Hey all,

I've been hearing a lot of questions about how to tell if a saddle fits a horse.

Just a thought on the white towel test and other cut and dry "foolproof tests" ...

I think that there is a whole lot (too much actually) emphasis put on all of these "tests" to make sure a saddle fits.

To me there is a much simpler, and definitely more accurate, answer.....LISTEN TO YOUR HORSE!

Not to say that they don't work any of the time. My point is that in my experience with horses (gaited or otherwise) my horse is the biggest critic of any saddle I've used. He will let me know his comfort level no matter what.

There have been times that everything looks like it is going smoothly, but for some reason my boy doesn't like his saddle and will let me know it.

There have been other times where something hasn't looked quite right, but instead of fussing with it, I've left it alone because my boy is happy and comfortable.

One thing that isn't mentioned enough when it comes to saddle fit is the way our horses are moving. If they are moving fluidly and have a nice rolling motion, are responsive and relax, then don't fix what's not broken.

I think we all tend to make majors of minors and vice versa.

We should all just listen to our horses...they are our number one saddle critic and will let you know almost every time if anything's going on!

Louise

Trailgaiters Administration