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quarter horse

When Half Breed Saddles Fit The Rider But Not The Horse

November 14, 2023 by Jane @ THB 1 Comment

Although hugely popular, the Half Breed saddle is harder to fit to horses than its simple appearance seems to suggest.

As the love child of the Australian stock saddle and the Western saddle, its origins are on the station or farm, where riders spend long hours working cattle.

It offers the rider a lot of stability and security, while allowing freedom of movement when needed in stock work.

In Australia, it’s favoured in sports including campdrafting, team penning, or polocrosse. There are also many variations in endurance riding, while many leisure riders love this secure saddle.

However, its design does throw up some oft-seen fitting problems horse-side.

Caveat: If your saddle fits well, you’ve no reason to be concerned with what I describe here. If you’re not sure, then the following points are something to be aware of. It’s not an attack on this style of saddle or the sports that use it.

 

Why are Half Breed saddles so popular?

Note: This style is often called a Swinging Fender, which is becoming a catch-all name for a group of similar styles. Strictly speaking, the ‘Fender’ saddle has stuffed panels like the Aussie stock saddle – that’s not what we’re looking at here.

This style is favoured by many riders for a few reasons. I’ll hazard a few here:

  1. It feels safe and secure, thanks to the knee pads.
  2. You sit where it puts you, thanks to the knee pads.
  3. The seat is open and wide, therefore comfortable.
  4. It’s functional for working stock.
  5. It’s lighter than western saddles.
  6. It apppears to be easy to fit.
  7. It’s a good-looking saddle.

The sticking point is its apparent simplicity when it comes to fitting. There’s a prevailing belief that if it’s wide enough, it fits.

That’s simply not true. And nor does it become a better fit through the addition of a thicker pad.

 

What are the features of a Half Breed saddle?

The tree is closer to a Western tree, but with a more forward-angled swell (ie. pommel area). It also has fenders and skirts like the Western, with an unpadded underside (which is why it’s always used with a thick saddle pad).

Meanwhile, the raised knee pads that offer so much security hark back to the Aussie stock saddle. A critical difference is that in the Half Breed saddle, they’re angled forwards.

 

Western (left) and Half  Breed tree (right).

 

But what’s also important is this.

Like the Western saddle, the Half breed’s fit is harder to check underneath than English and Aussie stock saddles. It can often look fine from the outside, even when it’s not fitting the contours of the horse’s back at all.

Here are the varied ways and the reasons why Half Breed saddles can fail to fit. As you’ll see, they overlap and interlock to a surprising degree.

 

The forward sloping angles of the fork

As we’ve just seen, the swell of the Half Breed saddle (ie. pommel area) is angled forwards.

This provides a base for the knee pads, which suit a forward leg position for the rider.

The difficulty is that the bars frequently restrict the shoulder action, as the structure either extends forward above over the scapula cartilage or digs in behind it.

The forward angled bars frequently extend over and restrict the scapula cartilages.

The Trapezius and Rhomboid muscles are affected, with horses often showing tension and muscle maldevelopment, along with ‘hollowing’ along the topline.

Even so, the shoulder action can still lift and tilt the saddle back, which then causes it to slide back. It’s quite common to see the saddles used with breastplates for extra stability.

On top of this, the fixed position of the knee pads can force a rider’s butt further back as they adopt a ‘chair seat’. This leads to or contributes to a number of problems – more on this below.

 

The width and angle of the Half Breed saddle tree 

Half Breed saddle trees are often narrow in front and steeply angled.

These may suit lower weight, hard-working stock horses of Thoroughbred type, but can be disastrous for heavier horses, such as Australian Stock Horses with more Quarter Horse influence.

The shoulder action is often even more restricted by this narrowness. Once again, the saddle may be lifted in front and the saddle can tip back.

Alternatively, if the bars are pushing in behind the scapula, muscle atrophy can occur and then the saddle drops down in front. Thicker saddle pads may be added by a well meaning owner, but this doesn’t solve the problem – it compounds it.

 

The profile across the back of the tree

As mentioned, the back of the saddle gives the illusion that it’s simple to fit.

The plain skirt suggests that ‘what you see is what you get’ when compared with European saddles or Australian stock saddles.

However, there’s a solid tree in there, and the contour across the back of the tree needs to match that of the horse’s back.

When the tree is too wide and flat, there’s often too much contact adjacent to the spine, and little to no contact further out.

This creates a higher level of pressure in the narrow contact areas.

If the saddle is already being tipped back, we have potential for a lot of postural change throughout the lumber spine and lumbosacral region of the horse.

 

The bridging Half Breed saddle

Can it get worse? Yes. Compounding all of the above, the saddle may bridge due to its close fit over the scapula cartilage.

Bridging means there are areas of strong contact and high pressure at the front and back of the saddle, and little in the middle.

It can sit clear or almost clear (you don’t need to actually see daylight) above the spinal curve beneath the saddle.

Add this to all of the above and things are getting pretty unpleasant for the horse. It’s certainly not unusual to see this, especially when bigger saddles are placed on horses that are croup-high, or downhill in conformation.

 

The seat balance of the Half Breed seat

Back to the angled swell and knee pads. These provide security for the rider, but leaves them little option but to sit further back.

This means they’re positioned some behind the centre of gravity ‘sweet point’, which is close behind the shoulders and withers.

The rider’s weight is levered to the back of the saddle, loading the back of the thoracic spine and possibly the more forward lumbar spine.

 

Photo by JS Photography. Cropped for privacy.

The horse’s tendency is to hollow or straighten the lumbar spine in an effort to manage the rider’s weight.

It’s common to see overdeveloped and hypertrophic lumbar muscles, along with an overstraight or raised lumbar spine.

This is not a criticism of a riding style. All saddles place the rider behind this sweet spot (as discussed in this earlier article),  but the issue is how far behind. Some saddles are more angled than others.

 

Useful saddle fitting resources

This article introduces the problems, so what about solutions?

The following resources provide more information on getting your saddle fit right.

Western Saddle Fit – The Basics 67-minute video on DVD or Vimeo streaming from Rod and Denise Nikkel

Western Saddle Fit: Well Beyond the Basics 6 hours for equine professionals from Rod and Denise Nikkel

The Horse’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book eBook from Joyce Harman DVM

The Western Horse’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book Soundness and comfort with back analysis and correct use of saddles and pads, from Joyce Harman DVM

 

 

Filed Under: Saddle Fit Tagged With: australian stock horse, GA, half breed saddle, halfbreed saddle, hybrid saddle, quarter horse, saddle fit, saddle fitting, saddle fitting problems, swinging fender saddle, western saddle

Introducing Common Saddle Fit Problems in Quarter Horses

October 24, 2022 by Jane @ THB 7 Comments

 

Are certain saddle fit problems related to conformation in Quarter Horses?

My goal with this article is to help you look at your Quarter Horse’s body and, if you see these conformation points, know what common saddle fit problems to check for.

Not all horses in the breed are the same shape, for there are many variations in individual conformation and posture – and there are just as many variations in saddles. The subject would fill many books.

This post is for horse owners who, like many of my clients, simply want to know where to start.

 

The Quarter Horse and saddle fit problems

The conformational points that feed into many Quarter Horse’s saddle fit issues are:

  • Heavy shoulders
  • Low withers
  • Wide flat back with rounded ribcage
  • Downhill conformation
  • ‘Curvy’ topline

Some horses have one or two of these, some have all. Some may have none.

Downhill conformation (c) J Clothier

 

So, without further ado, here are the problems they can lead to if not taken into account during saddle fitting.

And by the way, if your Paint or Appaloosa (or any breed of horse) has the same type of conformation, then this may help you too.

 

1. Low withers and wide back with rounded ribcage

Many Quarter Horses have broad ‘table top’ backs, with round ribcages and sometimes, but not always, with low withers that widen into solid shoulders.

These horses need wide trees with contours that match the back. With flush contact along the underside of the tree, weight is distributed evenly and the saddle is more stable.

What often happens is that the saddle is large enough to go round the horse, but it doesn’t match the contours of the horse’s back. If too wide at the front, it may fall forward and ‘nosedive’ (that’s not an official saddle fitting term, but hey it’s descriptive). The upper part of the pommel or fork creates pressure, leading to dropped muscle tone and white patches.

 

Wide saddles create pressure points higher up (c) Joyce Harman

If the saddle is too narrow for that broad back and shoulders, it perches on top, and may also be pinching at the lower points of the tree or fork.

Whether because it’s too wide or too narrow, the saddle that creates pressure in the wither pockets can cause hollowing and/or white patches or white flecking.

White patches show a saddle didn’t work for this Quarter Horse

And when there’s relatively little contact between the tree and the horse, the saddle is also unstable. If perched on top, it can very easily roll to one side or shift around as the horse moves. Likewise if it’s too wide.

 

2.   Large, well-muscled shoulders

Quarter Horse shoulders are often large, deep and powerful. If the saddle is too narrow at the front, such shoulders may lift it during movement. The saddle is rocked backwards and this creates pressure under the rear of the saddle. When ridden, the rider’s weight is now concentrated at the back of the seat, adding to the problem.

The narrow saddle may also bridge. This is when contact under the center of the saddle (lengthwise) is reduced or even entirely absent. As a result, there will then be four areas of pressure: two at the front and two at the back, on either side of the horse.

Briding saddle tree
A Western saddle tree bridging (c) https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/bridging/

 

With restriction at the front, the horse may have raised, overdeveloped muscles in the lumbar region, behind the saddle area. These may be visually obvious if there’s also weak musculature in front.

Quarter Horse overdeveloped lumbar muscles
Lumbar muscles are overdeveloped, while trapezius muscles either side of withers are underdeveloped. (c) J Clothier

3. Downhill conformation

It’s quite common to see Quarter Horses with a downhill conformation. They may be long through the back, with the lumbar spine sweeping up to the croup. The back often also has a deep curve through the saddle area.

Deep curve of the spine in the saddle area contributes to saddle bridging

This does not mean the horse has the back for a long saddle – it’s often quite the opposite, as these horses may need a shorter saddle to prevent bridging. A saddle may also need a more curved profile along the length of the tree to match contours of the back, while still having sufficient width to go around those shoulders.

The upwards sweep creates strong contact at the back of the saddle. With each hind step, the saddle is shifted forwards, especially if it extends over the lumbar muscles.

Sometimes, the lumbar spine becomes ramrod straight between the back of the saddle and the croup. This is caused by the horse’s efforts to both carry weight and stabilize it by bracing upwards – while moving, as asked.

Quarter Horse lumbar spine
The lumbar spine is raised, with no dip to the lumbosacral space (c) J Clothier

When ridden, the horse will often step short behind. At halt, it may consistently park the hind feet out behind.

Not surprisingly, in movement, the saddle is pushed forwards due to the high hindquarter action, as well as the forces of gravity. The shoulders can then become restricted, with hollowing in the wither ‘pockets’ and tense muscles across the shoulder itself.

Tension in the shoulder muscles (c) J Clothier

 

The horse may also drop through the sternum – this brings the line of the chest down, while the pectoral muscles bulge forwards as they work to stabilize the body.

The horse’s neck may be somewhat ‘upside down’ as compensates for the downward pressure while keeping its head elevated. This is compounded if the horse’s neck is already set low. Tight muscles become visible along the upper line of its neck, or there is a general lack of muscle development.

If the rider is also sat well back, even more pressure is created at the back of the saddle.

 

Useful saddle fitting resources

This article introduces the problems, so what about solutions?

The following resources provide more information on getting your saddle fit right (I’ll add more soon!)

Western Saddle Fit – The Basics 67-minute video on DVD or Vimeo streaming from Rod and Denise Nikkel

Western Saddle Fit: Well Beyond the Basics 6 hours for equine professionals from Rod and Denise Nikkel

The Horse’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book eBook from Joyce Harman DVM

The Western Horse’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book Soundness and comfort with back analysis and correct use of saddles and pads, from Joyce Harman DVM

Saddlefit4Life YouTube channel presents numerous educational videos, from Jochen Schleese of Schleese Saddlery.

Filed Under: Saddle Fit Tagged With: GA, quarter horse, quarter horse back problems, quarter horse conformation, quarter horse english saddles, quarter horse saddle fit, western horse, western horses, western saddle quarter horses

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