Horses undergo more than just seasonal changes, their shapes evolve over a lifetime as well. We put together this guide on how often, in an ideal world, your saddle fitter would like to see your saddle for a check, to ensure your horse's comfort.
Remember, this is a general overview, and every horse is unique. If you're ever unsure about the right time for your next saddle check, your saddle fitter is your go-to source for personalised advice.
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A young horse beginning its ridden career. Ideally we would see the horse for a static fit of its saddle before backing. Then again 6-8 weeks after it has started under saddle. Horses tend to change very quickly and quite dramatically once starting ridden work. They should also have a saddle check before starting work again after any period of time off to ensure the horse does not have a bad experience with an ill fitting saddle. At this age horses work should be minimal due to the stage of muscular and skeletal development.
This Period is where we would see the most physical change in muscle development as well as weight fluctuations from growth spurts, workload and seasonal effects. We would like to see horses at this stage for a saddle check every 8-12 weeks. This is a prime time for a horse to need a change of saddle so this is something to bear in mind. They can be a completely different shape at 6 than they were at 4 or 5 years old.
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At this age the horse is still liable to have significant changes to their shape . Their workload increases and they begin to work at a higher level of schooling beyond the basics. We would recommend a saddle check every 3 months depending on your horses progression and expected or predicted end goal.
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At this age a horse would be considered established. It’s muscle tone and weight will remain fairly consistent if kept in a regular amount of work. Some horses may change more than others, especially if they have time off or gain and lose a lot of weight with the seasons. We would recommend having a saddle check every 3-6 months.
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At this age a horse should be well established and only seasonal or workload changes should affect their weight and muscle tone. Horses in hard work or competition fitness may see some bigger changes than ones with a lighter workload. Saddle checks would be recommended every 3-6 months.
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This is the other end of spectrum at which we will see significant changes to a horses shape. As horses begin to slow down or have a lighter workload they can lose muscle tone and condition. Seasonal changes can also be more dramatic than they would have been earlier in life. We would recommend keeping a close eye on condition changes, saddle checks would be recommended every 3-6 months for horses still in regular work and every 3 months for older horses or those that are slowing down.
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