This is Principle # 1 of the three P’s (plus one) that make up the Basic Principles of saddle fit. This deserves a section of its own because it doesn’t matter what the tree is shaped like, how the saddle is built, what kind of horse it is put on or how the rider sits and rides – if the saddle is put in the wrong position on the horse, it WON’T match his shape, it WILL put high pressures on him and it WILL, in the long run, damage the horse.
When we look at people riding or pictures of people riding, we find that a very high percentage are now placing the saddle up on the shoulder blades of the horse. We used to believe that the saddle would move back into position if it wasn’t held there with a breast collar, but now we know that if you put it far enough ahead so that it is on or in front of the large mass of the shoulder, and many people do, then it has no reason to move back - and it doesn’t. Just because you put your saddle on the horse, shake it side to side and it doesn’t move back does NOT mean you have it in the correct place.
The articles in this section show you where the saddle should fit, how to find the correct place, and why it is the correct place. We show you pressure mat data that demonstrates the change in pressures when the same saddle is put on the same horse with the same rider but in different positions. Then we show you evidence of the damage produced by misplaced saddles. This damage is now so common it is seen as normal, but it’s not, and it can be so easily prevented…
Proper position of a Western saddle
Position - seeing the shoulder blade
Position - seeing the shoulder blade under saddle
Position - why it is so important
Rethinking saddle fit and shoulder blade movement
You're saddling your horse wrong
It's not just ancient history