How to measure a horse saddle

How do you determine saddle size?

Measuring your Saddle Seat Size

1. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground so that your knees are bent at a 45-degree angle. Be sure your buttocks are touching the back of the chair.
2. Take a measuring tape and run it along your thigh bone, measuring from the end of your knee to the backside of your buttocks.

How do you measure a horse saddle width?

align a measuring tape across your hanger, 3 inches under the angle of the withers. The distance between each side of the hanger will be your horse’s gullet width. To compare a western saddle to your horse’s width, view your saddle from the front.

How are English saddles measured?

Tip: The saddle seat size of an English saddle is measured in inches from either of the nail heads or brads on each side of the pommel to the middle of the cantle.

How do you measure a child for a saddle?

In order to measure the length of their upper leg, you need to measure from their knee to their backside. The length of the upper leg is one of the main factors in determining what size saddle your child needs. You want to choose a saddle size that is about 10% longer than your child’s upper leg.

How do you tell if your saddle doesn’t fit your horse?

Here are six signs to watch for which could indicate that your saddle doesn’t fit your horse.

1. Pressure On Your Horse’s Withers. …
2. Sore Back. …
3. Unevenness From Front to Back. …
4. Extra Movement. …
5. Uneven Sweat Marks. …
6. Poor Horse Behavior.

What width saddle do I need?

Scientists have measured sit bone spacing for large populations. On average, men’s sit bone width ranges between 100mm – 140mm (give or take a few mm to round), and women’s range between 110mm – 150mm.

What is a gullet on a saddle?

Unfortunately, no standards for gullet measurements exist within the saddle industry. … The gullet is the tunnel underneath the fork and rides over the horse’s withers. The design of the fork and the angle of the bars of the saddle tree determine the width and height of the gullet.

How do you measure the gullet width of an English saddle?

The strip of unpadded leather running down the center of your saddle is called the gullet. On either side of the gullet you will find the panels of your saddle. On the front of each panel there are four felt dots. Measure the distance between the two felt dots closest to the gullet.

How do you fit a saddle to a rider?

Place the saddle on the horse’s bare back without a pad. There should be two to three fingers space between the top of the wither and the gullet of the saddle. If you can vertically fit your whole hand between the bottom of the gullet and the wither, the tree is probably too narrow.

What size saddle flap do I need?

Flap length: Flaps should be long enough so that you don’t catch the bottom of the flap with your boot top and short enough to allow plenty of lower leg contact. This is usually about 3” below the crease behind your knee. 1. Profile photos of you mounted on the demo saddle are helpful.

What size English saddle does my child need?

Upper leg length measurement: If a child’s leg length is 9 inches, then saddle should be of 10 inches. If the child’s upper leg length is 11 inches, then the saddle size should be of 12 inches.

What size is a pony saddle?

Meant to fit horses up to about 14 hands high, pony saddles are usually made to fit children and small statured adults. With shorter stirrup leathers or fenders, smaller stirrups, and of course, smaller seats, they look like diminutive versions of their larger, horse-sized counterparts.