Finding hte right saddle for your hrose

September Newsletter- Saddle Fitting for Gaited Horses.

Due to the many different shapes of gaited horses one of the hardest things to do with them is find a comfortable fitting saddle. Just because the saddles says it’s a gaited horse saddle doesn’t mean that it will fit a gaited horse. The horse’s gaits transfer shock through the loins and back into the saddle which while the saddle may look like it fits while its standing could be pinching the horses back and be causing soring.
A rigid tree rarely is a good fit. When a horse is gaiting, every hoof moves opposite of the other. This calls for lots of flexibility in the back and shoulders. A rigid tree restricts the horses amount of flexibility and can cause not only discomfort as well as restrictions of there gait. Another problem of a ill- fitting saddle is that it can cause pressure points on the horses back. Fat Saddle pads can make the fit to tight and blankets really should never be used without a good cushion beneath.
Since few saddles ever fit perfectly it is apparent that some type of cushioning is needed to prevent pressure points. I suggest the Bob Marshall Skito pad which provides a gel cushioning that is much like the memory foam mattresses. The pad absorbs most of the shock from the horse before it enters the saddle allowing for a smoother ride.
Another good type of saddle for gaited horses is a flex tree saddle. These saddles are nice because they form to the horses back after time. The cons of these saddles are that it takes a few months of solid riding to get them to fit well on the horse. An example of this is that if you buy a flex tree saddle with a very narrow tree for a wide horse the horse will be riding uncomfortably for a few months.
Your best bet when shopping for a saddle for your gaited horse is a treeless Saddle. I own a Bob Marshall Deluxe Trail Treeless Saddle which I can use on all three of my Tennessee Walking horses. One of my horses is built with a long back and high shoulders. The other is very stocky and is built like a quarter horses and fits in a wide English saddle. And my last one is a 16.2Hh with massive shoulders a short high set back and long sloping quarters. All of these horse use the same saddle and have been for the past 3 years. The saddle is extremely comfortable and I have used it in 4+ hour trail rides.
If you do happen to buy a rigid tree saddle I would suggest a paragon endurance saddle. The saddle is more of an all- around style saddle and I have gone on trail rides as well as jumped in it.

Hope this has helped you in your long search for the perfect saddle. I have links below that you can use for references. Also I bought my Bob Marshall on eBay but at the website you can get a custom built saddle.

http://www.treelesssaddle.com/
http://www.treelesssaddle.com/trailsaddles.html
http://www.treelesssaddle.com/skitopads.html