Outdoor Sports

Poorly Fitted Saddles are Bad for Your Horse

For a horse rider, the saddle is an important piece of equipment, and yet there are many who take for granted how much of a powerful tool it can be. A correctly fitted horse back riding saddle can make a huge difference to your horse when he is ridden, allowing him to be happier and more comfortable which in turn will allow him to work correctly and perform to the best of his ability.

In the same way that we would choose a pair of shoes for a child, the saddle that we put on a horse’s back should fit perfectly, without rubbing or pinching. You wouldn’t ask a child to take part in their physical education class wearing an ill-fitting pair of shoes without expecting them to experience some discomfort. This is no different to asking horses to wear ill-fitting Horse Riding saddles.

Horses rarely remain the same shape forever, just as humans don’t. There are many reasons for this; whether they are growing or aging, not working because of an injury or coming back into shape. Often horses gain or lose weight simply due to the time of the year. With this in mind, it would be silly to think that the same horse riding saddle will fit a horse for all of its life, and yet how many of us can honestly say that we check the fit of our saddles on a regular basis?

An ill-fitting saddle can have severe effects on the horse and truly limit their performance. Soreness and bruising around the withers and along the spine are common side effects of saddles that are too narrow where they pinch the back. Over long periods of time this can cause permanent damage to the spine and back muscles. Similarly, saddles that are too wide distribute rider weight onto the wrong parts of the back, overloading sensitive areas with too much pressure, causing permanent structural damage to the spine and nerves. It could even impede the performance of the horse permanently.

Further consideration must be given to the length of the saddle. The sensitive loin area behind the saddle is not able to carry weight. Horse back riding saddles that are too long will extend onto this area. At best, this will cause pain and discomfort for the horse. At worst, it can cause muscular damage, poor muscular development or even damage to the kidneys and surrounding nerves and tissues.

In order to enable the horse to work to the best of his abilities he must be comfortable, happy and able to carry himself naturally, moving with freedom and without pain or discomfort. When pain, bruising and muscular problems are incurred over long periods of time this discomfort is likely to cause the horse to compensate for the incorrectly fitted horse riding saddle. He will carry himself incorrectly, causing muscles to develop incorrectly and further reducing his performance. If he is in pain, it is likely that he could develop some aversion to be ridden and start to display some behavioural problems. The problems caused by ill-fitting horse riding saddles don’t always display themselves straight away, and by the time that they do, the damage is already done. For the sake of your horse, and ultimately for his owner it is essential to regularly check the fit of your saddle.

About the Author

The Equine Store is packed full of great products for horse and rider, including
horse riding saddles
in standard sizes or made to measure. Please visit the shop at
www.equine-store.com
and use customer code ‘newcus01′ to receive 10% off your first order.

How-To Saddle a Horse Video: by the Certified Horsemanship Association

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