PSA: Don’t Forget To Check The Tree

A helpful visual reminder as to why knowledgeable saddle fitting is so important!

I worked at a guest ranch for several summers, which involved — among many duties — maintaining the ranch’s well-stocked tackroom with over 100 saddles of various shapes, sizes and disciplines. I’ll never forget the day a coworker lifted the seat jockey to reveal a broken tree, which none of us would have noticed in our routine handling or tacking up.

How much do you think about your saddle when you tack up for a ride? Perhaps you get it professionally reflocked and fitted to your horse’s changing shape every few months, or perhaps it’s been much longer since another set of trained eyes and hands took a look and feel at that critical piece of tack you use every day.

This video shows how important it is to not only maintain your tack’s condition but to examine its overall structure, which should be a part of every saddle fitting — Luke McConnell, a UK Society of Master Saddlers-qualified saddle fitter, shows us a saddle with an attempt at repairing a broken tree, reminding us all just how important it is for your horse’s health and comfort to keep a close eye on the condition of tack.

Yikes! We can only imagine how that would feel to the horse. Keep a close eye on your tack, folks, and don’t forget to have a professional look over your saddles.

Go riding.