Buying a horse saddle

[Toast]

How do I go about buying a saddle(Western)? How do you make sure you get the right fit when you buy a new saddle? Do you just have to bring it home and try it on your horse to be sure? Do you measure their back? I tried google but it wasn't very helpful. Thanks!

[SaveMe]

Hey there. I too am into horses. Mostly english riding but still. I find western saddles tend to be very general. However you should measure the horse.

To Measure your horse you need a flex-i-curve (which you can find at an office supply store in the drafting tools) or a piece of heavy coated 1/2" electrical wire, about 2' long. You'll also need a piece of cardboard or a piece of heavy stock paper. With this device you can make a form of your horses back with little expense. This will give a knowledgeable tack shop owner or employee a pretty good idea how your horse is shaped and help you in finding the right fit.

I read that on a site, I personally have never heard of anyone doing it but it could help

Some stores will allow you to take the saddle home, same with if you're purchasing it off of someone else. Do you know how to tell if it fits? If not I'll tell you

First off, put a saddle pad, and the saddle on your horses back. Tighten the girth or cinch, whichever you like to call it, so its nice and snug. but still comfortable. Make sure you have at least three fingers between the pommel and the horses withers. Then have someone sit in the saddle with there feet in the stirrups. Once the rider is on, check the pommel and make sure it is still atleast three fingers away from the withers. Next examin the width of the saddle tree and shape compared to the horses back. On a narrow back with high withers the tree shouldn't be too wide. Place your fingers (flat hand) between the saddle and top of the top of the horses shoulder to detirimin the width of the tree. If the fit is too tight and you can't squeeze your fingers between the top of the horses shoulder and the tree, the tree is too wide for your horse. If you can put a whole hand there, the tree is too narrow for your horse. However if your two fingers fit and all seems good maybe lunge the horse with someone on and not on it for a few minutes.

Hope this helped!

[TheLittleNinja]

I'm not sure if it's possible in Canada - but in the UK you can have people come out and measure the horse and then show you suitable saddles. They can then measure the horse whilst they're there - you pick a saddle design of your choice, and then they come back to you with a saddle of that design made for your horse.

Maybe even asking another horse owner that you know to come and look could help?