Fitting Assessment Photos and Conformation Shots (Throw Me a Bone)

When I'm doing long-distance fitting, I require quite a bit of information from you, my customers.  Since I can't get my hands on the horse and saddle, you have to provide a lot of input and answer dozens of questions.  You also have to provide clear, informative photos so I can see the horse I'm trying to fit, the way the saddle fits the horse and the way the saddle fits the rider.

However, it's come to my attention that there without being able to see exactly the photos I require, a lot is left open to interpretation, and I sometimes get some fairly useless (though sometimes quite interesting) photos.  So in an effort to provide clear, concise guidelines, here are the photos I require ... and a sampling of the photos I don't.

First, a conformation shot of your horse.  All I need to see is the whole horse, weight on all 4 legs, on level ground, head in a normal, relaxed position (no Drama Llama photos, please!) against a fairly plain, contrasting background (no fleabitten greys against dirty snowbanks, and no dark bays against the opening of the run-in shed).

Here are some examples of useful conformation shots:

If I'm assessing saddle fit, I also need a conformation shot of your horse, but with the saddle on:

And a photo of the tree point in relation to your horse's back:

I'll also need to see the same photos, but with the rider up:

Pretty easy.  Remember that it's best to take photos outside when possible, and if the day is overcast, even better - you won't have to worry about shadows obscuring some vital bit of information.  Choose a time when your horse won't be fretting about being fed or being turned out, and when you aren't stressing about getting to work on time or getting home to help the kids with homework. If they aren't exact matches, don't worry - I can probably get the info I need from them as long as you come pretty close.

Now, here are some photos that are of absolutely no help whatsoever.  Please don't send photos like these.  Please, just ... don't.

It's a horse's back.  That's about all I can tell.

"Against a contrasting background" also means no dark bays, blacks or liver chestnuts in dark indoor arenas.

Is this horse standing downhill, is the camera tilted, or is s/he very croup-high?

The Red Menace in her "Drama Llama" guise, standing hip-shot, making her back look even more dropped than it really is.

The pommel clears the withers, but since I can't see the tree point in relation to the horse's back, I can't tell whether the tree width is correct or not.

It's a saddle.  On a horse.  With a white pad under it.  That's all I got.

Remember, all you have to do is come close.  If you send me the info I need, the saddle fitting process will be a lot less time consuming, expensive and frustrating.  And as an added bonus, your photo will never be featured in a rogue's gallery like this!

Such a Deal (Listen to Bob)

Value:  the monetary worth of something: relative worth, utility, or importance - www.merriam-webster.com

What's In a Name?

Quite a lot, at least in my experience ...

One questions I'm asked quite frequently is, "What's the best saddle?"  And my answer always is, "The one that suits you and your horse the best."  This answer often elicits a blank stare from the questioner, since most people expect me to offer up a particular make of saddle ... and seem to want me to offer up one that will set them back about 4 or 5 mortgage payments.

Sorry, folks, but I'm not a Name Queen.

I run into tons of people who practically pee their pants when they hear "Devoucoux", "Hennig", "Hermes", "Schleese" or "Antares", and I have to confess:  I just don't get it.  It reminds me of the early 1980s, when everyone (male and female) was squealing over Jordache or Gloria Vanderbuilt or Calvin Klein jeans, and I was noodling along quite happily in my Levis and Wranglers.  They fit me better than anything with a designer label, wore like iron, and were less than half the price of the designer jeans.  "But they don't have a name," my friends would moan in despair.  My broke friends.  My broke friends who were always complaining about their uncomfortable designer jeans ...

Saddles are much the same.  Sure, you can pay $6000+ for a custom Hennig, or $4500+ for a custom Schleese (or Stackhouse, or County ...), BUT that doesn't guarantee that the saddle will suit you (or your horse) any better than an off-the-rack or bench-made saddle might.  You and your horse might be perfectly fitted with a Black Country, and Albion, a Frank Baines, or (gods forbid) a Duett or (I'm uttering blasphemy here) a Thorowgood or Wintec ...

Why?  Because most horse and rider combinations do. not. need. a. custom. saddle.  Many can be fit beautifully by an off-the-rack model and a little help from a fitter, and the rest are just dandy in a bench-made saddle.  Given the gazillion different saddle companies out there with a bazillion different models and a googolplex of fitting options, you can find a stock or bench-made model that will fit - there's no real need to go custom. 

But some folks are just incurable Name Queens, and in that sense, they need to be riding in the trendiest, most expensive, sought-after saddle out there.

One of my customers recently spent $3800 on a wide tree used Devoucoux dressage saddle to use for trail riding on her very round little Morab.  When I gave her the bad news (as gently as I could) that the saddle didn't come close to fitting and there was no way it could be made to fit, her response was, "I got a good deal on it though, right?"

The saddle was in lovely shape, and since they sell for well over $4000 new, at least I didn't have to tell her I hoped she'd gotten a kiss and dinner in the bargain.  "Well, yes, but since it doesn't fit ..."

"But it's a Devoucoux," she said.  "And I got a good deal on it."

For her, that was all that mattered.

I see this far more often than my saddle fitting soul would like.  People buy the name, and whether it fits the horse - or them - isn't really considered in the equation.  They have the cachet of saying they ride in a Devoucoux / Hennig / Schleese / Antares / CWD / Tad Coffin, and that's all that matters.  It may be wearing holes in their horse's back and they may have their underware fused to their naughty bits at the end of a ride, but by gods, they're riding in a ____________ (fill in the blank).  The world envies them, so having to wait 20 minutes after a ride before they can walk without screaming is of no consequence.  And if the horse is going belly-down in the dirt when he sees the saddle, well ... just put another pad under it.  Yes, they already use 4 pads with this saddle, but once Das Pferd gets to second level and develops a real topline, the saddle will fit beautifully.

Now, keep in mind that all of the saddles I've listed are absolutely perfect for some horses and riders - they fit well, and the pair performs beautifully in them.  But if they're not, they're worth no more to the individual horse and rider than the most humble old synthetic beater ... except in the mind of the Name Queen.

Interpreting the Template

Saddle fitting templates can be a little like heiroglyphics:  if you don't know how to read them, they won't make much sense.  But unlike heiroglyphics, it doesn't require years of study to crack the code.  At Trumbull Mtn. Tack, we do the bulk of our business long-distance, through the use of templates and photos, so being able to read a template and understand how it relates to the accompanying photos is a requirement.  If you look at them as a whole, they can seem to be a whole bunch of unrelated lines ... but if you break each tracing down, it's pretty easy to decipher.

Let's take a look at an example:

The tracing marked #1 is taken 3 fingers' width behind the rear edge of the scapula.  This tracing shows the tree width that the horse needs, and if any modifications are needed to the front of the panels, such as a full front gusset or wither gussets.  In this case, wither gussets might be a good option, based on the "dips" in the tracing.

The #2 tracing gives an idea of the panel configuration needed.  In this case, the panels will need a bit of angle - we're not looking at a real "roof" back here, but it's not entirely flat, either.

The topline tracing, at the bottom of the template, shows how much curve the tree will have to have, and shows if rear panel modifications may be needed.  In this case, we're dealing with a good wither that's consdierably higher than the slightly "dippy" back, so we'll need a tree with some curve and a fairly generous rear gusset; there's a drop or 2 1/2" from the first tracing to the second.

So, if we start with tracing #1, the first thing we'll need to determine is tree width.  There are a couple different ways of determining this.  First is to use templates provided by the saddle companies.  Here, we're comparing it with the Frank Baines medium:

The template is slightly narrower than the first tracing, so let's try a Baines med-wide template:

Almost perfect.  There is that dip on the left side, but that can be dealt with either with flocking (if it's a long-standing issue that won't change) or a correction pad.

Just for giggles, let's see how this horse measures in the Black Country templates.  Here's the medium template:

Almost perfect.  Maybe just the tiniest bit narrow, but well within the acceptable parameters.  Now, compared to the Black Country med-wide:

Again, just about perfect - perhaps a teeny bit wide, but again, definitely acceptable.  And if you have to err one way or the other, wider is better than narrower, since you can add flock or use a thicker / correction pad.

Now, what if you don't have a saddle company's width templates, or what if the customer is looking for a used saddle?  Here's the method we use.  First, we get a "generic" reading by using the Wintec Gullet gauge:

To use it on a horse, you place the "legs" of the gauge in the spot where you'd take your first tracing (3 fingers' width behind the rear edge of the scapula, where the tree points ideally sit); the color indicated on the top left of the gauge will then tell you which gullet plate you'll need in the saddle.

Yellow is narrow, green is med-narrow, and so on.

When used on the tracing, it shows that it measures a medium-wide.

So we take the blue med-wide Wintec plate, and compare it to some different saddles.  Keep in mind that the gullet plate dips in a bit on the legs rather than running straight, so you have to look at the overall angle of the leg and discount the dip.

Here's the gullet compared with a med-wide Black Country Wexford (angle of the tree point is shown in green in all the following photos):

This tree is a bit narrower than what we'd need - probably would have to go to a wide tree in this particular saddle.

Next is a medium-wide Baines Enduro LDR:

Too narrow again - another saddle where we'd probably go up to a wide tree.

Here's a medium-wide Black Country Celeste (built on a hoop tree). 

The angle of the tree comes closer, but the full front gusset will make it fit less generously. (This horse isn't a good candidate for a hoop tree, but I wanted to toss this in just for comparison.)  The full front gusset is often a good fitting option for a withery horse, but the change in fit is something to keep in mind.

Here's another med-wide hoop tree (a Black Country Eloquence X this time):

This is very close to perfect ... IF the horse were a hoop tree candidate!

Here's a med-wide Albion SLK:

NOW we've found a good candidate - at least in the width department. 
 
Just for giggles, let's try a couple more.  Here's a med-wide Black Country Vinici ...
 

 
... which looks like another winner.
 
And finally, here's a med. tree Passier Corona with Freedom panels:
 

Yet another good possibility, though the Freedom panels might provide a little too much room in the pommel arch (similar to the problem with the hoop tree).

Now that we've decided on tree width, let's look at rear panel configuration.  There's a pretty wide variation in panel thickness, even among gusseted panels:

 

And since saddles are (for the most part) hand-crafted, there can be quite a lot of variation even in the same make and model.  The gussets below are all on Frank Baines Caprioles:

Since this horse has about 3.5" of drop, the saddle will need to have a pretty generous rear gusset. 

A plain panel (below) wouldn't begin to offer enough lift for the rear of the saddle:

Neither would a panel with a thin gusset:

You'd need a much thicker panel, like so:

Now, tree shape.  We'll need something with some scoop and perhaps a high head to accommodate the big difference between back and wither. 

This tree would be far too flat, and would bridge like a plank over a ditch:

As would this one:

This is closer:

As is this one:

Better yet:

But if I had to pull two off the rack - with no modifications - the two below would be my choices:

A Frank Baines Omni high head:

And an Albion SLK high head:

Both have a curved tree and a very generous rear panel, so - assuming the front panel configuration and tree width were correct, either of these would have a pretty good chance of working, based on the template.

Just one caveat here:  the template and photos only show the horse at one static moment in time - and fitting a moving horse with a rider up can be a whole different story.  Perhaps the horse lifts his back considerably when he starts to move, and the more curved trees tends to rock, or perhaps the rear gusset is a bit too thick, and makes the saddle sit pommel-low and jam in behind the horse's shoulders.  That's why we offer the week trial period, and ask for so many photos.  There may be one or two things you and your horse really like about a particular saddle, and one or two that you don't ... so sometimes we work through the process of elimination, trying this or that before we find the saddle with the right combination of everything for you and your horse.

Caveat Emptor - TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!!

When someone sends me a saddle to sell on consignment, I often hear the following comments:

"The rep said it fit my horse, but within a week, he was so back sore that he was biting when I came near with the saddle."

"It looked fine on my horse in the crossties, so I bought it."

"I could only ride in it for 5 minutes, and couldn't girth it up."

"I bought it on-line."

"A wide tree Albion SLK fits my mare beautifully, and this is a wide tree, too - but it doesn't fit!"

What it comes down to is that many people will buy a saddle without trying it first - which can be a huge mistake. Let's look at each scenario, and find the fatal flaws.

1) "The rep said it fit my horse, but within a week, he was so back sore that he was biting when I came near with the saddle."

I touched on this in an earlier post ("For The First Time Horse Owner", posted on 1/30). Many reps are "certified" by the company they sell for, but that doesn't mean that they are truly well-versed in fitting all saddles; usually the company teaches them to sell and fit their saddles (sometimes, sadly, with more emphasis on "sell" than "fit"). Reps may receive as little as an afternoon of instruction to gain their "certification". This is not true of every rep, of course - there are some damn fine fitters out there repping for various companies, but reputation rather than certification is usually the surest measure of a fitter.

2) "It looked fine on my horse in the crossties, so I bought it."

Static fit can be very different from active fit. You must remember that a horse's back can and often does change quite dramatically when s/he moves, so what looks fine in the ties can be a whole different story when the rider's up and the horse starts moving. Also, a saddle that feels fine sitting on the buck in the shop may not feel the same on a moving horse, even if it fits your horse well.

3) "I could only ride in it for 5 minutes, and couldn't girth it up."

I don't know about you, dear readers, but if I were riding in a saddle that I couldn't girth up, I probably would not attempt anything other than a nice collected walk. My balance is fairly decent, but I don't think it's anywhere near good enough to ride an ungirthed saddle at the trot or canter, and - this could be my middle-aged comprehension of my mortality - for damn sure I wouldn't be trying any hills or jumps. (Not that I do jump ... but if I did. Just sayin'.) Anyway, it's impossible to tell how a saddle will really ride based on a sedate five minute toddle on the flat.

4) "I bought it on line."

Now, if you've ridden your horse in a wide tree XYZ saddle that was manufactured in 2005, and it's worked well for both of you, AND you're lucky enough to find another 2005 wide-tree XYZ on line, then it has a reasonable chance of working for you and your horse. But keep in mind that each saddle is unique, and the 2005 wide-tree XYZ that Frank made will ride a tad differently than the one Rob made. Also, each flocked saddle will be flocked uniquely; and if the saddle's used, it will have likely taken on the shape of the last horse it was ridden on, and may need flocking adjustments to fit your horse properly.

5) "A wide tree Albion SLK fits my mare beautifully, and this is a wide tree, too - but it doesn't fit!"

Comparing tree widths, whether you're talking about saddles marked narrow, medium and wide or saddles measured in centimeters, is pretty useless. There's no standardization, so saying your horse needs a wide tree is open to a lot of interpretation. For example, a wide Frank Baines is wider than a wide (32 cm) Stubben; Passier's wide tree measures 28.5 cm., and Prestige's wide tree measures 35 cm.

Tree type and shape need to be considered, as well. A wide hoop tree will fit much differently than a wide standard tree; a 34 cm. Duett Largo, which has a pretty flat tree, fits very differently than a 34 cm. Duett Fidelio, which has much more scoop to the tree. Remember that panel configuration plays a large part as well.

So I'm going to ask you all to make me a promise: Never, ever - even if the rep (or your trainer, or your animal communicator, or your vet, or your mom) says the saddle's a good fit, even if it looks good in the cross ties, even if if felt good during the Five Minute No-Girth ride, even if you got such a deal on-line that it was nearly criminal, and even if it's the same tree width as another saddle that fit well - never, ever buy a saddle without trying it first.

Dispensing this advice may cut down on the number of consignment saddles I get in the shop, but it will also make me feel better knowing that it may have saved someone (and their horse) some pain and inconvenience.