Page 553 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

Now place your hand so that your fingers are underneath the seat of the saddle as far
• forward as possible. Run your palm backwards along the horse’s back under the panels to

VetBooks.ir check that the pressure is even. Any blockages, or absence of contact will lead to
pressure points for the horse.

• With the girths done up, the back of the saddle should not be lifted easily from the

horse’s back.
• Next stand back and check the balance and symmetry of the saddle sitting on the horse.

The seat should be horizontal and not tip uphill or downhill (Figure 12.13). Saddles that
tip backwards concentrate the weight of the rider at the back of the saddle and may cause

bruising and pressure sores; saddles that tip forwards may be too wide.
• The rider should now mount from a mounting block and the fitting and balance of the

saddle are checked again. The rider should sit centrally and not be tipped forwards or
backwards. Any reaction from the horse should be noted.

• With the rider in place, the clearance of the gullet should be checked. This should be
sufficiently wide (approximately 8 cm [3 in]) and deep so that there is good clearance of

the dorsal spinous processes of the horse’s vertebrae. However, if the gullet is too wide
there may be insufficient clearance and the weight will not be spread evenly over the

strongest back muscles on either side of the midline.
• The gap between the pommel and the withers should still accommodate 3 fingers.

• If all is well, the horse should be observed working at walk, trot and canter. If a jumping

saddle is being purchased, the horse should be seen going over a couple of fences. A
well-fitted saddle will stay in balance and not rock from side to side. It must not interfere

with movement of the shoulders.
• When the saddle is removed, the sweat or dust pattern should be symmetrical on either

side of the horse’s back.
• There are sophisticated tools such as pressure-measuring pads which record the pressure

exerted on the horse’s back from the saddle. These are used for research purposes in the

development of new saddles and also for assessing the saddle comfort with individual
problem horses.