In my opinion, a custom saddletree is not worth the expense. There’s no such thing as a saddletree that will fit your horse perfectly forever. It may fit him in the very moment you get it measured for him, but that’s about it. The whole business of custom saddletree work is nothing more than a good way to throw away your hard-earned money.
Getting a saddletree custom designed for your horse is like me telling you that I’m going to have a custom pair of jeans tailored to fit you for the rest of your adult life. That’d be ridiculous, because our bodies are constantly changing. We might be working out and our bodies are toned and fit. We might be binge eating and we’re bloated and need our fat pants. Maybe we’re going through a divorce or job loss and can fit into our skinny pants because we’re stressed. You get my drift? Your body does not stay the same from week to week, let alone your entire adult life.
Your horse goes through different stages throughout his life as well. There will be times he’s in training five days a week and is fit. There will be times when you ride only two or three times a week and he loses some of his muscle tone. There may be times when you make changes in your training program and your horse develops different muscles along his topline. Our bodies don’t stay the same and neither do our horses’ bodies.
I think the hype around custom-designed saddles has a lot to do with people hoping that getting a saddle custom built to their horse will solve all of the issues they’re having with their horse under saddle. Your horse not progressing in his training the way you’d like or acting out when you ask him to move his feet? Must be the saddle! In my experience, people like to place blame everywhere but on themselves and are always looking for excuses for their horses’ bad behavior or lack of training.
Are there cases where an ill-fitting saddle is the cause of a horse’s bad behavior? Sure there are. But they are rare. Most horses’ behavioral problems are caused by a lack of respect or fear. Earn your horse’s respect and trust and the negative behavior will go away.
When it comes to saddle fit, your goal is to find a saddle that fits your horse comfortably and doesn’t hinder his performance. You don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars getting a saddletree custom built for each of your horses.
Have a horsemanship question or looking for more training tips? Check out the No Worries Club.
