does your saddle fit?
I have done a lot of searching on saddles and saddle fitting. I have been trying to purchase the right saddle for my new horse, mainly because I decided to take up hunt seat to improve my riding abilities. There is a lot of information to go thru and can be confusing. But I am one to keep going, taking things a step at a time. I will try to make this easier for those of you who are interested in learning saddle fitting. Look at the saddle above. See how the deepest part the seat (the area where your seat bones will sit squarely on the saddle) is at its lowest point. Start there in evaluating whether or not your saddle fits your horse. This will show you that the saddle is sitting level on your horse. Next, drop your stirrup leathers and measure the distance from the stirrup bar and the center of the seat. There should be 6 to 7 inches in distance. Make sure your horse is standing square when you do this. An improper fitting saddle can bridge causing soreness in your horses back or causing you to tilt throwing you off balance. Bridging is when the panel is not contoured to fit the shape of the horses back.
Make sure your saddle is level
Now, run your hand along the gusset of the saddle feeling for gaps or pressure points. You want your saddle to be level and sitting smoothly on your horses back. This is one way to also check for bridging in case you can’t see it right away. You can always have flocking added to your saddle. Wool flocking is best to use and lasts longer, whereas foam flocking has a tendency to wear out quicker.
Saddle is far enough back.
It may be difficult to see here, but look for and feel for the large muscle at the withers over the scapula. Your saddle bars need to be directly behind this muscle to allow for freedom of movement. Putting the saddle on this muscle can cause your horse to be sore and restrict his performance. Check for the movement range in this muscle by marking where the muscle ends when your horse is standing square and where it ends when you stretch your horse’s leg out in front of him. This will give you the best indication of how far back to put the saddle.
Next look at how the gullet fits at the withers. You should be able to get three fingers in between the gullet and your horses withers. If you can’t chances are the saddle is too wide for the horse. However, if the gullet is too high, as in four or more fingers the saddle could be too narrow. Most english saddles for women should have a narrow twist, for men a wide twist. 
However, if, like my horse who has very high withers, I will need a half pad or theraputic pad to raise the gullet off the withers. The saddle is a good fit everywhere else, she just has exceptionally high withers. As you can see with an added pad I get the correct distance in the gullet for this particular horse. By the way, we can’t all buy a saddle for each horse we own and many times have to use the same saddle on different horses. So adding a half pad can help tremendously in this situation. Another detail to look for when checking out saddles is to make sure that the tree has not been twisted. Put the saddle on your knee looking at it from the front and see if you can detect a twist. If the nails on the outside are parallel then it probably isn’t twisted.
Although it may be difficult to see from this pic, you want to look at your saddle from the back and be able to see light all the way through. This is a good way to check for the gullet width and thickness. You want the gullet to be wide enough to NOT sit on the horses spine or to be touching it at all. You should be able to get at least three fingers between the narrowest part of the gullet. Turn your saddle over and look at it from beneath. Some saddle gullets will be wider at the pommel and narrow slightly through the middle then get wider again at the cantle. Some won’t, depending on the brand. Pressure on your horses spine and ligament that runs down his back next to the spine can cause soreness.
One you are sure your saddle fits your horse, go out and take a ride to see how the saddle fits you. You should be able to stand up in the saddle and balance without feeling you are tilting forward or back. This means your saddle is balanced. There is a little more to it than this and you can always hire a saddle fitter to be sure you have the right saddle for you and your horse. But these are the basics and I think will help you a great deal if you are unsure.
Why is it so important to have a properly fitting saddle? Comfort, soundness and performance. You want to get the best out of your horse and not be riding wondering why your horses ears are back, why he/she doesn’t move forward, etc. Sore back horses are never much fun to ride. Remember, just because a saddle fits one horse doesn’t mean it fits all horses. Be sure to check the saddle bars also so they aren’t pinching his back. Have a pleasant ride and watch for more blogs on fitting western and gaited horses.