An Easy Visual Reference to Insuring Health, Comfort, and Performance for You and Your Horse
If horseback riders could do one thing that would save them money, ensure their horse’s health and performance, and help them ride better (and feel better afterward), it would be assuring that their saddle fits their horse correctly and that it is suitable for their own body and desired activities. Unfortunately, most riders don’t have access to experienced saddle fitters who can analyze their equipment and help them determine whether the fit is passable or problematic. This means that many riders just “hope for the best” with what they have. In the end, their horses suffer the consequences.
Beverly Harrison started as a rider, and when she opened a tack shop, she quickly noticed the need for someone to guide horse owner’s in choosing a new saddle or refitting an older one. To be better informed for her customers, she became a Qualified SMS Saddle Fitter, and she made it her mission to help educate anyone involved with horses: 4-Hers, backyard riders, competitors, veterinarians—you name them, she’s probably taught them.
Harrison figured that her educational efforts would benefit from colorful visual aids to engage her students. And so, a handbook full of her own delightful hand-painted illustrations was born. Readers easily gain a basic understanding of the parts of the saddle, how they work and how they should fit, as well as what the addition of a rider means to it all.
Topics include: terminology and saddle construction, basic anatomy of horse and rider relative to the saddle, safety of materials, step-by-step fit evaluations, instructions for creating a paper template, indicators of fit under saddle, impacts of girths and saddle pads, and how to repair and maintain a saddle.
A saddle is part of most horses’ lives. It is anything but a benign piece of equipment. Its placement on the horse’s back—a vital source of strength and locomotion—and its location between horse and rider, means that it can have either a negative or a positive impact on everything from health to performance. Harrison’s book makes it easy for us to ensure our saddles are not the source of a problem, but an additional means of connection and communication. This book empowers horse people by showing what is right, what is wrong, and what the next steps should be so that our horses are happier, healthier, and better able to do what we ask of them.
Published by Trafalgar Square Books and available at trafalgarbooks.com.
See this article in the March 2025 Online Digital Edition:
March 2025
The Northwest Horse Source is an independently owned and operated print and online magazine for horse owners and enthusiasts of all breeds and disciplines in the Pacific Northwest. Our contemporary editorial columns are predominantly written by experts in the region, covering the care, training, keeping and enjoyment of horses, with an eye to the specific concerns in our region.
