Where is the swell on a western saddle

Undercut Swell, also known as a Bear Trap - Rarely if ever do you see an undercut swell on a new saddle. The reason for this type of swell was for "breaking wild horses". The swell helped keep you locked into the saddle and provided more to hold on to during dangerous situations. However it has been proven that sometimes it is safer to fall off than to stay on. Seat: The seat of a saddle can be deep, flat, padded, smooth, suede, rough-out, sit you in a pocket, or sit you forward.

It all depends on the saddle and what discipline it was built for. The comfort of the seat depends on the personal opinion of the individual. Seat sizes range from 10" to 18". While the Cliff Wade tree has more "tilt" as seen by the distance between point B and point X.

When this reference point is used the seat size could be larger than the actual seat size and lead to confusion. See below for an example:. The western saddle seat size is measured see FIGURE 3 from the back of the swell point X the top of the gullet back to the stitching on the cantle binder point Y. This measurement will be approximately the size of the tree seat size.

Depending upon the degree of bridging, the level of positive fit will be decreased or may result in a negative fit. If the rock in the bars is too "round", the saddle will 'rock" as demonstrated in exhibits C and C If a saddle rocks like a rocking chair , only the center portion of the bars have contact with the horse. Again, the bars are designed to distribute the load vector or rider's weight evenly over the entire length of the bar.

With the saddle rocking the load vector is concentrated in the center of the bars. As with bridging, depending upon the degree of rock, the level of positive fit will be decreased or could result in a negative fit. An inherent problem with saddle fit is that when checking the indicators and measurements for a positive or negative saddle fit the situation is static.

The saddle and rider if needed are placed on a horse that is stationary. This works the majority of the time, but one must consider that in reality saddle fit is dynamic. Saddle fit is the relationship of the horse, saddle, and rider while in motion. The indicators and measurements used for a positive or negative saddle fit in static conditions may change once the conditions become dynamic causing a negative factor to become positive and a positive factor to become negative.

Bar rock is one of those areas that may change once dynamic forces come into play. When a horse is in motion and properly collected, the horse's back has a tendency to round out or up, thus changing the conformation of the top line. Therefore, while saddle fit positive and negative indicators derived from a static state are very useful, they must be viewed in the light of the dynamic factors.

The elements of a saddle tree are inter-related and there are sub-sets of sub-sets; bar flare is one of them. Bar flare is a good example and can be considered as part of bar rock, bar twist, bar pattern, or swell pattern depending on one's point of view. When a horse has predominate shoulders as with gaited horses a tree with not enough bar flare can interfere with the shoulder causing a pressure point and thus a decreased level of positive saddle fit.

A tree with more bar flare will allow more room for the movement of the shoulder of a horse with a predominate shoulder and result in a higher level of positive saddle fit. In addition to bar angle, rock and twist, the bottom of the bar next to the horse has crown. The crown in both the front pad of the bar and back pad of the bar see FIGURE 1 is designed to "fill-in" the profile and contour of the horse's back. T he crown in the front pad of the bar is designed to "fill-in" the saddle pocket as shown in FIGURE 2 , which indicates a good fit.

If the saddle pocket on the horse is flat and the front bar pad has to much crown then there will be a pressure point at the bottom of the crown as depicted in FIGURE 3 and exhibit A resulting in a negative fit.

NOTE: It has been observed there is a trend in conformation to a flatter saddle pocket and therefore less crown is needed in the bar. When there is not enough crown in the front pad and the saddle pocket has more contour, there will be pressure points illustrated in FIGURE 4 and exhibit B again resulting in a negative fit.

Unlike a flat front bar pad, a flat rear pad does not appear the be a problem generally, but could present a problem in a horse with an abnormal conformation. If the rear bar pad has to much crown then the result will be a pressure point at the bottom of the crown as depicted in FIGURE 6 and exhibit C with a resulting negative fit. The relief allows the bars to "ride" with the movement of the horse like the turned up tips of snow or water skis allow the skier to "ride" the snow or water without the ski tips digging in.

If the bar does not have enough relief, the front of the bar can dig in to the shoulder and the rear of the bar can dig into the hip restricting the movement of the horse and possibly cause a sore spot see exhibit A and the consequence is a negative fit. Depending upon the situation, both the front and back could be affected or just the front or just the back individually.

The bar length is the overall length of the bar from tip to tip see exhibit A. Again if the bar rock and twist are correct the bar length should not be a problem in saddle fit except for a short bar in which the load bearing area will be reduced.

For the horse with a well developed or predominate shoulder, a tree with a long bar tip may cause the bar to dig in to the shoulder creating a pressure point and inhibiting the movement of the shoulder effecting the stride or gait of the horse. This is a common problem area for the gaited horses. Also, the movement of the shoulder can cause the saddle to be pushed back out of the proper position resulting in a decreased level of fit.

I n general the length of the rear bar tip should not be a problem except. A tree with abnormally short rear bar. For the short. T he bar pattern is the basic shape of the bar. The bar pattern will vary as to the design and intended use of the tree. For Example: a tree designed for roping will have a bar shape or pattern different from a tree designed for cutting.

See below for examples. Generally the bar pattern has little effect on saddle fit, except for the stirrup leather slot or channel. If the bar does not have a stirrup leather slot or the slot is too shallow see exhibit A , then the stirrup leather will stand proud create a ridge or bump that can cause pressure points see exhibit B and therefore decrease the level of positive saddle fit. With the bar angle being the defining element of the tree as to saddle fit the other major measurement is the bar channel.

The bar channel is the area created between the bars where the bars are attached to the swell and cantle. The bar channel or hand hold width along with the other elements determine the end-result gullet width. It also, provides clearance or relief for the backbone of the horse. The "gullet" or "swell gullet" is the area under the swell also referred to as the pommel or fork that provides clearance for the withers of the horse see Exhibit A. Generally this area is referred to as the " gullet".

The gullet is probably the most mis-understood and mis-used term used in the saddlery industry by both riders and saddlemakers. The gullet is multi-dimensional and is the end result of several factors. T he swell gullet width see figure 1 is the end result of the following combination; bar channel width tree makers use hand hold width , bar flare, bar pattern which inclu d es bar crown and bar relief , and swell design.

For the swell gullet width to measure. The swell gullet width is measured from the point where the top of the bar meets the bottom of the swell and across to the same point on the other side. With the gullet width being the end result of several measurements there are situations where this end-result can cause confusion and mis-interpretation. The bar channel or hand hold width measurement the point where the back of the swell is positioned on the bar is basically the measurement that determines the width between the bars.

From this point the bars flare out. The amount of flare will affect the end-result of the gullet width with the bar channel width unchanged as indicated in the example at the right. The more flare in the bar pattern will create a wider gullet width. For example, using a bar channel width of 4" with a flare indicated by the blue line the. Therefore, if two identical trees are made except one has bar flare A and one has bar flare B, they will fit differently.

One tree could have a negative fit while the other has a positive fit or both trees are within the positive fit tolerances. In this case the blue bar flare remains unchanged, but the red bar flare has shortened the bar channel width. This means that the tree with the red bar flare will sit higher on the horse than the tree with the blue bar flare. Depending on the horse this could create a negative fit. Another situation is the thickness of the swell. The thickness of the swell and conjunction with the bar flare will affect the end-result of the gullet width with the bar channel unchanged as indicated in the example below.

This is another one of the problems with the gullet width. In this example everything remains the same except for the thickness of the swell, but yet yields three different gullet widths. The 5" thick swell yields a 7" gullet width. Therefore, one must understand the relationships of the sub elements and their affect of the end-result gullet width. As stated before, if the bar angle is correct , the swell gullet width should not be a factor in saddle fit, other than fine tuning the overall fit.

One area is how the crown of the front bar pad fits the "saddle pocket of the horse. The crown of the front bar pad matches the "saddle pocket" of the horse. The front bar pad does not have full contact with the horse. Also for a saddle to fit properly it must sit level on the horses. The load vector rider's weight is distributed by the tree equally along the bar in the same direction as the load factor.

The swell gullet width can be a factor if the swell gullet that is too narrow see Example B to the right which may result in a saddle " running up-hill ".

In the case of the up-hill tree, load vector rider's weight is not distributed by the tree equally along the bar in the same direction as the load factor. The load vector is being distributed towards the back of the tree. Thus, more pressure is applied to the back of the saddle and correspondingly more pressure is applied to the horse's back.

With the rider out of balance-"behind the horse", once the horse and rider are in motion, the vectors are no longer static and the situation becomes dynamic. The rider will attempt to compensate and move their body forward which will move their weight forward and may actually apply more weight to the front or withers of the horse. Therefore, a decreased positive level of saddle fit. While a swell gullet width that is too wide see Example C to the right can result in a saddle " running down-hill ".

Again, the load vector rider's weight is not distributed by the tree equally along the bar in the same direction as the load factor. The load vector is being distributed towards the front of the tree. Therefore, more pressure is applied to the front of the saddle and correspondingly more pressure is applied to the horse's withers.

With the rider out of balance and "in front of the horse", once the horse and rider are in motion, the vectors are no longer static and the situation becomes dynamic. As with the up-hill tree, the rider will attempt to compensate and move their body back which will move their weight back and may actually apply more weight to the horse's back.

Again, decreasing the positive level of saddle fit. The swell gullet width can possibly be a problem with saddle fit at the extremes. When the swell gullet width is to narrow or to wide the bars may have less bearing surface leading to a diminished level of saddle fit. The effects of an extremely wide or narrow swell gullet width will depend upon each individual situation.

If the swell gullet height is too short, the bottom of the swell can hit or rub the top of the withers. Another inherent problem with saddle fit is that all the tree measurements are based on the bare tree. Once leather is added to the tree, one can not take an accurate measurement as the reference points can no longer be determined. A good example is the swell gullet width measurement. Once the skirts are installed on the tree, this reference point is covered up by the gullet cover, swell cover, seat jockey, and skirts, etc.

Therefore, with the inability of determining the actual reference points Red arrows in Example C , one must approximate the reference points. Thus the swell gullet measurement will be approximate. A rule of thumb that is commonly used is a reference point that is centered on the front concho on the seat jockey; Point C in Example D which measures 7".

Another inherent problem with saddle fit is that some riders in our high tech world are looking to apply high tech methods and solutions to the problem. The materials used in saddle making are natural and therefore not uniform.

This means that the measurements on the finished saddle will also vary. Say we have the perfect storm situation. In other words, saddle fit is not an exact science. The cantle gullet is the area under the cantle that provides clearance or relief for the back bone of the horse.

If the cantle gullet is too short or shallow the bottom of the cantle can rub or cause a pressure point on the top of the back bone, see Exhibit B leading to a diminished level of saddle fit.