How to Measure a Horse for a Gullet on a Saddle

A well-fitting saddle is vital to the comfort of both horse and rider. The gullet of a saddle provides clearance for the horse's spine, and keeps the rider's weight off this sensitive area. A gullet that's too narrow will pinch the horse's back, and one that's too wide will allow the saddle to sink onto the withers (the bony ridge at the base for the horse's neck). Horses are measured differently for Western and English saddles, and different manufacturers have different measurement criteria, so always try a saddle on your horse rather than buying one based on measurements alone.

Things You'll Need

  • Flexicurve or piece of thick wire
  • Sticky labels
  • Pen
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Instructions

  1. English Saddles

    • 1

      Locate your horse's shoulder blade. If your horse is large-framed this may not be obvious, so lift a foreleg toward you and move it up and down until you can see the movement of the shoulder. Place your hand on the back of the shoulder blade, move it back 2 inches and travel up the horse's body until you reach its back.

    • 2

      Place the flexicurve or wire over the horse's back in the area you've pinpointed, and bend it into shape. English saddles are measured from D-ring to D-ring across the front of the saddle, and come in narrow, medium, wide and extra-wide. The measurement you've taken will correspond to one of these.

    • 3

      Label each end of the wire so that you know which side of the horse was which. This will help you see if the horse's back muscles are even, and the saddler can take this into account when choosing a saddle for you.

    • 4

      Place the saddle on the horse's back and have a rider mount. Place your hand between the front of the saddle and the horse's back. There should be room for your to slide your hand under with no pinching.

    Western Saddles

    • 5
      Western saddles are built on a less rigid frame than English saddles.

      Locate the horse's shoulder blade, and measure across the top of the withers using a flexicurve. The width of Western saddles is described in "bars," with the narrowest width being "regular bars" and the widest being "extra-wide bars." The fit of a Western saddle is more relaxed than that of an English saddle.

    • 6

      Take the flexicurve to a saddler and check it against different sizes and makes of saddle. Hold the curve up across the width of the front of the saddle so that it fits into the gullet under the saddle horn.

    • 7

      Place the chosen saddle on the horse's back and have a rider mount. Make sure that you can fit two to four fingers between the top of the horse's withers and the top of the gullet. Any more clearance than this and the saddle will rock; any less and it will pinch.