This article assumes you’ve browsed saddles for sale and picked yourself up a beauty and now you are ready to try it out.

It’s not too important what kind of saddle you have, whether an all purpose saddle or one of the gaited saddles, the method is going to be essentially the same.

Fitting a saddle to your horse can take as little as a minute or two but it’s important to do it properly. It’s not just for the horses safety and well being, but also for your pleasure. The last thing that you need is to fall off your horse.

The first thing you must brush your horse correctly before you place a saddle on its back. This will smooth the hair and remove any objects which may possibly cause discomfort.

When you have put a saddle pad or blanket on your pony you are ready to saddle it. Always remember to saddle your horse from the left side as you look in the same direction as the horse. The saddle pad and the saddle itself should sit so the front is just in front of the horses shoulders or withers. This could guarantee your weight is not too far back on the horse, which could cause stress and forestall the horse flexing properly.

Once the saddle is sat on the pony, bring the cinch up beneath the horse and fasten it to the other piece of the cinch. The cinch should come around the horse quite near to the front legs, but without causing any obstruction to freedom of movement. The girth should be fairly tight, but loose enough in order that you can fit one of your fingers between the girth and the horse.

Once that’s complete you can adjust the stirrups to your liking and you are good to go, having fitted your saddle in a safe and proper way.