To Shim or Not to Shim ...

... That is the question.

The answer? "It depends". There are situations where a shim pad can be a huge help and is actually preferable to flocking adjustments; there are some times when shim pads are a necessity, and there are times when shim pads will be of no help whatsoever.

Let's start with the "no help whatsoever" and work toward the positive. There is no shim pad in the world that will correct a truly bad fit. They can't compensate for a saddle that's too narrow or the wrong shape tree, and they can't compensate if the panel configuration is totally wrong for your horse. There are plenty of pads available that will claim to end your saddle fitting troubles forever, to make any saddle fit your horse, to improve your horse's performance and your riding ... But I've yet to find one that's of any help if the saddle really and truly does not fit.

As for them being a necessity: if you have a foam panelled saddle that needs some adjustment, shim pads are the only way to go. You can put shims between the panel and the tree, but they can move or slip out, while shims in the pad will stay put. Shim pads can also be a necessity when you have a horse with a long-standing and dramatic asymmetry for whom flocking corrections just aren't enough to "fill in the gaps".

Shim pads are a huge help when you're dealing with a horse whose back will be changing rapidly, such as an upper-level horse coming back from a lay up, or a young horse just getting into serious training. When you have a lot of rapid changes, particularly muscle growth, adjusting the flock repeatedly really isn't your best option. First, it's going to be very, very expensive to have the fitter out every 3 or 4 weeks to make adjustments (and taking flock out is tough to do without leaving divots). Second, repeated adjustments (especially removing flock) really aren't good for the integrity of the flock, and your saddle will probably wind up needing a strip flock (all old flock removed and replaced with new) much sooner than it otherwise would. Finally, shims allow you to make immediate adjustments to allow the muscles room to grow, which will prevent asymmetries from developing.

While shim pads aren't usually a long-term answer, they are a good answer for some issues, and are a valuable addition to a saddle fitter's tool box.

Herself, the Great Red Menace

As promised, here are some photos of my mare, Lyric. Is that belly (and the horrendously saggy topline) the result of 4 months of vacation and lots of hay, or is there a little resident in there?

If she is in foal, this is the time when the foal's growth will be very rapid. My vet, Greg Dowd, will be coming back April 14th to palpate again, and if there's a foal to be felt, it should be big enough for Greg to reach. I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Life Happens (Is That Mare In Foal?)

Winters are long here in VT, and since I don't have access to an indoor, I don't ride much. But I have my mare Lyric at home, so - fortunately - I still have horsey activities. I muck, groom, feed, blanket, unblanket ... and was utterly horrified the other day when I pulled her blanket off and noticed that her topline has pretty much vanished. Sure, she always loses condition over the winter, but this was way more dramatic than usual. She is twelve, admittedly, and she is a big mare (16.1, 1250 lbs., 8.5" of bone), and it's true that she hasn't been worked in 4 months, but still ...

Of course, the first thing that sprang to mind was, "Holy crud, will her saddle still fit?!?" I ride in a Passier Grand Gilbert with Freedom panels, and it's always fit her rather beetle-y shape beautifully. I started thinking quite seriously about a month of ground and in-hand work before I even consider saddling up and riding. I do have a Mattes shim pad and can "fill in the dips" if I need to, but have my doubts that it would be of much help in this case. I'll be posting some photos in a couple of days.

A horse's body changes as s/he ages, as does a human's. Physical activity, childbirth (or lack thereof), work and genetics all play a part. As a horse ages, it's not uncommon to see a change in saddle fitting needs. Often, the abdominals aren't as toned in an older horse, which will allow the back to drop and the wither to become more prominent. Arthritic changes and general wear and tear come into play more and more, and they have an affect on the physiology, too. Often an older horse needs a tree with more scoop, and panel modifications (dropped panel, wither gussets) are often helpful as well.

So why this dramatic change in my mare's back? Well, I had her bred last summer. Vermont springs being what they are, I didn't want Lyric to foal too early and have to contend with a foot of mud (or snow!). We missed our window of opportunity in June thanks to the stud being on the other side of the country, malfunctioning fax machines and the Fourth of July, but we short-cycled her and got two good inseminations on a nice, ripe 38 mm. follicle in late July. Unfortunately, the follow-up ultrasound showed absolutely nothing going on. We figured we'd just left it too late and caught her in transition, and aimed to try earlier in the season this year.

But after I got over my shock at the state of her topline, I started looking at her belly ... Her normal hay belly is sort of evenly round, and now she's pretty pear-shaped - carrying most of her bulk quite low. And in spite of her tummy, she's rather lean otherwise, though she's getting about 40 lbs. of hay a day. My vet came to do spring shots, checked her teeth (which aren't at all bad), looked at her belly and said, "Let's palpate."

Again, nothing conclusive. She's so big that he couldn't reach in far enough to feel anything (I told him I still think he's a good vet, short arms and all), so we're going to check again in a month. If she is in foal, she's a little over 7 months along, and the baby will start growing quite quickly now; in another month, my vet's arm should be long enough to tell if there's anything there.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I am sort of starting to think about names. The stud she bred to is Devon Heir, so I need a name that begins with "D". Suggestions welcome, and I'll post photos soon.

The Importance of Accuracy

After re-reading my last entry, I got to thinking about how important accuracy is when taking a template for long-distance fitting. We use the misnomer "wither tracing" when we're actually talking about a more involved process, and sometimes people to send just that - a tracing of their horse's withers. This is only helpful for determining a small part of the overall picture, and only helpful for that small part if the tracing is taken in the correct spot.

So here's the bottom line: your template must be accurate for a fitter to make the correct recommendations. And while it's really not hard to take an accurate template, it is easy enough to make mistakes. If you're taking the tracings in the wrong spot, if your horse is standing with his/her head in an unnaturally high or low position, if your horse is resting a hind leg or isn't square, the template will not be accurate. And if your template isn't accurate, you're going to be spending beaucoup bucks shipping ill-fitting saddles back and forth!

Here are the ground rules:

#1) Your horse must be standing squarely on a level surface with his/her head in a relaxed position. Timing is important here: don't try to take a template when your horse is fretting about being fed or turned out with the herd - you want your horse calm and relaxed.

#2) Be absolutely sure you are taking the tracings in the correct places. If you're having problems locating the rear of the scapula for the first tracing, place your hand on the side of your horse's wither and have a helper pull the foreleg forward; you'll feel the scapula rotate under your hand, and be able to follow the rear edge of it as it moves. (You may also be amazed at how far back the scapula rotates when the foreleg extends, and will understand why you need to place your saddle on the horse's back rather that up on the wither.) Have your helper put the horse's leg back down, and again, make sure your horse is standing squarely on all four legs. Your first measurement will be taken three fingers' width (about 2" or 5 cm) behind the rear edge of the scapula.

To find the lowest point on your horse's back, roll a pill bottle, thick marker or piece of chalk down the wither to the back; it will stop at the lowest point.

To take a topline tracing, place one of the flexible curve on the horse's spine about 2" in front of the rear edge of the scapula, and conform it to the shape of your horse's topline. Remember to mark where it intersects with the first 2 measurements.

#3) Be sure BOTH legs of the flexible curve are pointing straight down toward the ground. If they're angled forward or back, it will distort the measurement.

Accuracy also applies to your photos. #1 above is a very good guideline for photos as well as the template. I'll add that being sure your photos are in focus and well-lit is necessary - I'm not talking professional quality here, I'm just saying that the fitter needs to see the horse clearly. Daylight is always preferred if possible; if not, a well-lit barn aisle or indoor arena will do nicely.

All these directives may sound a bit nit-picky, but this is one situation where "neatness counts" - the more accurate your template and photos are, the less time it will take to find the right saddle for you and your horse.

Long Distance Fitting

In a perfect world, saddle fitting would receive the consideration it deserves. There would be an ample population of good, knowledgeable fitters sprinkled throughout the land, dispensing good advice and bringing peace and comfort. Horses would never get back-sore, and riders would never get butt sore. And they all would live happily ever after.

As we say in Vermont, "Oh, AYUH."

In reality, finding a good fitter can be tough, and finding a saddle that fits can be even tougher. And if you don't have a fitter in your area, what are you to do?

While having someone there doing hands-on work is really the best possible scenario, it is possible to do long-distance saddle fitting if - and this is the key part - if you're working with a fitter who's good at remote work ... and not all fitters are.  With an accurate template and a good conformation photo, a long-distance fitter who's good at their job can make some very detailed recommendations about what saddle might best suit you and your horse.

I'm going to be wicked lazy and just post the links to the pages I've already made. To see instructions for taking a template (also known as a tracing), go to http://pantherrunsaddlery.com/?page_id=434. To see the photos that should accompany them, go to http://pantherrunsaddlery.com/?page_id=494. Go ahead and take a look - I'll be here when you get back. And don't be intimidated by any of this - usually the hardest part is getting your horse to stand still and square!

Now that you're back, let me explain how all this info translates to a fitter. First, the tracings. #1 tracing shows us what tree width your horse may need in any given saddle, and whether a regular tree or hoop tree would be best. It also tells us if modifications may need to be made to the front of the panels (wither gussets, trapezius or dropped panel, etc.) #2 tracing shows us what we need for a bearing surface on the rear of the panels: flat, angled, or somewhere in between. #3 tracing shows us what tree shape we'll need, and what rear panel depth and configuration will be necessary.

As for the photos, the conformation shot gives us an idea of your horse's overall balance and conformation. Is your horse a little rump-high? Are we dealing with a big shoulder? A short, forward girth spot?  A short back? This info helps us refine our recommendations. If your horse is a little rump-high or short backed, an upswept panel might be a good option. A big shoulder might require a saddle with a short tree point.

The photo of you in your current saddle is another tool of refinement. If your ABC saddle is a 17" wide tree and it's sitting pommel high and your leg is coming off the front of the flap, we know that you'll need a wider tree and either a longer/more forward flap or a larger seat, AND we know that saddles with trees and flaps similar to the ABC probably aren't going to be good choices for you.

Even with this info it may take a bit of trial and error, so if the first saddle isn't quite right for either you or your horse, I ask that you send some photos of that as well (http://pantherrunsaddlery.com/?page_id=485) so I can see what the problem is, and what steps need to be taken to correct it. It might be that you need a different tree width or seat size, or perhaps a different saddle would be a good option to explore. But with patience and perserverence, you can find a saddle that works for you and your horse.

One Saddle, Multiple Horses

Though I'm not often a fan of generalizations, I think it's pretty safe to say this: there's no such thing as a "free" horse. Horse ownership is not an inexpensive endeavor. Even if there's no initial cash outlay to obtain said horse, there are the costs of housing (whether you board or have to maintain your own barn, acreage and fencing), hay, grain, vet, farrier, equipment ... When you add that all up, you're talking about a very substantial amount of money.

And if you own two or more horses, your costs increase exponentially. So it's no wonder that a good number of my multiple-horse-owning clients would love to find a saddle that will work for both - or in some cases, all - of their horses.

Is this possible? In some cases, yes. And sometimes - to quote a line from an old Calvin and Hobbes strip - "A good compromise leaves everyone mad."

If you have horses that are all of a similar physical size and type with similar backs and fitting requirements - say, a pair of barrel-bodied Arabs, or a few lean, high-withered off-the-track Thoroughbreds - it's possible. Not optimum, but possible. The general rule of thumb is to fit the widest horse, and use correction pads for the less wide horse(s). This is a situation in which a foam-flocked saddle is the best solution, since the foam will not begin to take on the shape of an individual horse. I know quite a few trainers who specialize in working with a particular type of horse - Thoroughbred eventers or dressage warmbloods - who have just one or two foam-flocked saddles that they use on the horses they work, and it works out quite well.

But say you have two very different horses - let's use the examples I mentioned before. You have Ed, a 14.2 hand Arab with a low wither and a back you could serve dinner on:

You also have Bob, a 16.3 hand OTTB with a "roof" back and a good wither:

These two conformations are so radically different that there's no one saddle that will fit both of them, no matter what kind of corrective pad you use. Ed will need a flat tree (and very possibly a hoop tree, to boot), a shallow rear gusset and perhaps an upswept panel; Bob will need a more curved, standard tree with either a K or trapezius panel and wither gussets, and perhaps a deeper rear guesset. A saddle that would work for Ed would sit down on Bob's withers and bridge, while a saddle that would work for Bob would rock, and perch on Bob's back like a party hat. In this case, two different saddles would be an absolute necessity.

From a Veterinarian's Perspective

From time to time, I'd like to feature "guest bloggers" here - people who are interested in saddle fitting from a perspective other than mine. My first guest is Dr. Jennifer Bevilacqua, VMD, VSMT. She and I have consulted on a number of horse and rider combinations, and she has kindly taken the time to share her thoughts (thanks, Jen!):

Do No Harm

The first rule any doctor learns remains consistent throughout every discipline of medicine: Do no harm to your patient. One might consider this statement strange, contemplating why a doctor would desire disservice to her patient. Not the case at all. It’s simply the reminder that you don’t get something for nothing in the world of medicine, and we must all remain aware of the possible side effects of our recommendations. Sometimes that advice comes in the form of prescribed exogenous substances, which carry with them potential side effects. The benefits of consumption can far outweigh the detriments of disease, yet quite often the converse holds true. A similar relationship exists with recommendations given on mechanical devices impeding proper movement of the body such as a bandage, cast, or athletic equipment. Sometimes, it’s something as seemingly innocuous as a saddle placed on the back of a horse.

Why is saddle-fit so important? Similar to our previous example, we could say that a poorly fitted saddle can have a long list of serious side effects, whilst a well-fitted saddle can aid the rider and horse in stability and athletic accomplishment. Over time, compensation for an improperly fitted saddle can cause not only back discomfort, but a decreased range of proper motion to many parts of the body—not just the back. Once in this vicious cycle of compensatory change, it may elude an owner as to why a horse would travel in a particular way, or perhaps behaviorally show discomfort when performing simple tasks. Your equine veterinarian can help to determine the presence of a physical issue and its relation to saddle-fit via physical exam or other diagnostics such as bloodwork or radiographs. A Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapist (VSMT) sometimes referred to as an “animal chiropractor”, can be of great assistance in relieving discomfort and restoring range of motion to a horse’s back. Both practitioners may appropriately note that the saddle and/or girth may play a role in the discomfort of your horse, thus recommending a competent saddle fitter like Kitt. Many times a new saddle is not necessary, and the old saddle can be altered appropriately.

This assessment should be done on a fairly routine schedule, based on factors such as weight gain or loss, level of fitness, or change in riding discipline. We must also not overlook the role a rider plays in how a saddle sets on a back. Always entertain the idea that you may be the issue, and if you are riding in an imbalanced fashion due to habit or injury, you will affect your horse.

This website is an excellent source of information on the particulars of saddle-fit, especially for interactive readers. Kudos to Kitt for taking an assertive role in dispersing quality information to those in need while creating a forum for discussion. For those of you who reserve the right to hold a book in your hand, I recommend The Horses’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book by Joyce Harmon, DVM, MRCVS (2004). Dr. Harmon gives a comprehensive review of various aspects of saddle-fitting, while touching on many related topics ranging from conformation to various therapeutic practices and their role in addressing equine back pain. A list I felt worth repeating, found on page 19, allows us to gain insight to the myriad of physical and behavioral symptoms which indicate back pain. Likely we would notice some obvious signs of a poor saddle-fit such as sores or swelling, usually after more chronic insult. If your horse has one or more of these frustratingly ambiguous symptoms however, you might consider a consultation with your veterinarian or VSMT, remembering that a poorly fitted saddle is one of the many causes of back pain:

• ”Cold-backed” during mounting
• Slow to warm up or relax
• Resists work
• Reluctant to stride out
• Hock, stifle, and obscure hind limb lameness
• Front leg lameness, stumbling, and tripping
• Excessive shying, lack of concentration on rider and aids
• Rushes to or from fences, or refuses jumps
• Rushes downhill, or pulls uphill with the front end (exhibits improper use of back or hindquarters)
• Demonstrates an inability to travel straight
• Is unwilling or unable to round the back or neck
• Displays difficulty maintaining impulsion or collection
• Twists over fences
• Falters or resists when making a transition
• Bucks or rears regularly
• Exhibits sudden, decreased speed on the racetrack or in any other timed sport
• Is slow out of the starting gate
• Ducks out of turns, turns wide
• Increases resistance as a riding session progresses

In summary, it behooves us as horseowners to enlist a team of qualified individuals to ensure the proper fit of saddles to our horses’ backs, assuring comfort, lack of restriction, and balanced movement with proper range of motion. This team includes your general equine practitioner, a VSMT practitioner, and an experienced saddle fitter. Perhaps after gaining a deeper understanding of what leads to our horses’ discomforts, we will turn more slowly to the options of drugs or restrictive tack to solve our problems. After all, our goals are all the same: to improve and maintain the comfort, health, and happiness our friend, the equine athlete. As responsible agents for their health we should be confident that the decision to put a particular saddle on our horse’s back has truly done no harm.

Jennifer Bevilacqua, VMD, VSMT, owns and operates The Integrated Equine, LLC in Arlington, VT. The practice offers Spinal Manipulation and Acupuncture as part of an integrative approach to the improved health of the equine. Professional contact should be made at theintegratedequine@yahoo.com.

I Made It!!

The article to which I contributed appeared in this week's issue of the Chronicle of the Horse! Some examples of my photography are in there, too. I'm just absolutely thrilled. I have to give a huge thank-you to Edie Tschorn, who helped (and footed the bill for) me to learn the art and science of saddle fitting. And BIG thanks to Sara Ineson for the loan of her impeccably-cared-for tack for the photos.

Colleen Meyer of Advanced Saddle Fit was the other contributor to the article. Colleen is a Society of Master Saddlers Qualified Saddle Fitter, and I learned quite a bit from her contributions. And Sara Leiser, wonderful article - thanks so much!

Fitting Horse and Rider

"I'm not concerned about how the saddle feels for me - my horse is really hard to fit, so if a saddle works for him, I'll learn to love it."

If I had a quarter for every time I've heard this, I could retire. In style.

Saddle fitting is sort of like marriage: if one partner is unhappy, it won't be long before the other partner is unhappy, too. The saddle must work for both the horse and the rider - end of story. Here's why.

If the saddle fits the rider well, but not the horse, we know what the outcome will be: miserable horse, who will eventually make riding a most unpleasant experience, which will, in turn, make the rider miserable. But what if the saddle's a great fit for the horse, but not so much for the rider?

First, if you're not comfortable in the saddle, you won't be able to ride affectively. Your balance will be off, which will effect your seat and legs, your timing, and your feel, which will make it hard to communicate well, which will make it hard for your horse to perform properly - and those are just the short term issues.

Let's say the saddle fits your horse well, but the twist is too narrow for your comfort, and you're constantly falling forward. This will concentrate all of your weight under the front of the saddle, creating a lot of pressure in a fairly small area. This will not only make it tough for your horse to get off the forehand, it will cause the flocking in the front of the panels to compress; eventually, the rear of the saddle may cease to make proper contact with your horse's back and the cantle may "pop" at the rising trot. Meanwhile, you're becoming increasingly sore and miserable from being constantly unbalanced ... and so is your horse.

Given the number of saddles out there and the number of fitting options available, there's no reason for horse OR rider to be uncomfortable. Most better-quality saddles can be ordered with fitting options for both: specific panel configuration and tree width/shape for the horse, and flap length/set, seat size and thigh/knee block for the rider. Some compaines charge for these options, and some don't, but there's no reason that both beings in the equation can't be comfortable and happy.

Going Into Detail Revisited

Once again, I'm re-posting one of the first blog entries, in an effort to make this blog more useful to the first-time horse owner. (By the way, if anyone knows how to access the archives, please let me know.)


As promised in my last entry, I'm going to go into more detail on the Heavy Seven, and the other issues that come into play.

First, tree width. Yes, the tree has to be the correct width; the points should lie parallel to the horse's back (as illustrated in the previous post). But in some cases, the tree can be the correct width and still not fit properly, because many other things come into play: tree shape, gullet shape, length of tree points and panel configuration all contribute to how well - or how poorly - a saddle fits. For example, let's say that you have a lean, high-withered Tb like this fellow here:




Here he is in a saddle with the correct tree width, but with the wrong panel configuration (too shallow):



As you can see, the saddle's sitting pommel-high; it will put the rider too far back in the seat and concentrate pressure on the rear half of the saddle rather than distributing weight evenly over the surface of the panels. And though you can't really tell it from the photo, there was also insufficient clearance over the wither, and the rider's weight would have caused the saddle to sit directly on the withers. (NOTE: This is one reason that so many horses with this conformation are labelled as "narrow", because without panel modifications, most saddles with the correct tree width will sit on the wither; hence the need to go to a narrower tree for clearance. This just causes more atrophy in the back and makes the horse even harder to fit properly.)

So what would have to be done to the saddle? The panel would obviouosly need to be thicker in the rear, but it would also need to be modified in front; in this case, a wither gusset:




and a dropped or trapezius panel:






The combination of these two panel options will "fill in the dips" below those big withers and lift the saddle up off the wither. The photo below roughly shows - in red - where the weight bearing surface will be on a "standard" panel; the green lines show the weight bearing area of a saddle with a trapezius panel and wither gusset:




UP NEXT: Channel width and panel contact. Stay tuned!

--Posted By saddlefitter to Saddle Fitting - The Inside Journey at 11/30/2008 04:16:00 PM

Parts of the Saddle, Terminology

In my ongoing effort to make this blog a little more user-friendly for the first-time horse owner, I'm going to cover the parts of the saddle and terminology regarding knee rolls/thigh blocks, billeting systems, and the like.

First, the parts of the saddle:

Here's a monoflap saddle (has only one flap instead of an outer flap with a sweat flap underneath, knee/thigh/calf blocks will be external) with overlay or external billets:

Next, let's look under the flap of a standard two-flap saddle. First, a dressage saddle:

Thigh block: On dressage saddles, on the front of the sweat flap; often runs the entire length of the front of the sweat flap

Point billet: Billet attaches to the point of the saddle tree; may emerge through the rear or the end of the thigh block.

Swing or sliding rear billet: “Self adjusting” rear billet attached via a ring to a nylon strap; the nylon strap is attached at the middle and rear of the saddle tree, creating a “V”.

Then, on a close contact (or all purpose) saddle:

Knee roll: On cc and ap saddles; runs the length of the front of the sweat flap.

Knee block: On the top of the sweat flap above the knee; usually triangular shape.

Calf block: On the rear of the sweat flap on some cc and ap saddles.

Next, the front of the saddle:

Gullet: The area under the head (front, pommel) of the saddle.

And now the underside:

Channel: The space between the panels.

Flocked panel- wool (or synthetic fiber) is ‘stuffed’ into the panel. These panels are often the softest of all the panels and break in quite quickly and can be adjusted by adding, shifting, or removing wool.

Swiss panel: Wool flocking encased in felt. These panels can be adjusted by flocking, though not to the degree a plain flocked panel can.

French panel: Foam encased in felt. Can only be adjusted with pads and shims.

Foam panel: Plain foam. As with the French panel, these can only be adjusted with pads and shims.

Close contact saddle: In the States, it's a saddle with a flat seat, square cantle and forward flap that's used for jumping. Elsewhere, the term is used to indicate a saddle of any discipline that has a close "feel".

Dressage saddle: Saddle with a long, straight flap and deeper seat used by dressage riders.

All purpose saddle: This saddle is often used by lower-level eventers and trail riders. The seat is usually deeper than that of a close contact saddle, but not as deep as that of a dressage saddle. The flap is usually more forward than that of a dressage saddle, but not as forward as that of a close contact saddle.

"The Heavy Seven" revisited

Since access to the blog archives seems sporadic, I'm going to re-post my entry, "The Heavy Seven", which covers the seven basic points of saddle fitting.

When it comes to saddle fitting, everyone has an opinion, and it can sometimes be tough to get much of a consensus. Theories abound regarding tree shape, panel shape, foam panels vs. wool flock vs. synthetic flock, you name it - and most fitters will happily debate different viewpoints ad nauseum. But there are seven points regarding saddle fitting put forward by the Society of Master Saddlers that are generally accepted as truths. So here are "The Heavy Seven" (how many of you remember that George Carlin riff?) of saddle fitting.

1) The points of the tree must lie parallel (or within 10% of parallel) to the horse's back - not the shoulder, but the back. Points of the tree and angle of the back are highlighted in red:

This means the tree width is correct. Here is a tree that's too narrow (angles highlighted in green):

#2) There must be even pressure under the tree points from top to bottom. In the photo above, there will be more pressure toward the bottom of the points; if the tree's too narrow, the pressure will be greater at the top of the points.

#3) The channel between the panels must clear the spinous process.

#4) There must be adequate clearance between the gullet and the withers. "Adequate" will vary from horse to horse - sometimes it will be 3 fingers, sometimes 1. "Adequate" just means that the saddle is sitting in correct balance and at no time makes contact with the withers.

#5) Balance of the saddle must be correct, with the deepest part of the seat being the lowest point. Here's a saddle with the balance point too far to the rear as a result of a too-narrow tree:

Here's a saddle with correct balance:

#6) The panels must make even contact with the horse's back, with no bridging or rocking.

#7) The tree of the saddle cannot extend past the 18th thoracic vertebrae, which is the location of the last rib and therefore the last part of the back capable of bearing weight.

So there you have the seven basic points. Next entry, I'll go into greater detail on each point.