Checking the fit of your Wow saddle

Wondering if it's time to call the saddler? Here are a five handy hints and tips for checking how well your saddle is sitting.

Horses change shape all the time, as they get older, or with the seasons, or perhaps a change in work load, so it is recommended that your get your saddle checked by a Wow fitter at least every six months. However, it may be that your horse changes faster than this, particularly if you're following a rehab programme for example, or have a young horse. So it's good to keep an eye on how your saddle is sitting. 

To do a quick check, pop the saddle on without a saddle cloth or a girth, then follow the steps below to check the common places that may show that your saddle needs an adjustment.

1) First of all, make sure the saddle is sitting in the right place. It should be just over his shoulder blade, allowing the shoulder to rotate smoothly back under the saddle panel when he's moving. To check, look at the front of the saddle - where the saddle flap joins the seat. Put your hand flat on your horse's shoulder, just below his wither. If you slide your finger under the panel, the part sitting on top of the shoulder blade should only be a finger tip, up to the first joint.

2) You can also have a look at where the girth straps are lying - if you hold them against your horse's side, they should naturally line up with his girth groove, without being pulled forward or back. Handy hint here - if you use a saddle cloth with girth loops, make sure they aren't pulling the saddle's girth straps out of alignment.

3) Check that the saddle is fitting evenly along the length of your horse's back. With the saddle on, but no saddle cloth and no girth, slide your hand in-between his back and the panel all the way along the length of the saddle. It should be a nice even pressure on your hand the whole way - make sure there are no empty gaps (bridging), and no heavy points, which feel as though your hand gets stuck.

4) Have a look along the gullet of the saddle when it's on your horse's back. There should be plenty of clearance along his spine all the way to his wither. Remember, when you're sitting on the saddle it's going to squash down a bit, so there should be plenty of clearance. You can also check that it's sitting evenly - look to see if his spine is central under the gullet.

5) And, lastly but perhaps most importantly, make sure that you and your horse are comfortable. He should be happy to move forward and be relaxed in his back. You should feel balanced and stable, not tipped forward or tilted backwards.