Western saddle fitting to get the right saddle fit for your horse or mule can be a tough process. If horses could only talk, this would be much easier!! One problem is that most equines are very tolerant and stoic…they suffer in silence. We only know there is an issue when we see white hairs or spots developing because of pressure points–and then it may be the saddle…or it may not! Then there are the other types of equines that let their feeling be known on EVERY subject…it’s hard to sort out if there is a saddle problem…or a fear issue or dominance issue.
Some folks want a new saddle thinking it will be an “easy fix” for all their issues with their horse….and it is not that simple. When a new saddle is the answer to the problem, usually the horse or mule is fairly well behaved with everything else–trailering, farrier work, groundwork, etc. If your horse or mule has behavior issues when a saddle is not even involved–then the saddle may not be the issue and isn’t the place to start. It is the equine/human relationship that needs to be examined first.
We have to realize too that God created horses…but he didn’t design saddles! It doesn’t matter how well fitting a saddle may be…if your horse does a lot of hard work under saddle, he is going to be sore! Especially if he doesn’t do it on a daily basis. If you sit behind a desk all week, then go out and ride 4-5 hours in the mountains on the weekends, you’re going to be sore and develop some pressure points yourself. If your horse hangs out in the pasture all week, then carries you on that 4-5 hour mountain weekend ride…he’s going to have some sore spots too!! So, just remember to have reasonable expectations when you are evaluating your saddle fit.