# Interesting page about measuring saddle tree widths



## kerilli (19 February 2011)

http://equineink.com/2010/02/21/what-size-is-that-tree/

hope you find it as useful as i did.


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## digitalangel (19 February 2011)

ooh i just love this stuff- thanks kerelli!


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## Woodykat (19 February 2011)

Really interesting - I'd love to train as a saddler/saddle fitter so anything like this is great


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## bigboyrocky (19 February 2011)

very informative  i found a video the other day on saddle fitting, the horses back, pressure points etc and was absoloutly intrigued!


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## Woodykat (19 February 2011)

bigboyrocky said:



			very informative  i found a video the other day on saddle fitting, the horses back, pressure points etc and was absoloutly intrigued!
		
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oooh was it online? if so, could you post the link? or by video do you mean proper old school type?


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## Ginn (19 February 2011)

And this is why the width of the gullet is sooo important.... It amazes me why saddles are measured by their width and not their angle. The "width" should describe the gullet channel. It explains why high withered horses so often have saddles that are too "narrow" (as actually their shape usually requires a "wider" fit but it is assumed that to clear the wither and the illusion of "narrowness" that a high wither creates they should be fitted with a saddle that 9/10 is actually too narrow!). Conversely no/low withered horses are often fitted with a saddle that is too "wide" as often people believe that too much clearance of the wither is a bad thing - often what they require is a narrower angle and a wider gullet.

For example my TB is now an XW (and still growing) but most saddlers want her fitted in a med-narrow because there isn't much too her and she has a high wither....

IMO a horse should be measured for a saddle with its wither removed from the judgement until after the "width" (tree angle) has been decided.


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## MegaBeast (19 February 2011)

fascinating, thank you for sharing


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## Woodykat (19 February 2011)

Ginn said:



			And this is why the width of the gullet is sooo important.... It amazes me why saddles are measured by their width and not their angle. The "width" should describe the gullet channel. It explains why high withered horses so often have saddles that are too "narrow" (as actually their shape usually requires a "wider" fit but it is assumed that to clear the wither and the illusion of "narrowness" that a high wither creates they should be fitted with a saddle that 9/10 is actually too narrow!). Conversely no/low withered horses are often fitted with a saddle that is too "wide" as often people believe that too much clearance of the wither is a bad thing - often what they require is a narrower angle and a wider gullet.

For example my TB is now an XW (and still growing) but most saddlers want her fitted in a med-narrow because there isn't much too her and she has a high wither....

IMO a horse should be measured for a saddle with its wither removed from the judgement until after the "width" (tree angle) has been decided.
		
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I completely agree - my TB is a MW and has been a pain to fit a saddle for due to big shoulders but also a dip behind them (I'm still working on achieving enough topline to fill this, but 4 years on, I'm thinking it might just be his shape!) as well as withers to factor in too. I've just got a new saddle which fits! Not that my local saddler was any good - I basically paid him for me to tell him which saddles fitted and which didn't, and why - didn't even want to see me ride, probably as I wasn't buying one of his saddles!  Shan't be using him again!


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## soupdragon71 (19 February 2011)

Thanks for that! Really interesting - makes so much sense. I usually buy second hand saddles so am always amazed at the supposed width measurements - have had a medium/wide Albion dressage saddle fit a razor narrow ex-racehorse, while my WB (carthorse!) is in a narrow/medium Albion dressage saddle. Neither fit the other horse - obviously there has been changes along the way - the med/wide had had flair fitted so maybe a change made then? I did start to get paranoid that there was no way that the chunky one could possibly be in a N/M but it has been checked and he is very happy in it (and winning and being placed BD). Both horses are the type to let you know if they are not happy so confident they fit.


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## bigboyrocky (19 February 2011)

Woodykat said:



			oooh was it online? if so, could you post the link? or by video do you mean proper old school type?
		
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i cant actually remember where i found it but i know theres a couple on youtube. try searching saddle fitting or how to fit a saddle or soemthing along those lines.

although notthe one i originally saw, this ones quite interesting - there are 9 vids (first few are pretty much common sense but they get a bit more interesting) so it takes a while to watch them all, but it makes you realise how complex it actually is, and how many horses out there must have very poorly fitting saddles! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2mKz0uP_K8&feature=related


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## Tharg (20 February 2011)

Thread toggled.


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