FITTING YOUR SPECIALIZED SADDLE

                                      `````BUT BEFORE YOU BEGIN!!````

                                      Stand your horse up on a flat, level surface.

                      Have a second person keep the horse steady while you fit the saddle. 

     The "handler" needs to make sure all four of the horse's feet are square on the ground. 

              The head and neck need to be straight forward and kept at the height at which

                          the horse usually holds it while being ridden down the trail!

                      

                  BASIC FITTING PROCESS

1)        MAKE SURE THE SMALL TRIANGULAR SHIMS ARE IN PLACE JUST FORWARD OF THE STIRRUP LEATHERS TO FILL THE HOLLOW IN THE BAR

                               

2)        PUT  ¾” NEOPRENE PADS ON CAREFULLY.  FOLLOW THE INNER VELCRO LINE WITH INNER EDGE OF NEOPRENE PAD.  LINE UP THE FRONT OF THE NEOPRENE PAD WITH THE FRONT OF THE BARS OF THE TREE AND SNAP INTO POSITION.

                          

3.) PUT THE SADDLE ON THE HORSE (WITH NO OTHER SADDLE PAD) AND SLIDE IT BACK UNTIL THE BILLETS LINE UP WITH GIRTH GROVE. THE BARS OF THE SADDLE NEED TO BE JUST OVER THE BACK EDGE OF THE SHOULDER BLADE (SCAPULA).  THE “ROCKER” IN THE SADDLE SHOULD DROP INTO THE CURVE IN THE HORSES BACK AND BE SNUG AND STABLE (NO ROCK).--  NOTE: IF YOU DON’T HAVE ENOUGH WITHER CLEARANCE, YOU NEED THICKER NEOPRENE PADS.  WHEN ON BOARD THE HORSE YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 1"OF WITHER CLEARANCE FROM POMMEL.--

4.) PUT YOUR HAND ON THE MIDDLE OF THE SADDLE SEAT AND PRESS DOWN WITH 5-10# OF PRESSURE.  WITH THIS PRESSURE, START CHECKING THE SADDLE FOR FIT:

A)     PLACE A SMALL FLASHLIGHT UNDER THE BACK OF THE SADDLE.  THEN LOOK  DOWN THE BARS FROM THE FRONT.  THE EDGE OF THE NEOPRENE PAD SHOULD MEET THE SURFACE OF THE HORSE’S BACK.  IF  IT DOES NOT, YOU HAVE BRIDGING.  IF YOU DO HAVE BRIDGING, YOU MUST EITHER FILL THE SPACE WITH AN APPROPRIATE SHIM OR MOVE THE NEOPRENE PADS UP OR DOWN UNTILL THE SPACE IS FILLED.

5.) WALK AROUND ENTIRE HORSE TAKING NOTE OF ANY SPACE UNDER   

THE BARS WHERE THE SADDLE  IS NOT MAKING CONTACT WITH THE HORSE’S  BACK. 

A.) USE YOUR FINGERS TO PUSH THE NEOPRENE PAD GENTLY

AGAINST THE HORSE.  WHAT SIZE SPACE IS NOW BETWEEN THE NEOPRENE PAD AND THE BAR OF THE TREE? TRY TO VISSUALIZE WHAT SIZE AND SHAPE OF SHIM IS NEEDED TO JUST FILL THE SPACE.

OFTEN AT THE LOINS, WE SEE A 3/8”GAP.  USE A 3/8” WEDGE SHIM TO FILL THE SPACE.

6.) TAKE THE SADDLE OFF AND TURN IT UP SIDE DOWN.  REMOVE THE NEOPRENE PADS.  THEN CUT AND PLACE YOUR SHIMS IN ALL THE SPACES YOU NOTED THAT NEEDED FILLING.  STICK THESE SHIMS TO THE VELCRO ON THE BARS ON THE TREE.  WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED, PUT THE NEOPRENE PADS BACK ON, AS IN STEP #2.  THEN PUT THE SADDLE BACK ON THE HORSE AND RE-CHECK THE FIT. WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED, YOU SHOULD NOT FIND ANY SPACES BETWEEN THE SADDLE AND THE HORSE!

7.) NOW IT IS TIME TO PUT YOUR THIN SADDLE PAD ON THE HORSE.  PUT YOUR SADDLE ON AND GIRTH IT UP.  GO FOR A GOOD RIDE AND WORK UP A SWEAT!  THEN CHECK YOUR SWEAT PATTERN.  IT SHOULD BE EVEN THROUGH OUT THE BARS.

                   SOME ADDITIONAL FITTING TIPS

1)   JUST THE FRONT 1/3 OF THE NEOPRENE PADS SHOULD BE MOVED UP OR DOWN TO GAIN OR SUBTRACT WIDTH AT THE SHOULDERS.

2)   DIFFERENT THICKNESS PADS CAN ALSO BE USED TO GAIN OR SUBTRACT WIDTH.  NEOPRENE PADS ARE AVAILABLE IN  ½”,  ¾”,  1”. AND 1 ¼” WIDTHS.

3)   MANY HORSES HAVE ONE SHOULDER THAT IS LARGER THAN THE OTHER.  TO ACCOMMODATE THIS, YOU CAN EASILY USE A REGULAR FARRIERS RASP TO FILE AWAY SOME OF THE PAD OVER THE LARGER SHOULDER AREA SO THAT IT FITS AND THE SADDLE IS BALANCED.

4)   YOU CAN USE A SHARP PAIR OF SCISSORS OR A RAZOR KNIFE TO BEVEL THE EDGES OF THE SHIMS THAT YOU HAVE USED TO GET A BETTER AND MORE GRADUATED FIT.

                                   PHOTOS OF SHIM SET-UPS 

                    FOR DIFFERENT TYPE BACKS

1.     A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF HORSES HAVE A SHIM-PAD

       SET UP SIMILAR TO THIS CONFIGURATION

1.  

2.THESE SHIMS AND PADS ARE SET UP FOR A DIPPY-BACKED HORSE:

2.     

3.THESE SHIMS AND PADS ARE SET UP FOR A FLAT-BACKED

HORSE:

3.