You’ve checked your horse’s hooves, his body, your own position in the saddle, and confirmed everything’s balanced. Once all of that is squared away, it’s time to move into part two of saddle fitting: placement, girth groove and pads, the details that determine whether your horse moves freely or feels restricted.
Did you read part one of Wendy Winn’s saddle fitting series? It highlights Winn’s non-negotiable starting point: balance. You can check it out here.
Saddle Placement
To place a Western saddle correctly, you need to know saddle anatomy. Where do the bars of the saddle begin and end? How much leather skirting extends past the bars?
Place the front of the saddle just behind the rear edge of your horse’s shoulder blade (scapula). A saddle set too far forward can restrict shoulder movement and damage cartilage on the top edge of the scapula. You need to consider not only where the scapula is sitting, but whether there’s enough room for it to move. If the saddle sits forward, on top of the shoulder, it can cause a lot of nerve damage.
3 Common Saddle Fit Terms and What They Mean
Girth groove & cinch type
The girth groove is a natural indentation or narrow channel on your horse’s body, located just behind the elbows, where a saddle girth naturally settles. Every horse’s girth groove is a little different.
If your horse has a wider groove, he can accommodate a wider cinch and benefit from the added stability. If his girth groove is narrow, a cinch that’s too wide can irritate him.
When you’re selecting cinch length, look for the cinch buckles to land eight inches, or two hands, above the elbow, with both sides even. A cinch that is too short, or low on your horse, can impede the elbow’s, and indirectly the shoulder’s, movement. If you’re using a back cinch, the buckles need to closely mirror the front cinch placement.
Another important factor is how often you’re using a cinch. Think about it: if you wore wet socks, a wet bra, or wet underwear, how would that feel? It’s really important that your pad and your cinches stay dry, as dry as you can get them. Depending on how often you ride, you may need a rotation of pads and cinches.
Saddle pad type and thickness
Wool saddle pads are the way to go for their natural moisture-wicking abilities, and it’s worth having a few pads on hand so you always have a dry option and a few thickness options available.
You can look at pads the way you look at pant sizes. You don’t wear the same pants all year round: winter comes and the winter pants come out, spring comes and the spring pants come out. You need to be able to adjust for the seasonal changes in your horse’s weight the same way.
Tip: Be familiar with your gear
You really need to run your hand under your pad, under your cinch. How does it feel? What does your pressure look like? Is your cinch different than usual?