As horses fluctuate in weight and toppling it is important to remind ourselves what to look for to achieve a proper saddle fit and why it matters. Below is 4 factors detailing things to look for.

Wither clearance serves as a good tell tale of proper panel alignment along the longisimus and is vital to keeping the tree points from inhibiting shoulder movement. Saddles with short tree points are typically best fit with no girth or rider with 3-4 fingers of clearance and with rider 2-3 fingers of clearance. If the saddle drops lower than this you may see white hairs, rub marks, reluctance to move forward or stiffness in the shoulder, or can even break the skin.

As the panels sit along the horses back muscles, the goal is to have full contact from the beginning of the tree point to the back of the seat to achieve proper saddle fit . It is important to avoid bridging through the center of the saddle and any panel sticking off the side of the horse. Some horses are more sensitive to pressure on the scapula as the panel extends downward, it is a good idea to have your saddle expert examine the confirmation and watch the horse under saddle to best determine what panel configuration works for your horse. 

The length of the panel is also important to take note of. Surpassing the last rib will place excessive pressure on sensitive organs like the liver and the saddle begins to off balance the horse as it gets farther away from the 9th (anti-clinal) vertebrae which is the best balance point for horse and rider. Talk to us about our virtual appointments with a saddle fitter so we can help you select the best saddle, it can be a confusing process and we are happy to help.