What does a Draught horse mean?

Is my horse’s front end wide enough?

The general consensus tends to be that if it isn’t touching the bones of the spine then it must be wide enough. This is completely untrue. I worked with a horse not long ago, an 8 year old Anglo-Arab gelding, that had a mystery front end lameness. He was never lame on the same leg day to day and would also have some moderately sound days.

What is a gullet and why does it matter?

These spaces lie between the arches of each vertebral body and are formed by ventral notches in the front and back of the vertebral arch. A gullet which is too narrow forces pressure on the areas where these vital soft tissue systems exit the spine and can cause a host of issues for the horse, including the ever-elusive mystery lameness.

Why is gullet channel width important for your horse?

This is where gullet channel width becomes especially vital. If the saddle is too narrow between the panelsit can hamper lateral movement of the multifidus muscles, making the horse very stiff and resistant to bend. This will also cause the horse to have a tendency to hollow and contract the back.

Are gullet spaces getting bigger?

Gullet spaces had become surprisingly narrow! One core principle which has been constantly affirmed throughout my more than fifteen years of saddle fitting is the great importance of channel width on a saddle. In more recent years the trend in Dressage saddles is returning to this wider gullet style.

Are wider gullet saddles the new trend?

In more recent years the trend in Dressage saddles is returning to this wider gullet style. As we look analytically at the structure of a horse’s back it becomes evident why we need to keep the saddle from interfering with the spine and surrounding anatomy. At their origin, English style saddles were designed to clear only the spinous process.

What happens if a saddle is too wide?

If we go overboard and create saddles that are too wide one of two things will happen: Either the saddle will sit down on top of the horse’s spine which negates the whole purpose of a gullet in the first place or we have to build the saddle up so high to get clearance on the bones of the spine that the rider is sitting extremely far from the horse.

What is a saddle gullet on a mule?

Looking at the pommel, the space just underneath is called a saddle gullet and is located over the mule’s withers. It’s important that the gullet have the right amount of clearance over the withers.

How important is channel width on a saddle?

One core principle which has been constantly affirmed throughout my more than fifteen years of saddle fitting is the great importance of channel width on a saddle. In more recent years the trend in Dressage saddles is returning to this wider gullet style.

How to measure a horse for a saddle gullet?

HOW TO PROPERLY MEASURE A SADDLE GULLET ON A COMPLETED SADDLE: Peek between the skirts in the front and find the connection between the top of the saddle bars where they connect to the pommel. Place your tape ever so slightly below that joint on the inside of the gullet on the fleece and measure across to the other side in the same place.

Why is gullet channel width so important?

This is where gullet channel width becomes especially vital. If the saddle is too narrow between the panelsit can hamper lateral movement of the multifidus muscles, making the horse very stiff and resistant to bend.

What is the gullet size of a Haflinger saddle?

They also have gaited bars, which usually have a 6 3/4″ to 7″ gullet. Haflinger saddles are made for that breed, or other short-backed, mutton-withered horses, with a 7 1/2″ gullet. Draft horse saddles feature an 8″ gullet, and are made specifically for large

What size gullet do I need for my horse?

Designed to fit the average horse, one of these two widths will fit approximately 80% of horses comfortably. Full-Quarter horse bars usually have a 7″ gullet. They are designed for mutton-withered horses with broader backs. Arab saddles, usually with 6 1/2″ to 6 3/4″ gullets, are for Arabians.

Is your saddle too wide or too narrow?

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. But proper saddle fit does not only depend on the withers—it also takes into consideration the width of the back and shoulders.

Is your saddle’s gullet the correct width for your horse?

I will discuss how to determine if your saddle’s gullet is the correct width for your horse. There is no such thing as “one size fits all” where the channel or gullet of your horse’s saddle is concerned.

What happens if a horse has a narrow gullet?

In the long-term, a saddle with too narrow a gullet will cause permanent, irreversible, and often career-ending injury or damage to the horse’s back. The most severe forms of such damage are spinal stenosis (compression and narrowing of the spinal canal) and spondylosis (degeneration of the vertebrae).

Are gullets interchangeable in synthetic saddles?

One of the best innovations in the world of saddle making has been the interchangeable gullet plate in the synthetic saddle tree. I mean, there’s no getting away from it, it’s brilliant.

Are gullet plates interchangeable?

In addition to interchangeable gullet plates, they have numerous different panel shapes, sizes and styles, curved or flat trees, a pointless tree with lateral flexion for the shoulder, and they ability to place your billets where they are best suited for each horse. Reply Joannesays March 26, 2015 at 11:17 am

Can we talk about saddle fitting when we can’t see the horse?

It’s not possible, or fair, to speak on saddle fitting when we can’t see the horse, or the saddle. However, it does sound as if the approach being followed is basically that of using foam ‘shims’ to enable muscle development in the ‘wither pocket’ area, at the front of the saddle.

Do You Put your horse in the widest gullet possible?

She insists on people with your standard 6yr old thoroughbred to be fitted in the widest gullet possible in a wide Kent a master saddle. To fill the gap she uses towels and a very thick numna – apparently her theory is that the horse will be able to build muscles under the saddle.

How does a saddle fit a mule?

The basic goal of all saddles is the same: to distribute the rider’s weight as evenly as possible across as much of the bars of the saddle as possible. The bars are the two weight-bearing strips of a saddle tree that go on the mule’s back along both sides of the spine. Mule saddles fit the contour of a mule’s back.

What happens if you saddle a mule with a wide gullet?

If the gullet is too wide, the saddle will sit too low on the shoulders, and also rub on the mule’s withers and the fat pocket right underneath the D-rings of the saddle. When you go too wide, you end up being on the fat pockets which can lead to the possibility of kicking out the ribs.