Often my new riders ask, what is the purpose, or why do I need to learn all the parts of my saddle, or likewise, the horse? I say we need to learn the language of our trade. There would be nothing more embarrassing to me, than going out to purchase a saddle, and finding out that I didn't know anything about what I was talking. I need to know what parts are there, so I can discuss and decide which ones are most important in the fit, to me. Not to mention, it's just a good thing to understand the language, when you go into the sport. We want to look at the major parts. We have our saddle horn. The front here is called the pommel. This is the seat, and then we have the cantle. We have our skirts, top and bottom, and the fender, down to the stirrup. All of these parts can have different shapes and contour, and that's why we look at the various types, and decide which part we want to have, and what variety. I think it's important to look at the type of fixtures that you have. I like the Blevins Style Buckle that easily slides up and down, to make those adjustments. I want to have solid, metal rings, to put my off billet to that attaches to the girth that then goes to the near billet. I also want to be sure, that it has a solid and good quality tree. The tree, although we cannot see it, is the backbone of the saddle. If the tree has been damaged in any way that would be a problem, so you want to be sure that we have a good, solid tree, and understand that the size of the saddle is determined by the width here, just below the pommel, that's in relation to the horse's fit.
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