UPDATE! WHEN YOU ORDER A SADDLE WE WILL SEND YOU A
SET OF MEASURING TEMPLATES. YOU THEN
INFORM US WHICH ONE FITS THE HORSE AT A POINT 2” BEHIND THE SCAPULA
(measurement A on
the second anatomical diagram below. No
need to use bent pieces of wire any more unless your horse has an unusual
shape, in which case follow the instructions below. In any case, look at the diagrams – point A is where the template should fit.
When you order a saddle, you will receive a
set of cardboard templates similar to the above – all numbered. Just tell us which one fits.
A clothing factory mass produces clothes, and hopes that the
right-shaped person will come along and buy one. The same happens with mass-produced saddles – they then get sold in
tack shops, which also sell gullets and gauges and thin pads and thick pads and
gel pads to try to force the saddle into a shape to fit the horse. When you’ve done all that, the flocking will
probably need adjusting. Why not get a
saddle made to measure in the first place?
We prefer to only make to order to your measurements and colour scheme,
and our reputation depends on making saddles people are happy with. That means a saddle which fits. Saddlers accept that a saddle can be within
10% to ensure a comfortable fit. So get
a saddle which fits to start with and, unless your horse changes shape
dramatically, it is most unlikely you will need to adjust or re-flock the
saddle, or buy strange contraptions to change the shape of the saddle.
There is a complete list of qualified saddle fitters on the Society of
Master Saddlers website, and some very interesting reading. It’s worth a look
http://www.mastersaddlers.co.uk/
The sections on saddle fitting and saddle safety are particularly relevant,
and the section on saddle fitting also gives a list of qualified saddle fitters
by region.
However, if you want to ‘go it alone’ or are simply interested in what a saddle maker needs to know – here goes:
UNLESS YOU KNOW YOUR HORSE HAS A NON-TYPICAL SHAPE,
DON’T BOTHER WITH THE REST. LOOK AT THE
SECOND ANATOMICAL DRAWING TO SEE WHERE POINT A IS, USE THE TEMPLATES AND TELL US WHICH ONE FITS.
As you read on, you will see that we’re really only interested in the
angle the saddle makes at various points on the horse’s withers and back, and
the length of the load bearing area. A
saddle fitter will have a brass instrument which will achieve, in seconds, the
same as the bent piece of wire we’re going to use.
Over many years we have made thousands of saddles and come across many strange shapes and sizes. We have moulds for just about any conceivable shape and size of horse. When you give us the measurements we select the most suitable mould – the Nimbus and Oskar each have a choice of 19 shapes – we then make the saddle tree and use that as the basis for your saddle. The final shape is determined by the thickness of flocking, padding and cut of the leather, which should ensure a perfect fit.
Please take the time to understand what we are trying to do. The horse’s shoulder needs freedom of movement. We need to spread the load over as large an area as possible without going past the last rib and pressing on the internal organs. We need to make sure that the saddle doesn’t bruise the wither (which it will if it’s too wide) or ‘pinch’ the horse and dig into the muscles which it will if it’s too narrow.
The saddle tree is, for all practical purposes, rigid. Inspect your saddle – you will find there is virtually no give in the top half of the saddle which is where the saddle tree sits, whereas the lower half is quite flexible.
So let’s get measuring. First
the length of the saddle. The saddle
must not go beyond the top of the last rib.
Have a feel, find out where the last rib is and make sure your existing
saddle is OK. This is the size of the
saddle, and that is what we mean by a 17” or 17.5” saddle, or whatever size
fits. If in doubt, err on the shorter
side. This is important for the
horse. Please do not get a longer
saddle because your posterior is too big – get a bigger horse!
The above drawing was modified by W.H. Dyozinski. Please see footnote for acknowledgment and
source.
Take the templates we will send you and try them in turn until you find one which is the right fit. If one is slightly too big, and one is slightly too small, tell us which ones they are. We need to know the width at the point where the saddle tree will sit - 2” behind the scapula. That is measurement A – the crucial one. The rest of the saddle basically lays on the horse’s back, but if you feel, or have been told that the horse has an unusual shaped back, or you have a Welsh cob, a dray or shire or an Arab, do the following:
Use a template to
measure at point A. The other measurements are only for unusually
shaped horses.
The above drawing was modified by W.H.
Dyozinski. Please see footnote for
acknowledgment and source.
Get a large sheet of wrapping paper or several sheets of A4 stuck
together. Get some white tape, or some
chalk – anything to mark the horse.
Find point A. Find the last rib, point E. Mark these points.
Now mark the middle between point A and the last rib (point E). Then divide the
two areas in half again.
Measure the points between each point and draw them onto the middle of
your sheet of paper. Duplicate the line
near the bottom of the paper. We’re now
ready to make a 3D drawing.
Get a piece of wire exactly 41cm long.
Mark the middle of the wire.
Bend the wire to fit the horse’s back at each point. Trace each contour onto the template. Now run the wire along the horse’s back,
starting from point A
(it’ll be a bit too short to reach point E for most horses, but no matter). If possible get a spirit level, and mark the
ends of the level onto your piece of wire.
Trace this spine line onto the bottom line of the paper, making sure the
spirit level marks are an equal distance from the horizontal line. This will ensure the saddle holds you upright
with no tendency to lean you back or forward.
Once again, some horses are much higher at the front or back than
others. Most are more or less level.
We now have a 3D drawing of the horse’s back. Measure the distance between the forks of the wire at each point,
and write these on the paper. Also write
the horse’s age, size in hands, saddle length, and your contact details. Photograph the drawing and email it to us,
or post it. While you’ve got the camera
out it would be nice to have photos of the horse, front, back, top and side,
with the chalk marks or masking tape still on.
That’s it! A professional
saddler will glance at the horse after taking the first measurement (which
he’ll do with a brass instrument, not a piece of wire), and if the horse
appears reasonably ‘horse shaped’, will not take any more measurements. If the horse has an unusually shaped back,
he will probably take the other measurements as well. We’ll leave the decision to you.
UNLESS YOU KNOW YOUR HORSE HAS A NON-TYPICAL SHAPE,
DON’T BOTHER WITH THE ABOVE. JUST USE
THE TEMPLATE AND TELL US WHICH ONE FITS.
Or, as I said.. get a professional, but please ask for measurement in
centimetres if possible. Best of luck.
My thanks to Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Horseanatomy.png
for the anatomical drawing. You are
free to reproduce all or any of the content of this page including my original
text and drawings for educational, commercial or any other legal purpose while
respecting the licence agreement on the Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License
which allows unrestricted use (with certain conditions) of images and text
found on their pages. If using the
drawings as modified by ourselves, or the text, we would appreciate a mention.
