Schürer Saddlery

Standard & Therapeutic Saddle Fitting:

Today we have two main schools of thought on saddle fitting: one standard, the other therapeutic. Which one is right for you? The answer depends on whether or not you expect your horse's back to change. If you do not expect your horse's back to change, then the standard fit will serve you well. If you expect your horse to change for one of many reasons, then the therapeutic fit is probably going to deliver the best result over the long run.

The Standard Fit

The standard fit is a good solid fit that has been developed primarily by two organizations: The Society of Master Saddlers in England (http://www.mastersaddlers.co.uk) and the Master Saddlers Association founded by Gene Freeze of County Saddlery (http://www.mastersaddlers.com/points.htm). This method is best known as a list of fitting prerequisites that you may have seen on the internet or in an equine magazine. The list has evolved over the years and today has 10 important criteria, in condensed form below.

The 10 points should be checked with the saddle sitting directly on the horse's back and with the horse squared up.

One: Position Of The Saddle: This step is intended to avoid the common mistake of placing the saddle so far forward that it sits up too high over the whither and rolls the rider back, forcing the legs forward, and ruining the riding position. Begin with the saddle placed up near the whither and then give it several good, solid tugs until it finds its resting place.
Two: Angle Of The Tree Points: This check is intended to prevent use of a tree that will either pinch behind the shoulder or sit down too low on the whithers and spine. The angle formed by the underside of the pommel as it runs out to the points of the tree (sitting in little pockets under the stirrup bars) should be perfectly parallel to the horses back, or darn close. Most professionals will accept a ten degree difference.
Three: Panel Pressure and Contact: The underside of the saddle should meet the horse's back with equal pressure from pommel to cantle.
Four: Pommel To Cantle Relationship: The cantle should be higher than the pommel though the exact relationship will vary from model to model.
Five: Level Seat: The spot on the seat in the center of the saddle should be level.
Six: Wither Clearance: The pommel and the whole channel under the saddle may not touch the horse's spine. We like to see 1.5-two inches under the pommel.
Seven: Channel Clearance/Gullet Width: Be sure to continue the inspection above five to seven inches back from the pommel under the saddle and all the way to the cantle area.
Eight: Saddle Stability: No rocking!
Nine: Seat Length: Put your hand on your horse's whirl in front of the hip and let your hand slide forward. You will feel your horse's last rib. The saddle should never go past the last rib.
Ten: Horse Response: Your horse should look and act like a happy camper during the fitting, saddling, and ride under saddle.

Is the standard fit the right choice for your horse?

The standard fit is a great beginning and has raised the Saddle Fitting IQ of thousands of people. Yet, it has not been without its critics among researchers during the last ten to fifteen years. Among their concerns are:

The insistence on the use of thin saddle pads.
Overflocking of the panels that can render them hard and asymmetrical.
The consistent practice of flocking saddles crooked to fit crooked horses, which "locks" their muscles into a crooked shape and prevents the development of even muscle tone on both sides of the horse.
The inability of young or underdeveloped horses to grow muscle under a tree that fits them while they are in this underdeveloped condition.

The Therapeutic Fit

Roughly ten to fifteen years ago, a number saddlers and saddle fitters began to gravitate toward new approaches in saddling. They include Kay Humphries, Barry Swain, Carol Brett, Lesley Taylor, Heather Moffet and others. In the intervening years, their findings have been corroborated by independent scientists at universities around the world. They do not call themselves "therapeutic," but for the sake of simplicity we consider their work under this umbrella. The findings of their research and saddle solutions share similarities and are summarized here:

The horse's back can and will change rapidly, even in a mature horse.
Muscle can be lost due to trees that are too narrow and panels that are too hard.
Muscle can be lost due to exaggerated "close contact" and narrow twists.
Muscles must be allowed to flex and relax completely for growth to occur.
Wider and wider trees encourage muscle growth.
Generous pommels are a must.
Thicker, elastic pads are more comfortable and encourage larger movement.
Billeting systems can be better balanced than they were in the past, and can be altered on older saddles to achieve better balance.

If you would like to learn more about equine physiology, saddling, and saddle history, we recommend browsing our links section for excellent resources.

Recent Research

Our recent research has focused on two main areas: the width of the equine back and its frequency of change.

Study A: How wide is a horse?

Click here to see the results of a study conducted on 105 horses of various breeds in Pennsylvania. The results show the number of degrees in the equine back behind the shoulder where the saddle tree sits, the number of horses in each category, and the breeds represented in those categories. The chart tells us some interesting things:

We cannot judge a horse's width from its breed. Notice that both Arabians and Quarter Horses are among the widest and the narrowest; some thoroughbreds are as wide as some Belgians and Morgan crosses; some warmbloods are at the bottom of the scale.
51% of the horses fall between 85 and 100 degrees. This means that 90 degrees should be the industry standard for "medium." But it isn't. 90 degrees is an extra wide for many saddle brands, a double extra wide for some.
The two horses at the very top of the chart between 140-150 degrees foundered. This indicates that the horses at this width were carrying an unhealthy amount of weight. If your horse is this wide and healthy, please let us know. We would love to hear about it.
The horses at the bottom of the scale between 65-75 degrees suffer from various problems that interfere with the development of muscle growth. For a discussion of these problems, see the research on the changing horse back.

Study B: The Changing Equine Back

The first saddler-scholars to begin serious research on changes in the equine back are Carol Brett and Lesley Taylor, who implemented their findings by founding the innovative British saddle company, BALANCE International. You will learn a lot from visiting their site. Balance International proved that horses backs will lose muscle as a result of the mechanical irritation of a tree that is too narrow or panels that are too hard. Conversely, they have demonstrated over and over again that horses will gain muscle under generously roomy trees and deep, elastic panels and saddle pads. The research begun by Balance International has now been duplicated by faculty at the University of Vienna. Our research has also shown us that horses—even narrow thoroughbreds and older horses—can significantly increase the muscle across their backs under the proper conditions.

At the same time, we have discovered negative changes in the equine back that all horse owners should be aware of, namely, that many horses tend to lose dramatic amounts of bulk across the back very quickly. Consider the following three cases:

Oldenburg mare, 8 years old, 16 hands: between March and August of 2003 she lost 8 inches across her back five inches below her whither behind the shoulder.
Thoroughbred gelding, 7 years old, 16.2: between March and August of 2003 lost 5 inches across back 7 inches below the whither behind shoulder.
Thoroughbred Cross mare, 16 years old, 15.3 hands: between March and JUNE! of 2003 lost 5 inches across back 5 inches below whither behind shoulder.
Oldenburg Mare, seven years old: between April 2006 and January 2007 lost three inches across her back five inches below whither behind shoulder, after having gained that amount between June 2005 and April 2005.

Before you ask why, here is the punchline to these case studies. Not one of the owners had noticed a change in the horse's back! Not a single one. What lesson can we learn from this? The importance of keeping records. If you do not know how to measure your horse's back, call a saddle fitter in your area or contact us to check your horse's back and to teach you how to keep these important records. You already keep track of your horse's veterinary care, immunizations, worming, and farrier care. Now you can add saddling records to the list!

It should be clear from the discussion above, that horses backs can change quickly and dramatically. This why we endorse saddles with adjustable trees and adjustable saddle pads. With an adjustable tree and good solid advice from a competent saddler, you can make sure that your horse is saddled to the very best advantage.

Now, why did these horses lose width across the back so quickly? Here are some common causes of muscle and weight loss for these and other horses:

Significantly, two of the three horses above were being ridden in trees that were too snug for them. Tight, hard surfaces cause muscle loss.
One of the horses had simply gone off her feed. The owner noticed this but thought the horse would eat if she was hungry.
Two of the three horses had been off for the winter and then went into serious work for the summer. The weight loss was noticed soon after. Had their calorie intake been increased appropriately for the increased work?
Horses can lose weight when their teeth are not properly floated. The teeth do not meet to chew and release the nutrition passing through the system.
We had a very rainy summer in Pennsylvania in 2003, and many dairy farmers noticed a decrease in milk production because the cows were eating grass full of water! Could this have contributed to the weight loss of these horses? The previous summer we had no rain and no grass—and similar loss of bulk in equine backs.
Some horses have a latent lameness that can prevent them from using their bodies fully. We see this in OTTBs who have some damage in the pasterns. They are not steeple-whithered because they are thoroughbreds but because they are not really using their front ends.