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Fitting a Saddle

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Custom Saddlery Saddle Fitting Kit

Follow the measuring guide below. If needed, download our Fit Kit.
 

 

A guide to measuring your horse for a new saddle

Use a Blank Page for your Tracings

Tools

- Flexicurve (20”)
- 1 large sheet of paper (14 x 17)

Step 1

Place the horse on level ground. Use either cross ties or have a friend hold your horse with a lead rope.
Make sure the horse is standing square with his head straight/up during the tracing.

Step 2

Find the rearward end of the horse’s shoulder.
About 2 1/2” (roughly three fingers) behind their shoulder, make a line (use your hand to make a mark on their coat).

This is the point where the saddle tree fits on your horse.

Step 3

Place the center of the flexicurve across the wither of your horse.

Mold the flexicurve to the shape of the horse’s wither being sure it sits tightly on both sides.
You can test the shape by gently picking up the flexicurve by the highest point and placing it back down
If it settles right in you have a good tracing.

Mold the flexicurve over both sides of your horse

  Do not adjust the flexicurve until traced onto your paper

Step 4

Gently remove the flexicurve from your horse and without altering its shape, lay it on the paper and trace on the under side.
Note on the tracing which is the right and left side of the horse; as if sitting on the horse, your left is their left.

This will determine the shape of your tree.

Step 5

The final tracing is for the spine/top line of your horse. Place your flexicurve on your horse’s spine, molding it to the shape from front to rear. Again, remove the flexicurve from your horse and without altering it’s shape, lay it on the paper and trace the under side. Note on the tracing front and rear.

This determines the size of your gusset which allows the saddle to be balanced properly.

Mold the flexicurve along the spine of your horse

  Start at the same point you took the previous tracing

Step 6

A proper tree fit is the most important and first step in saddle fitting, good tracings will help our staff ensure that.
By taking pictures it will allow us to review your measurements and make sure they’re accurate.