![]() A rider whose horse been successfully fit with one of these saddles may mistakenly assume that any other saddle with a similarly labeled tree will also be a good fit. ![]() One manufacturer will have a tree with “semi-Quarter-Horse bars” that measure very closely with another company’s “full-Quarter-Horse bars”. A problem when choosing a saddle is the lack of common specifications regarding the angle of the twist of the tree bars. Trees (and saddles) come in innumerable configurations. Saddle tree bars are twisted from front to back in order to follow these contours. My hand in A shows the degree of incline at the front of this horse’s topline and in B shows the degree of incline where the back edge of the saddle bars sit. Tree bars are twisted from front to back in order to follow these contours. The twist in the bottom, flat part of the tree bars allows them to accommodate this varying degree of incline where the back edge of the saddle bars sit. The front portion of the horse’s back, just behind the withers, drops off sharply, while the back is flatter toward the loins. These photos illustrate how the twist relates to the way tree bars conform to the shape of the horse’s back. Toward the withers, this is quite a steep angle, as there is a sharp drop-off at each side, but the angle becomes flatter as it goes across the back, and is flattest toward the back edge of the bars. The twist of the saddle bars describes the width of the tree bars between the rider’s legs as well as the angle of the tree bars on the bottom flat portion, from front to back. When the tree bars are positioned wider apart, the seat has a “broad” or “wide” twist. Those looking for a “narrow twist” are referring to a narrower seat. The twist of the seat refers to the how close the tree bars are built at the narrowest part below the rider’s seat. The term “twist” of the saddle tree can be confusing as it refers to two different things related to the configuration of the tree bars. If the horse isn’t already hollow-backed, he needs to hollow his back to avoid contact with the saddle’s rocker and over time, this will cause him to become hollow-backed. Many so-called “gaited horse saddles” fall into the latter category. Some saddle bars are nearly straight from front to back, while other are made to match the topline of horses with hollow (sway) backs. The rocker of the bars describes the amount of “dip” at the center of the tree bars, from front to back. ![]() Tree bars have varying angles to suit different-shaped horses: a steep downward angle for a steep-sided or “A”-shaped horse an average angle for a less steep but not barrel-shaped horse and a wide angle for a wide, “O”-shaped barrel. These lie along each side of the horse’s spine and help to evenly distribute the rider’s weight along his topline. The saddle tree bars are long, flat pieces of wood, fiberglass, metal, or a flexible composite material. Essentially, a saddle tree consists of four parts: the pommel, the cantle, and two tree “bars”. Most saddles of any style are built on a saddle tree, a wooden or fiberglass “skeleton,” over which leather and padding is installed. Excerpted from The Gaited Horse Bible by Brenda Imus available on Amazon Kindle ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |