The saddle is the key accessory of a successful horse race. It does not simply ensure contact between the rider and his horse. Using a good saddle is the guarantee of a better performance of the animal during the competitions. It is therefore necessary to know how to choose the saddle size that suits his horse. And for this, here is a checklist to check if the saddle used is suitable or not on the back of his horse.
Make a series of simple tests
To recognize the proper saddle for your horse, you must first check the severity of the horse. To do this, you have to roll a pencil on the seat and if it falls into the hollow of the seat, it means that the saddle is in perfect position on the horse. Next, check that the cantle and the knob are at the same height. Otherwise, the saddle is too narrow or too wide for the animal. Afterwards, if one is behind the antares saddles, one must be able to see the column perfectly clear all along the saddle, but also, one must see light where one is. For tourniquets, they must be free, that is to say that three fingers can be passed over or two on the side. As for the arch, it is too narrow if the hand does not fit under the saddle at the shoulder of the mount. And finally, the straps must be vertical with respect to the ground and visible defects such as the asymmetry of the saddle must not appear.
Use professional saddle
Apart from the few checks you can do yourself, it would be more prudent to consult a professional saddler so that he can advise on the stools best suited to the horse. The saddle-fitter is an expert in adapting a saddle to a horse. The difference with a simple saddler is that he does not design the products, he just does fit tests to know if the saddle is suitable or not. This professional also provides practical solutions for unadapted saddles. For example, it can solve asymmetric seat problems by correcting a few points.
