How to Tell If a Saddle Has Full Bars or Quarter Bars

So you have a new horse...and now you find that your old saddle doesn't quite fit correctly. The new animal gets sores or white hairs or the saddle doesn't sit well over its withers. You scratch your head and then realize, "ah-ha": the problem literally rests in the bars, the angled part of the saddle that fits across the horse's withers. So you trot off to the local saddle shop to look for another, better-fitting saddle. However, to your dismay, you find that each saddle-maker defines the bar width differently. Not to fear, however; with a little practice, you can identify whether the saddle in question has full, quarter, or even semi-quarter bars, as well as which one is perfect for your new equine friend.

Things You'll Need

  • Saddles (English or Western)
  • Measuring tape
  • Digital camera (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a saddle or tack shop with a good variety of saddles available. Set two of the saddles next to each other so that the pommel (the raised front part) faces you.

    • 2

      Closely examine the angle of the hollow section of the raised part. If they are both the same, or nearly the same, angle, pair one with another saddle until you have two saddles next to each other with differently angled hollow sections. The saddle with a wider angle has either semi-quarter or full quarter bars and the one with a narrower angle has either semi-quarter or quarter bars.

    • 3

      Measure the width of the gullet (hollow opening) of each of several using the tape measure. If any of them are 7 inches wide, they have full (quarter) bars. Saddles with regular quarter bars will be less than 7 inches wide because they are normally made to fit narrower-backed horses.

    • 4

      Look--keeping that full quarter saddle in mind--for a saddle with narrower angles under the pommel. Find another with either wider or narrower angles. When you find a saddle between the narrowest and the widest angles, you have found a semi-quarter-barred saddle.

    • 5

      Take pictures of the pommel part of several different saddles. After printing the pictures, compare the angles of the hollow part of the pommel, identifying each as quarter-, semi-quarter-, or full-quarter-barred.