Lately I have received a lot of saddle inquiries about fitting a horse with very prominent withers and or a curvy/scoopy back for riders with a limited budget. As unfair as it seems, some horses are easier and cheaper to make comfortable than others!For the horse like my Oskar, it is very important to give the withers, shoulders and spine plenty of support.
This support needs to come in the form of panel support, meaning a k-panel a trapezius panel or a drop panel, ideally combined with a front gusset of some kind. This deep front panel serves to lift the front of the saddle up off the withers and scapula. The panels
allow the horse room to lift his back without being restricted by the saddle. These panels allow us to fit the horse with a tree wide enough to fit around the withers and shoulders while still providing adequate wither clearance.
The support also needs to come from the tree itself. The tree needs to have enough space in the pommel arch for the back to lift at the base of the wither. If the tree is too close to the spine here, it can pinch the horse and cause pain and muscle atrophy along
with other problems. Some saddle trees are designed for horses with a flatter back, from front to back and from side to side. Some are designed for horses with more scoop, with taller withers and a dip at the base. At Trumbull Mountain, we work with Black Country among other brands. In dressage saddles the Black Country Eloquence is designed for a horse with a flatter back while the Eden is their scoopier tree. When I get a saddle inquiry for a horse with bigger withers and a dippy/scoopy back this is the saddle I ideally like to start with. Obviously not everyone is in the market for a new high end saddle so many times we need to try to fit these more challenging horses without using our tried and true standbys. Unfortunately it is often difficult to find a saddle that fits these requirements on a limited budget. Often, people try to accommodate the horse’s large withers by putting a narrower saddle on the horse thinking that they want the saddle to sit above the withers. This approach can help to make room for the withers, at the top, but more often thanNot, it will pinch the withers and the shoulders further down. Additionally, if the tree itself is too straight the saddle will often sit up over the withers and tilt back towards the cantle so that there is a space/bridging at the base of the wither and too much pressure at the back of the saddle. In this instance, the rider will feel like they are sliding backwards and maybe sitting in a chair seat. The pommel often feels uncomfortable and the rider will have trouble finding a stable leg position. The horse will often have pinching at the wither and shoulder and too much pressure at the back of the panel which will result in muscle soreness.
So here is the million dollar question; how do you fit a horse like Oskar on a budget? In my opinion, it is possible. The first step is finding a tree that is scoopy enough to match the general shape of the horse’s back. This saddle will need to have enough wither definition to follow the profile of the horse’s wither and spine. Next it is important to find a saddle that is wide enough to fit around the horse’s scapula so that the tree points are not digging in to the top of the shoulders. At this stage, I do not worry about wither clearance. If anything, I want a saddle that is a bit too wide here rather than borderline narrow. The saddle may sit right down close to the wither at this stage and that is fine. Next , I look to build up the “panels” with the use of shim/correction pads. At Trumbull Mountain, we carry both Mattes and Thinline correction pads. We have also recently added the more economical ECP half correction pad.
These brands feature pads with 4 pockets for shims; two in the front and two in the back. The shims can be stacked, if necessary with multiple shims in each pocket. This allows us to add panel support lift the saddle up off the spine and over the wither by effectivelymaking the panels deeper. Additionally if you are using multiple shims it is possible to trim the shims so that they taper towards the transition in the middle of the panels allowing us to make a smooth panel without a sharp drop off. This smooth “panel”creates an even distribution of weight on the back. These pads are not cheap, they are over $100, (the ECP runs about $50.00), each but they can drastically improve the fit of a saddle.Pads like these can make all the difference in making horses like Oskarcomfortable with or without buying a new saddle. If you have a horse like Oskar and are on a budget, remember it is always better to start with a saddle that is too wide, that way you can always add a pad. The worst mistake you can make in fitting this type of horse is to put them in something too narrow, they will end up uncomfortable or worse. Yes it is important for the horse to have adequate wither clearance but the withers extend far beyond the top 2”, especially on a horse of this type. The saddle needs to adequately clear the whole wither and provide room for full shoulder rotation. This often means fitting these horses wider than the top 1/3 of the wither would have you initially think. Last, do not be afraid of pads! The correct pads can be very useful in achieving a good saddle fit!