Proper Position of a Western Saddle
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- Опубликовано: 6 июл 2020
- If your saddle is not in the correct place on your horse's back, the shapes won't match, and so it will create high pressures on your horse. But where is the proper position for a western saddle? And on what do you base your decision? Here, from long time saddle tree makers Rod and Denise Nikkel, is their answer and the anatomical and pressure data on which is it based. This is just one section from our 6 hour long video series Western Saddle Fit - Well Beyond the Basics, which you can stream via Vimeo on Demand: vimeo.com/ondemand/wellbeyond...
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So sad this video has no more cisibiliry. :( A few days ago, I searched ingormation about saddle fitting, and I didn't find this video. But, todat, I had it randomly recommanded. It's the most informative video I've found on this subject!
I am so glad you we were able to give you some information for which you have been looking. Please feel free to share! And check out our website for lots more information and also more videos. westernsaddlefit.com/
This is the best video on this topic I have ever seen, bar none. Lucid explanations backed up with excellent visuals and evidentiary data. Well done! This is exactly the type of information that informed amateur riders need to have available to them.
Thank you! Feel free to share! And if you want to see more of our videos, here's a link to some we have for sale: westernsaddlefit.com/video There are also links to many of our blog posts on that website as well. Enjoy!
Excellent video, delivers the importance of not putting pressure on scapulas very clearly thanks to visual demonstrations. I've seen quite a number of videos on saddle fitting and have read quite a few articles on your website, and this video is the best, in my opinion.
Thank you very much! Glad you found it helpful.
Thank you so much! That’s why I would ride bareback so my horse would be comfortable!! Now I can put the saddle on correct!
Glad we could be of help!!
Excellent information! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Brilliant video thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very informative, thank you
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic video! I'll be sure to watch the full 6 hour video 🐎 yeehaw!!!
Glad you found it useful!
Very good explanation
Thank you so much
I can tell you really care
Thank you! We do...
Great video!
Thank you!!
Really nice video packed with great info and thoughtful evidence! Not sure if you expand on it elsewhere, but I think cinching isn't taken into consideration with western saddles as much as it should be either. On many horses, if you place the saddle just behind the shoulder blade, the cinch ring is several inches behind the heartgirth (the area of the barrel where the girth wants to sit). And so if you place the saddle in the correct spot and place the cinch forward at the correct spot, the latigo straps are not vertical to the ground and so the pressure is not evenly distributed and the saddle will likely move around more OR cause pain by applying more pressure to the front of the saddle and cause it to dig into the shoulder blade area. So it's important to be aware of where the cinch is and how it relates to the horse's natural heartgirth and if the pressure is going to be correctly distributed with a vertical latigo or incorrectly distributed. I really like Total Saddle Fit girths for issues where the saddle cinch needs to be placed further than than the horse's natural heart girth. The arms of the girth are actually bent so that they come up further back and allow the latigo to fall vertically from the saddle to the girth while still applying pressure at the center of the girth further forward at the natural heart girth.
Glad you like the video! Yes, we discuss this more in our longer videos accessible via WesternSaddleFit.com. The "vertical girth in the girth groove" rule doesn't apply to western saddles due to their basic design. Centerfire riggings are an example of riggings much farther back that work well with more slab sided horses, especially historically. With western saddles, you cannot have a vertical cinch in the "girth groove" unless the rigging is well ahead of the full position, and this is demonstrated in our other videos. A good fitting western saddle will not be pulled out of position by an angled cinch. That said, some body types of horses (very round barrels) do benefit from a 7/8th rigging position as opposed to 3/4 or farther back. There are a number of cinches on the market now trying to help keep the pull as vertical as possible. It is important to feel under the cinch all the way around the barrel, as some designs, including the one you mention, can, on some horses, tilt the cinch so all the pressure is on the back edge of it, creating really high pressure points. So cinches need to be felt under as well as saddles! Thanks for watching!
Very helpful video and educational great job well done ❤
Thank you very much!!
Hello! Great video! I have a question. I have a horse who is built downhill and has a fairly broad back and mutton withers. She also has a round belly and a forward girth groove in her armpits. No matter what I do, I am unable to keep the saddle from sliding forward after a few minutes of riding. Is there anything I can do other than a crupper or britchen? I have tried different saddles but I’m at a loss to what fits her and what doesn’t. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Julia
You have everything on your horse that contributes to a saddle moving forward. I would suggest you check out your saddle fit as we describe in this video: ruclips.net/video/mWoORDN8_R8/видео.html Western Saddle Fit: The Essentials. If it all checks out that way, then a britching might be the best way to go for this horse. But a good fitting saddle with lots of surface area in contact with the horse will do a lot to keep the saddle in place, even with these difficult issues.
Have you tried a cross girth system?
You should have painted it on the horse
That would have been a good idea!! We did have chalk lines in some pictures, and the problem is that the skin and the underlying structures like the shoulder blades move relative to each other, so the lines are not always in the correct places. But at least it would have given people a good visual. I guess you just have to sharpen up your imagination... :)