western saddle: true saddle measuring

[@garyhammond2213]

I learned something today.

[@joshmorgen6508]

I appreciate the care and detail you put in the video, I’ve taken riding lessons and gone riding friends from time to time but now I’m finally getting my own horse and haven’t had good luck finding videos that actually show how to as thorough as this. It can be a little overwhelming for a first time horse owner, much appreciated!!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

You are very welcome

[@horsegirl07]

This is the exact video I have been looking for! You explained this perfectly and now I understand. Thank you so much!!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

You are very welcome.

[@cgirl905]

THANK YOU!! Drives me nuts when people don't measure the gullet correctly.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

It drives me nuts as well.

[@195419771983]

If all brands listed the gullet size and bar angle of their saddles and posted online, this is what would be helpful.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

I agree, but your still not going to know at what rate the twist, rock, flair, cap, and back gullet are. Most all saddle fitting problems, are because of rock, twist, flair, and cap measurements on the bar itself. Knowing the gullet width, and bar angle will give you a great ball park range to fit a saddle to your horse, but it won't solve all saddle fitting problems. There is so much the horse industry doesn't tell you, just to sell you a product that it can be daunting at times. I hope this helps you understand a little more. It's so tough sometimes, I'm hoping what I have to share will help many horses and riders have a pleasant ride.

[@katie_buggy]

It’d be even better if they listed it on each saddle. Unfortunately saddles come in various size options (i.e. such as the bars and gullet), so listing it online may be difficult, not to mention not everyone is tech savvy. It’d be great if it was on a metal plaque that was placed under the stirrup flap.

[@laurenw1168]

So helpful! Thank you. I've been looking for this information but haven't found it correctly laid out yet like this

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

You are so welcome!

[@freelancerider100]

The big beautiful tooling on your saddle was cut by a maker named Jack Johnson, very distinctive acorn patterns.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

Thank you for letting me know! I really appreciate it!

[@monicaconstantin5625]

Did the same man make these acorns? I have been looking

[@monicaconstantin5625]

Oh i cant send a pic... It says the american and 1300 on the back

[@freelancerider100]

@@monicaconstantin5625 bona Allen saddles were sold by many retailers who stamped their own business name on. I have seen sheplers and some other names. The saddle rivets near the riggin D,s are- often have the B over A trade mark...

[@freelancerider100]

That is a little wonder saddle tree, used by many makers it is a 15inch seat, they came in 2 different rigging styles a full rigging and a 3/4 rigging with 1/2 round brass gussets and and inlets for the rear cinch. but the saddle you show was made by bona allen, and sold by many retailers such as sheplers and sears and roebuck.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

Yes, it is a little wonder tree, made by ralied. I didn't know who the maker was, but I'm glad to know it. Lots of ralied trees out there, but the older ones were junk. They make better ralied trees these days. Anybody can purchase a tree from ralide to make their saddles on, and lots of companies do it. The rigging set up is kind of up to the saddle maker. I've had to replace rear rigging panels in saddles before, so sometimes the rigging does change a from the original maker. I do like this saddle. I use it as a trainer, when I start horses, cause it is light weight, and holds the rider in well. Also, the saddle is well ballance. It's perfect for what I need it for. Thanks for the info on the maker. I appreciate it.

[@rwgoodship3653]

Great video. I’m selling my longhorn and trying to explain saddle measurements is a chore. Cheers from Canada 👍😎🇨🇦🏹

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

You are most welcome! I'm so glad I could help!

[@rwgoodship3653]

@@wa-kentaurians3050 explaining is still a chore😜. Just wish everybody knew the how to’s. Cheers

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

@@rwgoodship3653 a chore is an understatement! Thanks so much for your comments. Teaching really is a passion of mine. It's nice to see others are enthusiastic about learning, just as I have been. I firmly believe that you can't waste knowledge when you use it, and share it with others.

[@rwgoodship3653]

@@wa-kentaurians3050 a professor of mine used to say the same thing. ‘Knowledge gained is wasted if not shared. Cheers.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

@@rwgoodship3653 that's the truth!

[@KingsMom831]

Subscribed, excellent information in this video! Thank you!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad I could be helpful!

[@lauracooper125]

Excellent information. Thank you!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

You bet!

[@freelancerider100]

The bars of tree are not relative to a "quarter horse" lol... Nice video you have done research and it shows.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

Thanks! I sure try my best!

[@groverinmotion6985]

Who makes that saddle, it's really nice.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

I'm not sure. I wish I knew!

[@ArizonaAirspace]

So gullet is the width and bars are the angle. This video is very useful because I’ve been thinking about buying a well built Rancher saddle that will fit most Arabians and small Quarter horses. Can you talk about the twist, flaps etc and saddle fit for a rider on your next video. Thanks. 🐴

[@volkanvolkan3664]

Thank you for the information.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

you are welcome! please also refer to the "saddle fitting secrets the horse industry doesn't want you to know." there is even more information about saddle bars, and how they work to fit on your horses back. in that video, it is discuses what a rock, twist, flare, and cap are, as well as where and why they are important to saddle fitting. im glad you found this video helpful.

[@waquezulfiqar9954]

Good job explaining thanks

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

You are very welcome!

[@swaggerkat1211]

What’s your opinion on treeless saddles? Is there any kind of measurements I need to account for when looking for one? Are they a good quality saddle? My mare is hard to fit and I can’t seem to find a decent saddle that fits her correctly. Thanks!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

Treeless saddles have their place. They typically still have seat gullets and pomal gullets, that make contact with the horse's withers and back. If the angle of contact is too narrow, you can still run into the same problems, because the gullets are stiff pieces of furniture. What you will need to do, is find the rate or angle of twist your horse has in its back, and find a tree that matches this. Then you will need to know how much rock your horse has in its back, as well as the width of its withers and spine. If you can match these, you will have better luck fitting your horse. Biggest saddle fitting issues is usually in the twist, rock, cap, flare, front gullet, and back gullet, but most people only ever talk about the front gullet width, and that is only one small part of the problem. If you don't know a good saddle fitter, you can try a flex tree saddle as they will flex around the horse, and bend into them. They wont last as long, because there is give in the tree. You won't be able to rope, or tie anything heavy to the saddle either, but they are fine of pleasure riding or trails, and such. They certainly have their place, but they will limit what you may wish to do with horse. Having a painless ride that supports your horse's back, is really what matters most, since the saddle can make or break the ride for your horse. I don't have a brand I enforce or anything, but getting with a good saddle fitter/saddle maker, who can explain these parts of the saddle fit to you, may be the information you need, that will turn your horse from being "hard to fit" to being an "easy to fit" horse. Since I started my saddle making journey, fitting horses became easy. Knowledge is nearly 95% of the battle.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

If you are interested, make sure you look at the video I made about saddle fitting secrets the horse industry doesn't want you to know. In that video, I go into detail about these saddle tree fitting issues with demos, so you know what potential saddle issues to look for, when fitting a saddle to your horse. That might actually provide you with the information you need, to help your horse out. I wish you the best of luck, and if you have any questions please feel free to message back.

[@swaggerkat1211]

Thank you for replying! I will take a look. 😊

[@ICanMakeThat]

Thank you for making this video. A few questions… how can you measure the horse for the correct gullet size? I’ve seen so many videos but I get totally incorrect measurements. How do you go about measuring? I have an Arabian and fitting her for a saddle has been a challenge. Thanks.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

This is a tough question. There are ways to do it, but it's much easier to make a video and show you, than it will be to tell you about it. My experience, if an Arab has short withers, you may want to go with a tree, that has a 7inch gullet, and quite possibly a full quarter horse bar. If your horse has tall withers, a 7inch gullet, with a semi quarter bar, should be ok. Every horse is different, and since there are many other things that cause a saddle not to fit, the best thing to do, is to put the saddle on the horse. If I can make a video about this subject, I will definitely share it with you!

[@heatherosborn6717]

Can you address different riggings!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

It's been a while since I've filmed a video for this channel, but sure, I am happy to give that a try.

[@rottiemomx3]

TY GIRL!!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

You bet

[@boykinlp]

Thanks for the information. I am curious as to who your saddle maker was? It looks really nice. Thanks.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

This is a no name saddle. I have no idea who the maker is. Sorry.

[@daisyparks6230]

I just saw this video while trying to find what kind of saddle I have. My dad bought a saddle just like this one from an auction, do you happen to know who the maker is?

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

I wish I knew. I think it is made on a ralide saddle tree, so maybe that can help point you in the right direction.

[@monicaconstantin5625]

Hi I have the same question, did you ever find out about your saddle?

[@jetfixrguy]

Very well explained, I understand completely now.

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

you are very welcome. i have another video that goes into even more detail about saddle fitting, which also explains what the rock, twist, and flair is on a saddle. when there are saddle fitting issues, these things are usually the ones that cause it, since they really cant be measured by most people, unless they have specific saddle tree making tools for it. im glad this could help you! have a great day!

[@hargersadventures]

What about Auto Adjust Flex Tree saddles?

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

Flex tree saddles have the same exact measuring points as all saddles in general. The cool thing about Flex tree saddles is they actually flex to the horses form, no mater what shaped back they have. That said, there is still a draw back, as not all flex tree saddles are flexible enough to fit all horses. Some Flex trees do a better job of adjusting to the horse than other types of Flex trees, because of their materials they were made of. Unfortunately, when buying a Flex tree saddle, your not going to know how truly flexible it really is, until you try it, so please follow standard saddle tree measurements, so you have a butter chance of fitting your horse. The only saddle I know of, that truly fits any horse, is a treeless saddle. Treeless saddles have no bars or trees you need to match to your horse, so you can literally feel the horse under you at all times. Best 100% fit all horses type of saddle on the market! Please do not use treeless or Flex tree saddles if you plan on doing any heavy work like roping. These saddles are not made for the hard stops and pulling weight limits necessary, to take down a steer, and will rip in half right out from under you. They are a great trail, endurance, horse training, barrel racing, and basic everyday riding saddle, but they are not made for ranch working. I hope this was helpful.

[@mm25937]

@@wa-kentaurians3050 thanks for that really great information!!!

[@db37468]

I appreciate the information in this video but I feel the video is too convoluted with unnecessary information. The videos about how to take shirt and saddle measurements and I wish that would’ve been more the focal point. I would’ve felt this video was much better if it’s simply cut to the point and showed how to do measurements

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

Thanks for your comments! I actually make my videos based on questions and conversations I've had with others, who unfortunately are not as lucky enough to consider any information, as unnecessary. It's fairly easy to find information on saddle seat measuring, and gullet measuring, so there really wasn't a need for me to make a video on it. However, the rest of the information provided here, is where most saddle fitting problems exist, and that is where information is lacking. If nobody provides information in addition to gullet and seat size, it would be a huge disservice for both horse and rider, and I've made a promise to provide as much information as I can, in a small space as possible, just to avoid information deprivation. I'm glad you are informed enough that you don't need some of the information, but I have to cater my videos to a wide variety of others, who may not even know the questions to ask, to get answers they need most. I will definitely keep your suggestions into consideration, when I make other videos in the future! Have a great one!

[@db37468]

@@wa-kentaurians3050 Thank you for your response. I can certainly understand that others may be looking for information within the video that I may not have been. I do not want to come across as being critical or negative, overall your video was very informative and I greatly appreciated it. I’m happy that people such as yourself make videos so that when others need the information, it is available to them. I guess I only needed a few certain pieces of it and I felt that I had to watch the whole video to pick out the pieces that I needed. But please do not take anything as a negative, great video!

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

@@db37468 I'm not offended at all! I totally get it! I gotta admit, I've spent up to 4 hours watching the same types of videos, that said the same types of things, but honestly, I felt like I was missing something, so I kept looking. I came to one video that said the same stuff, but added 1 small thing different that was different. I'm sure other people thought was "extra" nonsense, but It was that 2 minute of information that solved my 4 hour dilemma! My goal is to reach a wide range of people, especially the ones who are dedicated to watching 4 hours of video, to get 1 small thing. Few people are as dedicated to finding answers to questions, they didn't realize they needed to ask, so those are the ones I want to reach most, as they are the ones who can teach others. I totally get where your coming from, and I take all incoming information under consideration. If I can keep growing too, that will also make me a better teacher. Thanks a ton for reaching out! It gives me the feedback I need, so I can better help others. Your feedback really is honestly appriciated.

[@douglasfonville8238]

Why does it take over 8 minutes to tell you how to size a saddle?

[@wa-kentaurians3050]

My videos are in more detail than others, so they take longer to do. I also strip saddles right down to the saddle tree, to bring you information, nobody else is willing to provide, and I do it for free. Its something you won't see in other saddle measuring videos, because I care enough about others, to give you the most information possible. This video would take even longer than 8 minutes if I were going to demonstrate how to measure the twist, rock, flare, and cap, and teach you how they play a big roll in saddle fitting, than what a gullet width is capable of doing. But if you don't really want to learn all about saddle fitting, you are welcome to look at other videos, that don't strip saddles to the tree, for your benefit and learning.