How to Measure a Horse When Buying Horse Tack

To make sure that your horse's tack fits properly, you should measure your horse to determine the proper size for a saddle (western or English), bridle and bit before buying tack or using another horse's tack. Ill-fitting tack can cause injury to both the horse and the rider. Some horses may even behave badly or perform poorly when the tack does not fit properly and comfortably.

Things You'll Need

  • Ruler
  • String
  • Wire
  • Large piece of paper
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Instructions

  1. Saddle Measuring

    • 1

      Use a piece of wire to determine the shape of your horse's back and the correct width of the tree of the saddle, which is the base that sits on the horse's back.

    • 2

      Find the top edge of your horse's shoulder blade. Starting three inches behind the shoulder blade, bend the wire tightly over the withers and down the side of his other shoulder. This will form an inverted V that shows the width across his shoulders.

    • 3

      Trace the shape of the wire on a piece of paper. This is the width of the tree needed for a properly fitted saddle.

    • 4

      Use a second piece of wire to determine the shape of the horse's back along the spine. Start by placing the wire at the same point where the first wire crossed over the top of the horse's withers, then extend the wire along his spine toward his tail.

    • 5

      Trace the shape of the wire on the same piece of paper you used for the saddle tree. These two tracings will provide a fairly accurate image of the shape and size of the saddle needed to properly fit your horse, whether you need a western or an English saddle. You can take the tracings with you when trying to find the right saddle.

    Bit Measuring

    • 6

      Use a string to measure from one corner of the horse's mouth to the other. Tie a knot at one end of the string.

    • 7

      Position the string in the horse's mouth with the knot at one side. Mark the point on the string where it touches the other side of the horse's mouth.

    • 8

      Measure the string from the knot to where you marked it. Choose a bit that is ¾ inch wider than this measurement.

    • 9

      Evaluate the amount of space in the hard palate of the horse's mouth. This will determine the thickness of the bit. The mouthpiece of the bit shouldn't take up more than half of the space between the bars and the horse's hard palate.

    Bridle Measuring

    • 10

      Use the string to measure the distance of your horse's forehead from one side to the other at the hollow at the top of the horse's head between the ears; add 1 to 2 inches to this measurement. This will give you the width of the browband if you choose to have one on your bridle. For a proper fit, you should be able to get two fingers between the forehead and the browband.

    • 11

      Measure with the string the distance around the horse's nose just above the muzzle. Add 1 to 2 inches to this measurement to account for being able to fit two fingers between the horse's nose and the noseband.

    • 12

      Use the string to measure the distance from the top of the head at the poll---the area between the ears---down under the horse's chin and back up to the poll on the other side. This is the measurement for the throatlatch, which isn't fitted as snuggly to the horse. You should allow enough room so that your fist can fit between the horse's jaw and the throatlatch.

    • 13

      Take the string and measure the distance from one side of the lips (behind the chin) to the other side of the lips. This is the measurement for the curb chain. Add 1 to 2 inches so you are able to fit two fingers between the chain and the horse's chin.

    • 14

      Measure with the string the length of the head from the poll to the lips. This will give you the length of the headstall through the cheekpieces to the bit. Bridles are fitted with buckles where the headstall and cheekpieces are joined, so this part of the bridle can be adjusted. Adjust the bridle to the desired length.