Assuming your horse is ready to have a saddle on their back and the right groundwork has been done, get in touch with your saddle fitter.
Why is saddle fitting important for a young horse?
Historically, there was the school of thought that ‘any saddle would do’ however we know this isn’t the case and can have long term implications. Even without a rider on its back, a horse can feel the points of a tree digging in, when girthed. Not only that, but an ill-fitting saddle can also lead to the horse moving in an unaligned way that creates incorrect muscle memory.
Once they’re backed, a horse in an ill-fitting saddle will alter its ‘ridden’ posture, to compensate for any discomfort they feel. This can lead to more problems in the future.
Getting started
Therefore, starting your young horse’s education in a correctly fitting saddle is essential so it can start and continue its ridden education without discomfort.
It’s always best to work with your equine bodyworker and Society of Master Saddlers saddle fitter who will work together to find the best saddle to start your training. The correct training means the horse should strengthen and muscle up, and a saddle that fits correctly will allow the horse to do that.
As a starting point, your saddler fitter will advise on the saddles they believe are going to be the best fit and try them on your horse. They can get a good idea of how they will sit by being girthed and walked around unridden. You saddle fitter will also advise on the best pad to give sufficient protection.
Getting ready to ride
Before being backed, we would advise around four weeks of work, to allow the horse to get ‘rider fit’. They need time to allow previously unused muscles to strengthen and using shims and pads will help with this stage.
As they develop, strengthen and adapt to the saddle, the chances are your horse will change posture. Therefore, we’d always recommend another saddle check at this stage.
Follow on checks
As a young equine doesn’t fully develop until at least seven years old, once you start riding, we’d recommend having your youngster reviewed by your saddle fitter, every three months as they continue to get wider and stronger (or sooner if you feel it’s necessary) to correct and adjust the saddle fit.
If you’d like more information on starting your saddle journey with a young horse, get in touch with our team to find out more. Call us on 01392 877896 or fill in our contact form.
