Static fit means fitting a saddle to a horse when he’s standing still, and dynamic refers to fitting a saddle to a horse when he’s moving. It sounds simple, but there are several things that you want to ensure are taken into consideration during fit to both phases, because many times a saddle which has been fit to the horse standing in the cross ties will result in problems once the horse begins to move.
The saddle needs to fit properly not only over the withers (and all around the withers) in width and tree angle, but also needs to have enough gullet channel width (3-4 four fingers all the way from pommel to cantle!) and lie within the saddle support area of the horse’s back (which ends at the top of the last floating rib at the 18th thoracic vertebra). This needs to be confirmed for both phases – static and dynamic.
There are different opinions in how a gullet plate needs to be fit, but just like buying a properly fitting shoe for yourself – it comes down to comfort and whether or not it works. You don’t want it (or the shoes) to be too tight, pinch, or too big – or you will not be able to walk properly. Same with the gullet plate. Verified long term damage to the horse’s back has been proven to result from incorrectly fitted gullet plates (the plate that fits under and across the head or pommel of the saddle and ends at the tree points). Fibreoptic cameras, MRIs, thermography, laser sensors, 3-D animation, and computerized saddle pads have made it very clear that the A-Frame withers of the static horse becomes an U-Frame in motion. In diagram A 
this is illustrated with the broken green line representing the wither shape in motion. Symptomatic white hairs will show up at the top of the side of the withers, where the gullet plate generally pinches if doesn’t fit. It is necessary to match both angle and width of the gullet plate and tree points to the horse’s conformation at the withers and shoulder muscles. Only in this way will the shoulders have enough freedom to ‘slide through’ the tree points during motion – otherwise they will hit the tree points which can cause damage to the sensitive cartilage at the tip of the shoulder blade. As well, the saddle will slide back over the end of the saddle support area if the shoulder continually hits the tree points and pushes the saddle back or twists the saddle if the gullet plate doesn’t accommodate the larger shoulder.
The gullet plate shape and size has to be set to accommodate the moving horse. Many saddle fitters can fit an English saddle to a horse which is standing still in the crossties. There are traditional points of reference for static fit; wither clearance, panel touching evenly all the way down, etc. Where it becomes interesting, and where it becomes difficult beyond the ability of many saddle fitters, not to mention the capability of the saddle construction itself, is fitting the saddle so that it works when the horse begins to move.
A tight V-shaped gullet plate results in pinched muscles, tight neck, and tight back. 
. A gullet plate that too closely follows the shape of the static wither can also cause this problem.
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If you take your hand and pinch the horse on either side of the withers, in most horses the back will tighten and drop, and the head will come up. This is not what we want to occur when riding – and is another reason why we want the U-shaped gullet plate fit to the moving horse, and not the static V shape. This is where the stallion bites the mare during mating to immobilize her – same effect with a pinching gullet plate, which some veterinarians refer to as the ‘vise grip’ of the saddle. The intuitive reaction of the horse is to stand still, drop the back, and (in the case of the mare) rotate her pelvis in preparation for mating. The rider on the other hand is on her back urging her forward. So what to do? Often times this is translated as being “reluctance” or stubbornness on the horse’s part and is punished with spurs and whips – while it really is only a natural reaction to a pinching gullet plate! (As often noted – horses cannot consciously act out poor behaviour – they can only react to external stimuli!)
A crucial point in fitting the gullet plate and tree points properly is to consider the horse’s natural unevenness. Over 70% of horses are muscled more strongly on the left side, which means that this asymmetry should ideally be reflected in the shape of the gullet plate. If the tree does not fit over the wither/shoulder area taking this into consideration, then during motion the saddle will naturally get pushed to the right. The left rear panel will then press onto the sacro-iliac joint, possibly causing problems here – but at the very least, the saddle will be out of balance, which means the rider will try to correct this by altering their position to accommodate this ‘twisting’. This situation becomes even more serious if the saddle is already too long for the saddle support area (which ends just before the lumbar vertebrae at the top of the last rib in the rib cage and is easy to detect by following the line where the two hair directions converge at the flank all the way to the spine). Logically, it then becomes even more of an issue when the horse tries to do circles in all of the gaits – in either direction!
It is important to note that how a naked tree sits on the horse’s withers when standing is not necessarily indicative of how it actually fits when the panel and stuffing are added. Often times inexperienced saddle fitters will attempt to make a point about saddle fit by showing the rider how the saddle tree fits – but without the panel, the tree would crush the withers and the tree points would dig into the horse’s back. With the panel on, the stuffing clears the horse’s withers and lifts the tree higher. It will actually protect the withers and the tree points rest in an area where the side of the withers becomes narrow – behind the shoulder. (tree points will be in themselves the topic of a whole ‘nother article!)
Suffice it to say that saddle fit needs to work at all times – not just in that moment when you have put the saddle on his back in the crossties. You want to be able to ensure that fit is maintained once you actually begin to ride!
Certified Master Saddler and Saddle Ergonomist Jochen Schleese is the author of The Silent Killer (2012) and Suffering in Silence – the Saddle Fit Link to Physical and Psychological Trauma in Horses (2013). Discover optimal saddle fit to your & your horse in a Saddlefit 4 Life 80 pt Diagnostic Saddle Fit Evaluation www.Saddlefit4life.com.
www.SaddlesforWomen.com & Guys too! 800-225-2242
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