INNOVATIVE TREE FAQ
Western saddle trees have no standard of sizing, each manufacturer produces mostly one size, some a few sizes, very few any more than that. There is no good system for horse owners to quantify and communicate to saddle makers the shape of their horse’s back. There are common sizes that fit a lot of horses, and that is what most of the mainstream industry supplies. We are breeding and cross-breeding horse breeds from around the world and well as crossing cart and workhorse with our riding horses, so the demand for odd shapes and sizes of saddles has increased. In the general horse population, we have seen our horses get wider and shorter through the back in recent years. Some say our colder weather encourages our horses to get thicker, we are probably feeding our horses better as well.
Depending on your location, if there is a Representative that can get to you, your horse can be measured up and your saddle order can take place onsite.
We’re very confident in our remote saddle fitting service in areas where one of our saddle fitters cannot travel to you. We have had excellent success in building saddle trees that fit, with customer measuring their own horses. See photos of a remote fitting using our 3D Equine Saddle Fitting system
– The first step is to order a 3D Equine Saddle Fitting system from us. (https://shop.easyfitsaddles.com/saddle-shop/) This cost is refundable, less shipping, if you return the templates to us.
– The cards come with written instructions. Online you can watch our video and download a PDF (https://easyfitsaddles.com/3d-equine-back-profiling-system/) Sample of a remote fit submission https://easyfitsaddles.com/saddle-fitting-templates-submission/
- We invite you to arrange a call with us on a video chat if you are unsure, so we can see what you are looking at.
- Take pictures and send them along with your measurements.
It does take a bit of effort, but the results are well worth it.
Get a piece of household copper wire, turn the saddle over and form the wire to one of the bars. It will be more accurate if you measure from the centre of the gullet channel, over 4 inches back and centre. Then you have a curve in a repeatable location, the curve will vary by location.
I’m so happy you asked! It’s the first thing to check if they start to play up. A good horse that starts having behavioural issues is oftentimes trying to communicate discomfort somewhere. An ill-fitting saddle is certainly one possible cause. What does a person do if something is irritating their body? If the horse’s focus is on the irritation, then they are not listening to you.
A saddle fit to an atrophied back will block those muscles from developing further & his gaits will not only suffer, but he will be in discomfort. A vet may indicate that the horse is a sound horse, but that doesn’t mean the horse is ready to carry a rider. You would be far further ahead to wait, do absolutely Now ride or saddled work, and rehab the back properly. Then, when the back is better, you’ll have better luck finding a saddle that fits.
Can applying pressure to the horse’s spine and preventing shoulder movement?
The shim system in the bar pads can do the job as long as the new horse is within the shape range of your previous horse. Measuring your new horse’s back and comparison of the new to old shape will tell.
If shims won’t work, the saddle can be returned for a refit. We will disassemble and rebuild the saddle to your new horse’s measurements. Call to arrange measurement of your new horse and an estimate to update your saddle.
The ground seat shape is critical to comfort in the saddle. The main idea is to create a shape that maximizes contact of the seat leather with the rider. Each person is a unique shape. Women are different from men. Our moveable stirrup position along with the ground seat inserts allow for a custom fit. See more
Each tree is custom fit to your horse, we start with 4 base sizes of trees, and can make 1/2 on request.
The base bars of our tree measure:
- 14″ seat – 8.5″ thigh, Cut Back thigh 10″- approx overall length 24″, bare tree bar length 19″.
- 15″ seat – 9.5″ thigh, Cut Back thigh 11″ – approx overall length 25″, bare tree bar length 20″.
- 16″ seat – 10.5″ thigh, Cut Back thigh 12″ – approx overall length 26″, bare tree bar length 21″
- 17″ seat – 11.5″ thigh, Cut Back thigh 13″ – approx overall length 27″, bare tree bar length 22″.
Our cut-back mobile gives you an extra Inch in the seat allow you to use an inch smaller tree base, and leaning the swells ahead gives you extra room. Use our round skirts with no reveal is our shortest combination.
Our adjustable stirrup and seat insert aid in becoming a balanced rider, ear, shoulder, hip, and heel alignment. This posture requires less saddle seat length, allows your natural shock absorbers, the curves in your neck and back, your knees and ankles. You will feel more connected to your horse thru your seat, and your calves will be in contact with your horse.
Each horse is a unique shape, angle all along the back, the curve of the back, length of the back. An off-the-shelf tree may fit in the front and back where you can see, but that is only a small
A proper 3D measurement of your horse’s back can only be obtained by combining the angle and the rock. By measuring down from the top of the wither, we assume all withers are the same height, but they are not. The angle wires combined with a rocker wire will allow you to determine the wither shape accurately.
As a first step, a third angle wire should be added to the last rib area. To create a rocker wire, cut another wire about 30 inches long. Mark 4 inches off the spine in the last rib and at the back of the withers locations. Lay the wire across these 2 marks, keeping it horizontally straight across the wither area as you mold it to the horse’s rock shape. Cross the angle wires over the rocker wire and tape them together. Step back and see if the rocker wire is more or less level. Downhill horses might need the rocker wire moved up a bit and vice versa. A rocker wire will give you a true measurement of the wither shape and width while keeping the seat level.
Once your horse reaches maturity, his bone structure will change very little, but your horse will change shape through conditioning and age cycles. And often horses will be asymmetrical, especially through the wither area. An interesting exercise: with someone holding your horse straight, stand on a stool directly behind your horse and look for symmetry/asymmetry along your horse’s spine all the way up to the wither.
EFS Remedy: Removable pads under the tree bars have shim pockets that allow you to change the rock and/or angles to keep the saddle fitting as your horse changes shape throughout conditioning and age cycles, and to keep the saddle sitting straight side to side. Simply moving the bar pads down on the tree bars can also make significant changes to the fit.
s what the latigo and off-side billet are attached to on the saddle and from which the cinch is hung. In our Easy Fit Saddles, the cable rigging is a continuous loop of 1/4” poly-coated, stainless steel, aircraft cable which is moulded into the swell and cantle of the tree. This type of rigging was invented by a well-respected saddle maker named Hamley around 1918, but the idea was difficult to apply in a wooden tree. It’s an old idea, whose time has come.
Why use cable rigging?
1. Cable rigging can be adjusted to any rigging position (full, 7/8, ¾, or centerfire) unlike traditional saddles which only accommodate one position. The full position is the most forward position and puts the cinch behind the horse’s elbow. Your horse’s conformation, particularly the wither and shoulder, will determine which position is best for him. You want the rigging to allow the horse to move his front legs freely without being bumped or rubbed by the cinch. For asymmetries, the position can be adjusted differently on each side, in conjunction with shimming, to pull the saddle off of a small, weak, or atrophied shoulder, so it can rehabilitate.
2. The cable rigging pulls evenly on both the front and back of the saddle tree, giving it even contact and weight distribution along the length of the bars. And, because it is holding both the front and back of the saddle, it can eliminate the need for a back cinch.
3. All the leather and steel plates used in traditional rigging are replaced by cable, providing you with less bulky, close contact, lightweight rigging.
When measuring horses that are asymmetric through the whither with my EFS horse measuring system, I suggest that you pad up the small size until both are equal, then measure over the shims. I have also measured the large side and used the resulting measurements on both sides to build a symmetrical tree. Either way, we always build the tree symmetrically, and when you get the finished saddle, you will need to shim the tree to level it. The asymmetry usually comes with a rotation, the cable rigging position can be altered with a strap on one side to help keep the saddle from falling over to the small side.
Young horses grow and build muscle to about 5 -7 years of age, level off, and then start to lose their topline and muscling in their later years. Horses also change shape through conditioning cycles; they generally come in fat and out of shape in the spring and lose weight and increase conditioning through the summer work.
Ideally, you should measure your horse when they are in their normal riding condition, and when they are fully grown and filled out. EF saddles have a few ways to compensate for changes: bar pads can be repositioned, or they can be shimmed, and the cable rigging allows the rigging to sit in the proper position for the horse.
Rock refers to the curve of a horse’s back along its length, from the wither to the last rib. It is important to consider rock when looking at saddle fit. If your horse’s back has lots of rock (a distinctive curve/drop) and your saddle tree doesn’t, it may bridge, meaning the tree bars only make contact in the front and back and not in the middle. If your horse’s back has very little rock (flatter), then a saddle with lots of rock might only make contact in the centre and tip forward and back like a rocking horse. Either scenario will result in high-pressure points and soreness on your horse’s back. The rocking horse scenario would also be very unstable.
EFS Remedy
The EFS Saddle fitting template system includes rock cards that are used to determine the curvature (rock) of the horse’s back along its length from the wither to the last rib. The cards also help us to determine the length of the horse’s back and wither.
This is how it works: The card is placed 4 inches off the spine. The B mark in the centre of the card is placed on the mark at the base of the withers and held perpendicular to the horse’s back. The card should rest on the last rib offset mark and base of the withers offset mark and extend over the withers. Try the various card profiles to determine the appropriate card. Record the card number. Record the distance forward to the back of the scapula and backward to the last rib. Recorded as (example) Rock card 2, front 7.5 & back 8.5. The card should run over the scapula; if necessary, make a note of the gap of the pocket behind the scapula. Make a note of the asymmetry and rotation of the scapula side to side. If you can take a few pictures, so I can see what you see, that helps.
Option 1: Onsite saddle fit. Depending on your location, if there is a Representative that can get to you, your horse can be measured up and your saddle order can take place onsite. Discover our EFS REP to find one nearest to your region.
Option 2: We also have remote saddle fitting kits which are easy and convenient. We provide simple step-by-step instructions with everything you need to take measurements of your horse. With a self-addressed express post bag, everything is convenient to suit your busy lifestyle and remote location. Once we receive your measurements, we can begin the process of ordering your custom-made saddle.
Thoracic vertebrae and move more or less with the front of the horse. The lumbar region behind them is unattached to ribs, looks like airplane wings, and moves more or less with the hind end. A saddle that extends past T18 straddles the 2 areas and can interfere with the horse’s movement. Western saddles have done this for years. A longer saddle also moves the rider’s into the back of the saddles, creating more interference. Keeping the rider balanced over their feet and as close to the whither as possible makes the rider a much easier load for the horse to carry.
We make shorter trees with thigh cutouts in the swells to get a larger rider into a shorter tree. As well, once you are balanced in the stirrups with your feet under you, you won’t require as long of a saddle. You start to use all your body’s natural shock absorbers instead of bracing against them, which minimizes sore muscles. You move with your horse, and your horse will start to move more freely with more power.
EFS Remedy – We’re just going to give you this answer right at the start because saddle fitting without the right measuring tools or the right saddle maker who can build the saddle to those measurements is really difficult. Before we make any saddle, we measure the horse, so we have a really comprehensive, 3-D description of your horse’s back from the scapula to the last rib. When the saddle tree is built, it is moulded to your horse’s dimensions. Adding shims into the bar pads under the tree can help maintain fit should your horse change through age or conditioning. We have a measuring kit you can purchase from us or if we have a fitter in your area, they can do it for you.
Issues faced in saddle fitting – The angle and width of the horse’s back change gradually all along its length. Trying to put that into something measurable is a challenge. But we all know that if your saddle doesn’t fit your horse, he will likely be cranky and sore, and may also be restricted in his movement. And just like shoes for people, one size does not fit all.
The permutations for the shape of a horse’s backs are infinite, as are the shapes of saddles produced. If your horse is to carry you comfortably, you want to get it right. If the saddle is too narrow in the front, it will pinch the wither. Too wide and the saddle may fall onto the wither. If the tree bar (the framework inside the saddle) is too flat, then only the tips of the bars will sit on the horse, losing equal weight distribution along the bars. Too much rock and all of your weight are in the centre and the saddle will feel unstable. Too long and the saddle may hit them in the hip. These are just some things to consider in saddle fit; many fitting solutions require more refined evaluation.
Let’s talk about some not-so-great methods of determining saddle size requirements – Standard saddle sizes: It’s interesting to note that there is no industry standard for the terms Quarter Horse bars, semi QH or anything else, so you can’t rely on those terms when you are looking at fit. Equally, you cannot lump various breeds into size categories.
Measuring between the conchos – Not all conchos are placed in the same spot on all saddles, so you will not likely be comparing apples to apples.
Measuring between the tree tips – People often measure saddle tree width by measuring the distance between the front of the tree tips. Consider that the longer the tree bars come down, the wider they will measure.
Feeling under the saddle – Running your hand under the saddle to feel for tight or loose spots is a common method. If you have done this a lot, then you may glean some information from doing so, but it requires you to lift the saddle to get your hand under there and move it along. It also requires you to have the horse on-site to try the saddle.
Rock – How do you measure the rock (curve along the length of the horse’s back)?
What you can do – Analyze your horse – First, stand back and take a look at your horse. You may have to look at other horses to get a feel for how your horse compares although, having measured many horses, looks can be deceiving, so it’s not a scientific method, but it will give you some information: Are the withers high or rounded? Make note of how long your horse’s back is. (Back of scapula to last rib.) If it’s short, then a longer saddle may hit them in the hip and/or poke up. Does it have a lot of rock or is it quite flat? (Curve along the length of the back.) Stand on a stool behind them and look at their back. Does one side have a bigger wither pocket? If you feel the back of the scapula, is one side further ahead of the other? Horse asymmetry is very common.
Use wire – You can take wires and shape them to the contours of your horse’s back, and make note of the distance between each wire. For the rock, lay the wire 4” off the spine, approximately where the tree bars will sit. When you place the wires under a saddle you are considering purchasing, you must pay special attention as to where exactly they sit on that saddle. The angle in relation to the rock in each area is very important. If a horse has a deeper pocket behind one, whither find a saddle you can shim on that side, so the saddle sits level.
Saddle placement – Ensure the saddle is placed in the proper spot. Placing the saddle too far forward will turn a perfectly fitted saddle into one that does not fit.
Horses changing shape/size – Horses of different breeds mature to full size at different ages. Horses who have been under work may be more muscled up than one that has been enjoying the life of leisure in a pasture for a year. Mature horses will maintain their general bone structure throughout their lives, so a custom saddle may just need to be tweaked on occasion to maintain fit.
Weight changes – If your horse goes from fat in the winter to slim in the summer, get the saddle to fit for the larger size and compensate with different blanket thicknesses or shims. You can’t do much for the horse if the fit is too tight.
Saddle fitting is complicated. The expertise of a professional saddle fitter can make the whole experience much easier and provide better results. EFS sells a measuring kit that you can use to measure your horse now and down the road when you think he may have changed. Alternatively, if we have a fitter in your area, they can come and measure your horse for you.
Horses come in all shapes and sizes, and often it is hard to find a saddle that fits your horse well. Without measuring, you may not even know your saddle has a poor fit until your horse tries to tell you through pinning his ears when saddling, constant tail swishing, or just general bad behaviour. White spots on the wither indicate that some real damage has been done to underlying tissues.
EFS Remedy: Measuring your horse gives us excellent 3-D data on the shape of your horse’s back. We measure your horse using our 3D back profiling system, which provides us with measurements in 10 places along your horse’s back. Additionally, we measure the rock (curvature front to back). From these measurements, we custom-build a tree to fit its back type.