By Tania Millen, BSc, MJ

Historical records show that horseback riders first used cloth saddles in approximately 700 – 400 BC. It wasn’t until about 200 BC, that rigid saddle trees were invented. Since then, saddles continued to evolve as riders used their horses for new activities. 

When horses went off to war, their tack was customized to prevent saddle sores which could slow down an army. Soldiers riding for long days in all types of weather required differently shaped saddles than cowboys roping cattle, foxhunters jumping hedges, or polo players whacking balls around. Customization has been a big part of the industry, and yet, the basic saddle design — leather and wool sewn to a wooden tree — hasn’t changed much in the last 300 years.

Reconstruction of one of the earliest solid-treed saddles, the four-horn Roman military saddle without stirrups, used as early as 200 BC. 

“The basic philosophy of a saddle is fine,” says Christian Lowe, a saddler in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario who works for Lim Group, one of the largest saddlery companies in the world. “The horse hasn’t changed or evolved so dramatically that something that’s worked for hundreds of years has to be reinvented. But it’s been the nature of the saddlery and harness industries to tinker and evolve.

“Companies that have deep enough pockets for research and development will always be innovating and developing new concepts,” says Lowe. “The reward for getting it right is very high because the horse world is happy to try new products. Companies like CWD, for example, are very technology-driven.”

Related: How to Find the Perfect Horse Riding Gear

The saddlery industry is slowly evolving and some companies are very technology-driven. Of the companies doing research to develop new concepts, saddler Christian Lowe (pictured) says, “The reward for getting it right is very high because the horse world is happy to try new products.” Photo courtesy of Christian Lowe

Computerization is one of the big technological changes. In years past, a leather cutter would hand-cut every piece of leather from a hide using a knife.

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“Now the cutter identifies where each scar or weak point or flawed material is in a hide, then tells the computer about the bits that they don’t want in the end product,” explains Lowe. “The computer maps it all out and cuts around the flaws to maximize hide use.

“Leather tanning has changed, too,” says Lowe. “It’s way more environmentally friendly now, plus some companies are using non-leather products. Composite plastic and carbon fibre trees are common.”

An English saddle being repaired. With the number of professional English saddlers in Canada on the decline, Christian Lowe worries about who will maintain and repair saddles in the future. Photo courtesy of Christian Lowe

Today’s market offers colourful leather and non-leather products which provide endless options for customizing saddles and tack. Meanwhile, customized and adjustable trees, changeable gullets, air bags and shims, plus developments in stirrups, stirrup leathers and girths, are ongoing.

But it’s important to remember that the basic premise of new technologies is to improve the fit of saddles for horses and riders.

“I think riders should aim to buy a saddle within their budget, have it professionally fitted, then regularly refitted as their horse changes,” says Kelsey Hamer, a Qualified Saddle Fitter and owner of Four Winds Saddle Services Ltd in Grande Prairie, Alberta. These new technologies help saddlers do just that.

Kelsey Hamer of Four Winds Saddle Services Ltd. recommends that riders buy a saddle within their budget, have it professionally fitted, and have it refitted regularly as the horse’s shape changes. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Hamer

Customized Trees

“Forty years ago, there were limited saddle seat sizes available,” says Hamer. “Most saddle companies just built saddles that fit the majority of horses and riders, and called that good. Now, when you go through a tree catalogue, companies are making very specific trees.”

Since Warmbloods have begun dominating English horse sports, there’s been a shift toward trees that accommodate their shape. However, for horses that don’t fit the mold — literally — there are custom options.

Related: A Country Built by Horse Power

Christian Lowe measures a horse to ensure accurate saddle fit. Photo courtesy of Christian Lowe

Both English and Western saddlers offer customized trees. Before building a custom tree, saddlers measure the horse’s back. There’s no standard methodology. Some saddlers have saddle fitters and representatives who take measurements along the horse’s back and submit them to the saddler for tree design. Other saddlers mail fibreglass trees to customers to try on their horse’s back, take photographs and videos, then determine the best fit and adjustments in conversation with the horse’s owner. Regardless of the method, the saddler then constructs a tree from scratch or tweaks a tree already in stock to purpose-build a saddle for the specific horse.

Adjustable Trees

There are other options. Not everyone can afford to buy a saddle with a custom tree or necessarily wants to invest in one for a horse they may not keep for many years. For this reason, some saddles — both English and Western — have adjustable gullets.

An adjustable gullet near the pommel allows this saddle to be widened or narrowed. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Hamer

“The Allen key system has been around for about 30 years,” says Hamer. “Saddle companies keep coming out with slightly modified systems, but they all essentially do the same thing.”

In English saddles, the gullet has a hinge near the pommel and the Allen key widens or narrows the gullet via that hinge. In Western saddles, the wooden tree itself is not adjusted but a screw can be used to narrow or widen the gullet space by adjusting the leather padding located between the tree and the horse. Additionally, some English saddle gullets can be adjusted slightly wider or narrower by a professional saddler using a press.

Related: The Heritage and Skill of Riding Sidesaddle

Changeable Gullets

Changeable gullets offer another way to alter the width of English saddles which offer this technology. Riders can use the brand-supplied measurement tool to determine the shape of their horse’s wither and then select the gullet that best matches their horse’s shape. Installing the gullet plate in the saddle is simple for riders, providing an easy way to alter the width of the saddle at the pommel.

Some English saddles offer the option of changing the gullet plate to alter the width. 

Airbags, Shims and Other Innovations

Historically, English saddle panels were flocked (filled) with wool. Many still are. In efforts to fit saddles to different horses, however, both English and Western saddle companies have experimented with airbags, other high-tech materials, and shims.

Sealed airbags are being used in some English saddle panels, while adjustable airbags — where air can be added or removed — are installed in some English and Western saddles. However, the properties of wool, such as its ability to be rejuvenated when it becomes densely packed, breathability, and ease of adjustment, prescribe that new materials have to surpass the benefits of wool. For example, panels that combine both wool and foam have become common.

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“Foam technology is evolving all the time,” says Lowe, explaining that the density, comfpressibility, and rebound of foam are all being tested and improved.

Other English and Western saddles have panels that can be adjusted with shims (thin pieces of foam or felt) to customize saddle fit on different horses or make alterations when horses change shape.

A beautifully customized cantle. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Hamer

Stirrups, Leathers, Girths and Cinches

It’s not just saddles that are changing. There’s been significant innovation in rider comfort and ways to hold saddles in place on the horse.

About 40 years ago, English safety stirrups were the norm in lesson barns. They had elastic bands on the outside of the stirrup which allowed a child’s foot to pop out of the stirrup sideways. However, they fell out of fashion and were never particularly acceptable in adult competitions.

Related: The 21st Century Cowboy

Recently, they’ve made a comeback. In efforts to improve safety, many different types of safety stirrups are now available, and they’ve been embraced by top-level competitors. Coloured stirrups have also grown in popularity as riders customize their saddles.

Several types of safety stirrups are available, and coloured stirrups are growing in popularity. Photo courtesy of Kelsey Hamer

English stirrup leathers have evolved, too. For more than 50 years, Western stirrup leathers (called fenders) have been adjustable near the stirrup. The common adjustment point for English stirrup leathers has been high up under the rider’s leg. Newly designed English stirrup leathers now have adjustments low down and are often wider than previous leathers, thereby decreasing friction and interference with the rider’s leg.

In efforts to improve horse comfort, movement, and performance, saddlers have designed and patented new styles of English girths and Western cinches that reduce interference with the horse’s elbows, shoulders, and breathing.

For example, Jeremy Rudge Saddlery based in the UK recently patented a girth that was independently field-tested and assessed with biomechanical analysis software. It’s been found to increase the horse’s comfort, way of going, and cadence of movement. Other saddlery companies have experimented with shaped girths and cinches.

All these technologies offer riders choice and the ability to potentially find something that fits their horse better or customize their tack. However, keeping up with technological changes can be expensive.

“I wouldn’t jump on the newest thing, thinking you’re doing the best by your horse,” says Hamer. “Doing the best by your horse is buying a saddle tree that fits their shape and having regular fittings and adjustments, replacing the flocking as needed.”

That means finding a professional saddler to help keep you and your horse performing well. Yet the number of professional saddlers is declining.

“There are only a handful of English-type saddlers working in Canada,” says Lowe. “There are many more who are building and selling Western saddles. But I worry about who is going to be maintaining, fixing, and repairing saddles in the future.”

It’s a valid concern. Saddlers are imperative for helping riders navigate changing saddlery technologies. Hopefully, they’ll continue to be available to help riders make the best choices for their horses. Meanwhile, saddlery companies will undoubtedly persevere, innovating to improve saddlery options and equestrian performance.

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Main Photos: Shutterstock/M.E. Hurren (left); Courtesy of Kelsey Hamer (right)