Getting your horse’s saddle checked regularly is important for both the horse’s well-being and your riding experience says Ian Taft, Society of Master Saddlers Qualified Saddle fitter and here’s why:
1. Comfort and Health of Your Horse
Poor saddle fit can cause pain: An ill-fitting saddle can pinch nerves, create pressure points, or rub against the horse’s back, leading to soreness, bruising, or even long-term damage like muscle atrophy.
Behavioral issues: Discomfort from a bad saddle fit can lead to bucking, rearing, refusing to move forward, ear pinning, or general resistance.
Performance impact: If your horse is uncomfortable, it won’t move freely or use its back properly, which can limit its range of motion and ability to perform.
2. Changes in Your Horse’s Body
Horses' bodies change over time due to:
Age bringing changes in muscle tone and your horses range of movement as arthritic or other conditions take hold.
Fitness levels are directly related to muscle tone and the muscle to fat ratio varies depending on activity levels and work regimes.
Weight gain or loss having a direct effect on size particulary back, shoulder and wither areas as well as girthing requirements.
Muscle development from training, muscle bulk can be increased or reduced where muscle wastage is involved, or where horses are, or become asymmetric, especially if unevenly balanced training routines are adopted such as working on one rein more than the other, many retired racehorses are weak to the right having raced always to the left creating a dominant side which is used in preference to the weaker side. Riders sometimes ride longer on the more comfortable rein when they need to be doing more on the weaker rein to strengthen the horse on that side even if it is less comfortable riding. Remembering to work as a human would in a gym resting often and only extending the time period of the activity as the horse is able to cope for longer periods so that muscles are not overly stressed.
A saddle that fits perfectly six months ago might now be putting uneven pressure on your horse’s back, this is because the saddle could start tipping forwards if the front of the saddle has too much room, or the saddle starts tipping back if the front of the saddle does not drop onto the shoulder (with clearance) as it used to if it becomes too tight due to skeletal or muscle growth and weight gain involving fat ratio increases.
3. Your Comfort and Balance
A poorly fitting saddle can affect your position, balance, and effectiveness as a rider, this is because your position has been changed due to slipping to one side, leaning forwards from the vertical, or leaning back from the vertical due to saddle imbalance or saddle panel changes, not forgetting some horses uneven gait that shifts the saddle which needs investigation as to why and how that can be overcome.
If the saddle tilts or rocks, it can put strain on your own back, hips, or knees.
4. Saddle Wear and Tear
Over time, the flocking (stuffing) inside the saddle compresses or shifts, even if the horse’s shape hasn’t changed, and this needs additional flocking or flocking redistribution.
Tree damage, stretched billets, or worn panels can go unnoticed without professional inspection.
5. Preventing Costly Vet Bills
Catching and correcting saddle issues early can help prevent expensive medical problems like:
Kissing spines
SI (sacroiliac) joint dysfunction
Chronic back pain
Skin sensitivity and soreness
How Often Should You Check?
Ideally: For used saddles every 6–12 months by a qualified saddle fitter, but for new saddles within 3 months of starting the new saddles use, to ensure flocked saddles can be topped up with additional flocking due to settlement or movement of the new flocking.
Checking saddles more often if:
Your horse is in heavy training, as with anything the more you work something, the shorter the time to the next service interval.
You’ve changed your riding discipline, this can bring changes in your horses shape and muscle development affecting saddle fit.
The horse has gained or lost condition, a direct impact on saddle fit if work levels or the feeding regime changes, or after a period of illness bringing a loss of condition.
You notice behavioral or performance changes, horses either suffer stoically with silence, or have violent reaction to saddle or other discomfort issues, having a well fitting saddle means that the quite ones are protected from the likelihood they are going to live with pain or discomfort during ridden work, as some are too generous to complain. Horses that show their discontent and react badly are often misread as just being naughty and are quickly given punishment for bad behaviour, and that again is a failing by the human to read what is actually going on, and in doing so, not correctly protecting their equine who is trying to tell you something and so we must be aware of this.