05/01/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/1C5fTdiYwy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Which one is the hoop tree? Which one is Medium Wide? Which one is an A frame tree? Which one is for Baroque breeds? Spoiler: No one will get all of these right because THERE IS NO CONSISTENCY ACROSS BRANDS when it comes to tree shapes. You cannot JUST look at a gullet width or headplate shape and know what kind of horse it will fit- which is why “dot to dot” measurements are irrelevant and tree point width is just ONE part of fitting a saddle. Also, what one brand calls a “Thoroughbred” tree might be the same shape as another brand’s “Wide” tree. We know not all Thoroughbreds are shaped the same and we certainly know they aren’t all wide. There are no black and white answers in saddle fitting or buying. Saying things in terms of “always” or “never” when it comes to saddle trees (and most things in life) won’t increase your credibility, but will certainly increase your chances of being wrong. So choose a fitter that YOU trust to know what is inside the saddle and what will fit your horse’s anatomy and WHY- across brands. I always say that there is not one single brand or tree that fits every horse- and the photo below is a great example of WHY I say that. Put another way, you go to an Optician to pick out glasses that you like and that look good on your face, and you go to an Optometrist/Ophthalmologist to find out your prescription and vision correction needs in order to shop for those glasses. Your trained and experienced saddlefitter is the Optometrist/Ophthalmologist because they know what the inside of your eyeballs NEED and why. The used tack seller/single brand rep is the Optician- perfectly fine to buy from when you already have your prescription but you don’t start there! Get what fits and learn WHY- ignore labels! Even if your Morgan cross is in a Baroque tree and your Thoroughbred in a Hoop- don’t crash out! Just because your horse may not match the name- doesn’t mean it won’t do them any good.
