel and withers when mounted (left).

A saddle’s billets should line up with the horse’s girth groove. Depending on the horse or type of saddle, an anatomical girth may aid in correct positioning.