How to Saddle a Horse

Video Transcript

"When thinking about fitting your saddle to your horse, there's a few things that you first want to look at. If you turn your saddle over, you want to make sure the gullet of the saddle, is wide enough to fit three or four fingers. This ensures that each panel sits on either side of your horse's spine, not directly on the spine, which would be painful, and cause back soreness. You also want to make sure that the panels are smooth, and not lumpy. Next, we'll put the saddle on the horse's back. It's best to put it directly on the back, and not have any saddle pads that can mask the way the saddle fits. What we want to look for, is that everywhere there's smooth lines, and that the saddle doesn't have any gaps, or any parts where you feel the pressure pinches. You also want to make sure that about three fingers fit inside, between the wither and the gullet, and tree of the saddle, to ensure clearance."