Give An Inch, Take A Mile - Side Saddle Edition

Side saddles with the same measurements should fit the same… right?

Wrong ❌

Recently I had an interaction about a side saddle I have for sale that I thought would make an interesting Facebook post. The person enquiring told me they had previously had a side saddle of the exact same make and measurements fitted to their horse, so this one would fit too.

As I do with anyone enquiring about a side saddle I have for sale, I went through my usual process and requested photos of the horse’s back and a tracing so I could compare it directly to the saddle as a starting point. This was met with some reluctance, because they were sure the saddle would fit - it was the exact same as the one they’d used before (right down to the colour!).

I explained repeatedly that just because a saddle has the same measurements doesn’t mean it will fit the same. Eventually I received a photo of the horse and a photo of a tracing (not an actual tracing) and it was immediately clear the saddle wasn’t going to work for this horse. So… I thought I’d test the theory.

Pictured are five different side saddles on my wideeeee Clydesdale x WB Ted, who sits between an XW–2XW based on gullet gauge and tracings.

All of these saddles are:

 ✅ 21” seat length

 ✅ 17–18” between the tree points

 ❌ BUT! They all range between 5–7” in the ‘gullet’ area and the angle of the tree points varies, which makes a huge difference to how they fit.

The saddles that are too narrow sit higher at the front than the cantle. The saddles with the wrong tree point angle, particularly on the offside, sit too tight in that area.

Ted’s tracing compared to the saddle for sale (which wasn’t dissimilar to the horse of the person enquiring) showed very clearly that it was never going to work even before placing the saddle on his back.

And that’s before we even factor in:

- how the saddle is girthed up

- where the girth points and girth sit relative to the horse’s natural girth groove

- how the saddle fits the rider because despite all these saddles being 21”, they definitely don’t all fit me!

Are photos, measurements and tracings going to give me concrete evidence about whether or not the saddle is going to fit? Absolutely not! It’s just one part of the whole process. What you don’t ‘see’ among all of that? Over a decade of experience fitting side saddles to thousands of horses and ponies and developing a keen eye for whether something will work or not 👀

So, if I tell you a saddle I have for sale won’t suit you or your horse… it’s probably for good reason and backed by a shit tonne of experience 😉 Believe me - I do actually want to sell you a saddle! I just want to make sure it’s one that fits for both our sakes 💚

Now I’m curious… How’s your eye? 👀 Can you tell which of these side saddles may or may not be a good fit? 👇🏻 Comment below!