Are western saddles harder to fit than english ?

Stormin

New Member
Jun 28, 2007
2,001
0
0
Export - GMT+1
Many people seem to be modifying the flocking in an english saddle to improve fit but what about western saddles ?
Even if you change saddle pads, can you optimise fit ?
What do you need to look out for when fitting a western saddle (apart from the width of the tree) ?

And a very odd question : are all saddlers (or the people who actually make the saddles) competent to fit them correctly, or are they just very good with a needle, thread and leather ?
 
Many people seem to be modifying the flocking in an english saddle to improve fit but what about western saddles ?
Even if you change saddle pads, can you optimise fit ?
What do you need to look out for when fitting a western saddle (apart from the width of the tree) ?

And a very odd question : are all saddlers (or the people who actually make the saddles) competent to fit them correctly, or are they just very good with a needle, thread and leather ?

Good questions!

Western saddle fitting is more 'definite' I would say. There is room for movement with an english saddle. With western the bars must mirror the horses shape, and it must be wide enough, and it must not be too long, and a few other variables, or it does not fit and no amount of padding will help (although many will argue this).

What to look out for? Well it the saddle shape underneath must mirror your horses back exactly. It is not easy getting your eye in for that. If you are seriously thinking of getting one - I would recommend testing saddles with a Port Lewis Impression Pad - if you have no good western saddle fitter nearby. The PLIP will show you what is going under the saddle.

Saddle makers certainly do not always know how to fit. I think this is also common in english saddles. :)
 
A traditional "working" saddler will know how to make most saddlery including fitting and flocking saddles and will have had alot of experience of doing so, a saddler who is making saddles may not know how to fit them if he or she is working for a company that merely makes them in a factory and then sells them onto the retailers or wholesalers. A real old fashioned working saddler had to make a saddle from scratch, entirely by hand, even making the thread and flocking the seat by hand, to fit the individual horse, sadly lacking in todays mass produced world we live in.
Oz :)
 
Thank you very much for your help and advice.
I guess I'll be joining the club of those who are pretty sure that the saddle doesn't really fit the horse ...

I have a QH, semi-retired reiner (hope to hit back on the show scene maybe next year ?) and was told that western saddles always fit quarter horses but there were 2 sizes depending on the width of the horse, half-quarter (for the regular QH) or full quarter (for the stocky bull-dog type).

In short, I have my Billy Cook pro-reiner which I love, but judging by the sweat marks after riding, I'm thinking it doesn't really fit.

Thing that worries me is that a horse's conformation can change with differing workloads (this is especially true on mine when I see the piccies of him in training and today in his field).

I was thinking of having a saddle made "to measure", I know there is a person offering this service a couple of hours from home but if he doesn't fit the saddle correctly, I'm just wasting my time and money ?
 
Last edited:
Oh yeah, forgot to add that if I could find a saddle fitter over here, it would be a miracle !
I hate to generalise but the only things that seem to matter here are the make, the colour and how much you paid for your saddle (english or western).

If you're lucky, there is a wooden stand for you to sit on the saddle to see if your bottom fits but never have I seen or heard of people going out to try the saddle on the horse.
As for Western saddles, they are generally imported from the states and sold on the saddle stands.

All saddles here are sold with the "saddle fits all horses", "one size fits all" c**p. It's the norm to have trainers with their own personal saddle which goes onto all horses' backs regardless of build. :eek: One event rider even told me that his saddle had an adjustable tree when I asked him about it ?!!

I miss England and the importance of animal comfort which cruelly seems to be missing here ...
 
Over here you would be covered by the sale of goods act, if it isn't fit for the purpose, ie it doesn't fit and gauls the horse, then you'd be able to chase the saddler who made it/sold it to you for a refund.I don't know how it works where you are but it might be worth investigating before you commit yourself to a sale.
My motto is, if it doesn't fit, you don't have it, end of story!
Oz :)
 
newrider.com