I hope there are saddle makers reading this thread

[Naphtali]

I know that western [riding] saddles for horses are different (have different trees??) from such saddles intended for mules. I know that custom-built saddles can be extremely expensive. To simplify the thread, let's limit to western saddles for horses. How do custom built western riding saddles adjust to horses' backs of significantly different sized horses? I suspect putting a heavier blanket padding between saddle and back is not a satisfactory method of adjusting since a saddle tree is probably built for a relatively small variation in horses' backs sizing.

[waksupi]

Best thing to do is to have the horse where a saddle maker can take a look, and maybe try different trees on them. You might call Gene Gordner and ask him about fitting, he was a saddle maker for many years.

[Idaho Mule]

You are correct that different animals need different saddles. That being said, I am NOT a saddle maker, but have logged thousands of miles horse-back, (mostly mule-back). Set the saddle on the animals back with no padding, then use your senses. Does it rock fore and aft? side to side? or does it want to stay put? You will have to use your fingers, feel around up under the skirting, etc... but the thing is the tree needs to fit the animal pretty closely, no amount of padding will take up for poor fit. Pack saddles, especially a sawbuck, are the easiest to see this on because the whole thing is exposed and you can see right off how it wants to fit the animal's back. Once you got a saddle that wants to fit your animal, the next step is to saddle it up, no pad, and try it for a short distance (mile or so) with a light to medium load on, you need enough distance, work, to get the animal to sweat.. Then strip the saddle and observe. What you want is for the sweat pattern to be even under the saddle bars, that will tell you that the load is bearing even on the back. If you see dry spots in the sweat pattern, that means a hot spot and if worked that way for long it will sore the animal. Lots of people run into trouble trying to fit yesteryear's saddles to today's stock. Don't work because most of today's stock is so much bigger (over fed), and saddle trees that were made to fit "back then" horses will sore the hell out of most of today's stuff. Once you got a saddle fitting to the animal, I always like to double pad them. First was a felt pad next to the animal and then a very thin (I always called them an Indian blanket) on top of that, and then don't try to cut him in half with the cinch. I hope this might help you. JW

[smokeywolf]

Dad was a saddle maker. I know enough to tell you that Idaho Mule is right on.

I too always used a pad + a Navajo blanket under my saddles.