Your thigh size is what dictates the size of your saddle.

How to measure saddles. To measure the post and the cap, use a straight edge to measure from the bottom of the horn to where the cap begins. The measurement in the center of the button is you seat size. Repeat as above but measure three inches from the chalk mark you just made, transfer the measurement to the paper in the same way and mark as 3 inches.

Here at the saddle bank we regularly get asked to confirm a saddle’s seat size. Just a tape measure and the saddle in front of you are essential. To measure the cap, just measure from one side to the other.

The lesser of two evils is determining the saddle seat size. When measuring a western saddle, you are going to measure from the back of the horn to the top of the cantle. To get the correct saddle gullet measurement, you need to measure your horse’s withers, getting the angle, pitch, and depth of the ideal gullet and the bars the gullet rides on.

Step #2 saddle seat dimensions. This guide will provide you with the information you need to measure an english saddle for an optimal riding position for comfort. Using a measuring tape, measure the distance from the center of the pommel at the front of the saddle to the middle of the cantle at the rear.

The difference lies in where you place the tape measure. Take a measuring tape and put it in the middle of the pommel button diagonally across to the middle of the cantle. The distance between each side of the hanger will be your horse’s gullet width.

Measuring the saddle size for a western saddle starts from the back of the swell at the top of the gullet and is measured back to the stitching on the cantle binder. Lift the leather skirt of your saddle until you can access the stirrup bar, which is a narrow strip of metal at the front of the saddle. They measure the length from the tip of the last usable part of the cantle to one inch below the base of the horn.