Western Saddle Fitting Tips

Properly fitting a western saddle to both horse and rider ensures an enjoyable riding experience for both. A poorly fit saddle encourages poor behaviors and habits in horses, thus making riding less enjoyable for the rider and more strenuous on the horse. Each saddle manufacturer uses slightly different specifications, and saddles change as they age. Knowledge of proper saddle fitting techniques and terminology, as well as measuring points, makes saddle selection easier and better for both horse and rider.

  1. Western Saddle Terminology

    • The pommel and horn sit at the front of the saddle, just above the gullet. The saddle tree is the basic frame of the saddle, with bars along the edges from front to back that form the basic saddle shape. The length and angle of the bars determines the size of the saddle skirt, the back area of the saddle behind the stirrups and under the seat. Fenders are the flap of leather that hangs down between the stirrups and the horse. The girth is the belt-like strap used to fasten a saddle to the horse. To fit a western saddle, riders need to understand how the gullet, saddle tree and bars, and skirt factor into saddle fit.

    How Western Saddles Should Fit

    • When placed on a horse's back, a western saddle should sit just behind the shoulders, with enough room under the gullet to fit two or more fingers. The saddle skirt should sit just above the back hips without rubbing when the horse walks. When placed on the horse's back, the saddle should sit level. The saddle sides under the fenders and stirrups should sit evenly along the horse's sides.

    Saddle Sizes for the Rider

    • Shopping for a saddle involves a myriad of measurements, including seat size and tree size, as well as cinch or girth size. Seat sizes apply to the rider only and range from 12 to 17, representing the measurement from pommel to cantle, the raised portion of the saddle behind where the rider sits. Generally, seat sizes under 14 are youth sizes. There should be at least 3 to 4 inches between the pommel and the rider's body, without pushing the rider too tightly against the cantle.

    Saddle Sizes for the Horse

    • Girth sizes represent inches from the end of one ring to the end of the other. Girths or cinches range in size from 14 to 50 inches in two-inch increments. To determine cinch size, measure the entire barrel of the horse with a tape measure, roughly where the saddle will sit and be tied down. Divide by 2 and subtract 3, using the lowest even number closest to the result for a cinch size.

      To determine tree size, reference the "bars" listed for each saddle. This measurement is the gullet width, or width of the tree from one side bar to the other. Generally, regular and semi bars list 6 inches or under, full bars between 6-1/4 and 6-1/2 inches, and extra wide or Arabian bars between 6-3/4 to 7 inches. The wider the horse, the bigger the tree and higher the bar measurement needed.