How to Properly Position a Saddle on Your Horse
I want to start by talking about where your saddle actually belongs. The short version? Most folks put it too far forward. Once you understand why that’s a problem, and how your horse feels about it, you’ll want to get it right every time.
Finding the Scapula
First, let’s find the scapula — the shoulder blade. In the photo I’m referencing, you’ll see a curved black line marking its general location. That may not be exactly where it is, but close enough to make the point. What you need to do is feel for the back of the scapula. Not just the curve where it starts to swing back, but deeper — if you palpate with your fingers, you’ll find the real back edge of the bone is about a half-inch farther back than it first seems.
This can be tricky on a wider or more muscular horse. But finding it matters. That bone moves in several directions as the horse works. If the rigid parts of the saddle are pressing on it, the scapula can’t move freely — and now your horse is stuck figuring out how to compensate. It’s uncomfortable, it’s restrictive, and it’s just not fair to ask them to work through it.
Where the Tree Belongs
In the images, you’ll see an oval black mark — that’s where the point of the tree should go. You’ll also see this clearly in the skeleton photo. For those who haven’t seen one stripped down, the tree is the core of your saddle — the foundation everything else is built on. You’ll notice the stirrup bar, and just under it, the point of the tree. That rigid point is the part we’re talking about.
It should never be sitting on or up against the scapula. Yes, there’s padding under the finished saddle, but once it’s girthed up and you’re riding, that padding only does so much. Repeated pressure in the wrong place adds up fast — and your horse will let you know, one way or another.
The picture is a picture of a saddle tree. The tree is the core of the saddle and everything is built around it. You can see the stirrup bar and just below that is the point of the tree. You DO NOT want the points of tree on or up against the scapula. The tree points are rigid. Yes, there is padding underneath the point when the saddle is all put together, but think about it. When the saddle is girthed up and you are in it, that consistent pressure will eventually cause discomfort.
How to Find the Tree Point on Your Saddle
In many saddles, you can find the tree point by lifting the flap. It’s often stitched into a little triangular pocket. When the saddle is on the horse, lift that flap and check where the point is landing. It shouldn’t be anywhere near the scapula.
Some Visual Examples
Too far forward: The saddle tips downhill to the back. This throws the rider into the cantle — a “back seat” position that’s tough on balance. More importantly, the tree point ends up right over the scapula. That’s a hard no.
Correctly placed: The saddle sits level and even. You can tell it’s working with the horse, not against them.
The Girth Isn’t a Target
Let’s talk girths for a minute. A lot of riders were taught to line up the girth with the horse’s elbow — pull it straight up and call that your saddle placement. But more often than not, that places the saddle too far forward. Instead, start by putting the saddle where the tree belongs — behind the scapula — and let the girth fall where it may.
Sometimes it’ll end up right behind the elbow. Sometimes it’ll be an inch or two farther back. That’s why there are so many different girth shapes — to accommodate that variation. We'll get deeper into girths in a future post.
“My Saddle Always Slips Back”
I hear this all the time: “Well, I put it forward, but it always ends up back there anyway.” Yes. That’s exactly the point. The horse is pushing the saddle away from the scapula — back to where it wants to be. So instead of fighting that, just start there. Let the saddle go where it naturally wants to land.
Ditch the Riser Pad
Another thing I see a lot: saddles placed too far forward, tipping back, and people adding a riser pad to “fix” it. Just slide the saddle back. That’s usually all it takes. When it’s in the right spot, it’ll sit level and balanced — no pads needed.
Coming Up Next…
Next time, I’ll walk through how to choose and use different types of pads and girths to support good saddle fit — not compensate for a bad one.