Hi Everyone,
Welcome to our next instalment on our saddlefitting series.
This week we look at horse’s top-line profiles, tree shapes in saddles and how to match the two together! If you consider that the tree within the saddle is a hard, inflexible structure that we put on our moving horse’s back with his muscles swinging and changing shape with every stride, you start to see just how important it is to match the two together as closely as possible.
Add to the mix the weight of a rider on top pressing this rigid structure down into his back and you understand how difficult a job it can be for a horse to move underneath us comfortably.
If you have ever had to do an aerobics class for an hour in a pair of badly fitting shoes or can imagine having to run a marathon in a tightly laced corset, then spare a thought for our horse trying to do a similar task with us on board!
I have put a little photo board together with some different shaped backs to give you an idea of what to look for in your own. This particular instalment has two sections with part two looking at a typical thoroughbred’s back shape.
Until next time – Happy Riding!
Typical back shapes
Click on any image to enlarge:
Croup high, low, broad withers
Medium, long withers, short back sloping down from croup to base of wither
Curvy back with short high wither and big shoulders
White hairs from previous badly fitting saddle
Dippy older pony’s back
Short, flat back
Very wide and very flat, low wither!
A-frame back shape
High wither, short back (white line indicates T18 – last rib)
Medium wither, Long back
