I"m sure you know that nothing beats a saddle that actually fits your horse. but a poorly fitting saddle can really mess your horse up, especially a big heavy traditional western saddle. Run your fingertips along your horses topline after you unsaddle. do they flinch? do they pin their ears? do the same along their shoulder blades. feel along the withers. look for the horses reaction. do you see rub marks/broken hairs? is there swelling, or even raw/red spots? its not just cosmetic, it can throw their backs out and cause some serious long term problems. a horse who is pinched every time they stride out is not going to move for you, not to mention it just plain HURTS! there's a jillion websites and videos on line that go through saddle fit and how to assess it. of course there's tons of people who are willing to come to your barn and help too (for a price ;)) folks will sometimes make up for SMALL saddle fitting issues with pads and risers. Even my custom fit Specialized saddle sometimes doesnt fit as well as its supposed to (the joys of a geriatric horse, with his ever changing topline ). Right now we're fighting loin rubs... where the hairs are getting broken and rubbed off, but not enough to make him bruised or sore. you can spend a FORTUNE on pads that swear they'll make up for saddle fit, but dont believe it! not for big stuff, and not forever. that said, I've been super happy with my Toklat Woolback pad. its helping make up for MINOR topline variation until he gets re-muscled up. (and then I'll likely need to refit the saddle itself. oh goody! ;)). I've seen pads that claim to help in the shoulder area, and ones that claim to help for the topline. there's also the claim that if you just put enough cush on their backs, it wont matter. I'm not saying this Toklat pad will work for you, or your saddle. nor am I saying that "the right pad will make any saddle fit" (contrary to what the saddle pad salesman will tell you ;)). No pad, no matter how magical will make up for a saddle that the tree doesnt fit (ie too long for the horse, or too tight in the withers). Saddle fit, as we're hearing from other posters is a total pain in the patoot!!!!!! but its really really important if you care about being able to ride your horse long term.... hope this is helpful... |