What should saddle sweat marks look like?

What should saddle sweat marks look like?

Sweat Patterns and Saddle Fit. When you take your saddle off at the end of a ride you should see even sweat marks on both sides of the spine that resemble the bottom the saddle. If you see dry areas, it is supposed to mean that the pressure there was so high that it shut down the sweat glands.

How do you tell if your saddle doesn’t fit your horse?

If the saddle is too narrow, the pommel will be too high at the front throwing the rider's weight to the rear and putting weight and pressure through the loin area of the horse. The rider will also be unbalanced tipping forward in consequence. The panels (the soft pads under the saddle) will probably also 'bridge.

Is a treeless saddle better?

Without tree points putting pressure on the horse's shoulders as they move, many horse owners find that their horses' strides are longer and freer, allowing better quality of movement in performance horses. A treeless saddle may flex and move with a horse's motion.

What happens if a saddle is too wide?

When a saddle is too wide in the front, it can sink down over the withers. This takes the saddle out of balance by making the pommel lower than the cantle, which in turn carries more pressure over the front of the tree (at the withers/shoulders) than a saddle with a properly sized tree.

Why is my saddle lifting at the back?

However, if you do have a situation where the saddle really is lifting up at the back, the most common reason is that the saddle is too wide for the horse. This can be because of too wide a bar spread or too wide a bar angle.

What does it mean when a horse has high withers?

Just because your horse has high withers does not mean your saddle can be resting on them. If the saddle is sitting too high on your horse (more than an inch off the withers), the saddle is too narrow. If the saddle is riding down less than an inch or touching the withers, the saddle tree is too wide.

How do I know if my western saddle fits?

However, a general guideline to determine your pad thickness is listed below: 1/2″ under pad – best for showing reining, cutting or pleasure horses when you still need protection, yet want to put a colorful blanket over the under pad for show purposes. 3/4″ – best for daily training sessions of 1 hour or less.