Did you know that 80-90% of horses experience back problems?

Many riders assume these issues come from poor riding posture, but the biggest culprit is often the saddle itself—an ill-fitting saddle can cause discomfort, pressure points, and long-term physical damage to both horse and rider.

Unfortunately, many horses suffer in silence. As natural prey animals, they are conditioned to tolerate discomfort. But just because they endure it doesn’t mean they should have to.

Recognizing Saddle Pressure: It Starts Before You See the Signs

Many riders believe saddle pressure issues show up as white hairs, swelling, edema, or dry spots—but by the time these visible signs appear, the damage is already well underway.

Instead, the earliest indicators of saddle discomfort are found in your horse’s behavior. The key to catching problems before they become serious is palpation—physically checking your horse’s back for tenderness before and after riding.

This hands-on method is:
✅ More accurate than computer-generated saddle fit measurements.
✅ Immediate—you can check your horse right now, no fancy tools required.
✅ Cost-effective—it doesn’t require expensive diagnostic equipment.

To get the best results, palpate your horse:
📌 Before riding – Establish a baseline.
📌 Immediately after riding – Look for sensitivity or soreness.
📌 48 hours later – Just like humans feel soreness two days after a tough workout, horses experience delayed-onset muscle pain too.

👉 Want to see palpation in action? Check out my YouTube Playlist “Palpating Your Horse” for a step-by-step guide.

The Truth About Saddle Pads & Shims

Many riders turn to pads and shims to “fix” saddle pressure issues. While these solutions can provide short-term relief, they don’t eliminate the underlying problem—an ill-fitting saddle.

Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on temporary fixes, a System X saddle helps distribute pressure evenly across your horse’s back, reducing the need for additional padding.

How Does a Horse’s Back Move?

To understand why conventional saddles create pressure points, let’s look at how a horse moves:

🐎 Standing still: A horse’s back has a slight arch. A rigid saddle can “bridge,” leaving a gap in the center and causing pressure at the front and back.
🐎 Turning: One side of the horse’s body shortens while the other stretches. A conventional saddle can’t adapt, increasing pressure on one side.
🐎 Lowered head / downhill movement: The spine flattens, shifting pressure to the front of a rigid saddle.

The result? A conventional saddle will always create pressure points—it’s just a matter of when and where.

Why System X Saddles Make a Difference

System X technology allows the saddle to move and flex with the horse’s back, rather than working against it. Unlike rigid saddles that lock the horse into a fixed shape, System X panels adjust dynamically to distribute weight evenly.

To illustrate the difference, think about a metal-frame hiking backpack:

🎒 If it’s too small or too big, it rubs, creates pressure points, and causes discomfort—even injury.
🎒 Now imagine running, jumping, and climbing hills with it on—that’s what a horse experiences with an ill-fitting saddle.

You can test your own saddle fit by sliding your hand under it (without extra pads) and checking the front, center, and rear:
👉 Without a rider, do you feel gaps or pressure points?
👉 With a rider, do you feel pinching?

What your fingers feel in that moment is what your horse feels for the entire ride.

One-Size-Fits-All? Not for Saddles.

Horses come in an endless variety of shapes and sizes—yet most conventional saddles rely on 8-15 standard tree patterns. Look at any pasture, even within a single breed, and you’ll see massive variations in:
✅ Shoulder width
✅ Wither height
✅ Back length and shape
✅ Croup angle

Can a factory-made saddle truly accommodate all of this?

A System X saddle is designed to adapt to your horse’s changing shape, giving them the freedom of movement they need—without pressure points.

The Bottom Line: Change the Saddle, Not the Horse.

Horses are incredible athletes, constantly growing and changing. A saddle should move with them, not force them into a rigid shape.

If your horse has been showing signs of discomfort, it might be time to consider a better-fitting solution.

Want to learn more? Check out Are there Options? to explore the next step in saddle fit solutions.

Photo courtesy of Carlee Strack