Re: [RC] WIDE horse saddle trouble - Diane TrefethenWhile it is certainly possible that you need a wider saddle, another possibility is that over time, your daughter has been placing her saddle ever so slightly more forward so it is no longer sitting correctly on her horse. We have a subconscious inclination to place the the saddle too far forward because a) we know that the strongest part of the horse's back is just behind the withers and that the middle of his back is weaker and b) because we don't want to be riding too far back, over the horse's loins and impeding his use of his hindquarters. Here is a link that clearly demonstrates the difference between a saddle too far forward and one more correctly placed.http://www.raspberryridge.com/saddle_fitting.htm The basic rule of thumb is that you want the middle of the saddle, where you sit, to be the lowest point. Another guideline that can be clearly seen from the two pictures in the link above is that the flaps of the saddle should not be resting on the horse's shoulders. They should be at least 2-3" behind the shoulder to allow for the horse's front to move freely. It is also worth noting that when it comes to saddle fit, complaints about the FRONT of the saddle, ie width at gullet, pommel resting on withers, bridging, etc, far outnumber complaints about what the BACK of the saddle is doing. It is not unreasonable to expect that some of these complaints arise from incorrectly positioning the saddle on the horse's back rather than from the saddle itself fitting poorly. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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