Kieffer

Only a saddle with a perfect fit warrants that the horse can move optimally and perform at its best. If the saddle does not fit correctly, the horse is constrained in its movements and may develop painful pressure marks.

The following conditions must be met to ensure optimal saddle fitting:

• Clearance of withers
  The pommel of the saddle is positioned approximately one finger’s width behind the scapula. After girthing, it should be possible to fit two to three stacked fingers between the withers and the saddle.
• Saddle centre of gravity
  The pommel and cantle edge of the saddle end are level, with the lowest point of the saddle in the middle of the seat.
• Spine clearance
  The saddle does not press on the spinal column, the channel is wide enough and allows sufficient space along both sides of the spinal column.
• Saddle girth position
  For a horse of average proportions, with properly girthed saddle, the girth should rest at least the width of four fingers behind the horse’s elbow.

Sketch of the horse back
For adjustment of the channel width, furthermore a sketch of the horse back is needed. The easiest way to do this is to bend a piece of wire over the horse's withers and then copy the shaped wire onto a sheet of paper. With this sketch, the kieffer service staff can adjust the channel width and fit it to the horseback, using the kieffer saddle alteration bench.

• kieffer Customer Service – the safe and simple way to a perfect saddle fit

  The experts at kieffer customer service only need a few clues to identify potential weaknesses in the saddle fit. Particularly for horses with a difficult back anatomy, this service should always be used. A total of three photos is all it takes to adjust and flock the saddle correctly. The horse should be standing on a level surface, otherwise results may be distorted. The photographs can be sent by post or e-mail to kieffer’s customer service.

  
  

• 1st photo

  
  The horse stands straight with its legs as parallel as possible. Photograph the horse from the left side. The whole line of the back must be recognisable.

  
  

• 2nd photo

  

  Photograph the horse again from the left side, this time saddled and girthed.

  
  

• 3rd photo

  

  Take a picture from the front into the saddle channel, to show the distance between the withers and the saddle channel.