Materials:
Flexicurve (from drafting department of office supply store, art store, etc.)
Knife
Permanent marker
Piece of saddle soap
Cardboard: one piece 5” x 22” and two pieces 9” x 6”

Directions:
Stand horse on a flat, level surface.
Place saddle in correct position* on horse’s back and mark front and back of saddle on the horse with a damp bar of saddle soap.
Refer to diagrams at bottom of page (not to scale) to see a marked horse.
Mark placement #1: 2” behind front saddle mark. Mark right and left sides of horse.
Mark placement #2: 2” in front of back saddle mark. Mark right and left sides of horse.

Make sure horse is standing square on all four legs. Connect the #1 marks with flexicurve and transfer this to one of the 9” x 6” cardboards with permanent marker. (Be sure to trace the underside of the flexicurve—the side that was touching the horse.)
Recheck horse for squareness. Connect the #2 marks with the flexicurve and transfer this to the other 9” x 6” cardboard.
Recheck horse for squareness.

Take the #3 template 2” from, and parallel to, the horse’s center line (see diagram). You will be making the #3 template along the longissimus muscle. Transfer this to the 5” x 22” cardboard.

Cut along the line of the #3 template. Take the top piece and fit it in the same position on the horse’s back. Check the horse for squareness. If the template does not perfectly align with the shape of the horse’s back, redo it. Place the same template in the same position on the other side of the horse to check for conformity. If different, create another #3 template for this side. Be sure to label the two #3 templates “right” and “left.”
With the top of the tempate #3 fitting in position on the horse’s back, mark where it crosses:
-Front of saddle mark
-#1 template mark
-#2 template mark
-Back of saddle mark
Fit top and bottom of #3 template together and transfer marks to the bottom piece.

You will be sending:
-All templates
-Description of known saddle fit problems—for instance, back soreness, saddle bridging, rocking, touching withers, pitching rider either forward or backward, tipping to one side—behavioral problems of the horse such as bucking, refusal to go forward, etc. -Any information sent about horse or rider problems will remain confidential.
If possible, also send photos of: naked horse standing square on a level surface (side view), horse with saddle in place (no saddle pad or girth, side view), and any other photos to illustrate known problems.

Mail to: Colin Kimball-Davis, 9 Brighton Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02909
Please call with any questions: (508) 397-3800

*Correct Saddle Position: Put saddle on too far forward up the horse’s neck first and then slide it back until it finds a firm resting place. To check position, find the tree point pockets under the saddle flap. (The point pockets are a little in front of the stirrup bars and a little below them.) These must be behind the shoulder blade. In a forward cut jumping saddle, the flaps may protrude slightly over the shoulder. This is not a problem. A straight cut dressage saddle will have the flaps behind the shoulder. To find the shoulder blade (see diagram) if not obvious, get someone to move the horse’s leg forward and back to make the shoulder blade rotate backward and forward.