Do Saddles Hurt Horses?

Horses have been carrying us around and helping us with jobs for thousands of years, and it’s sometimes easy to begin to wonder if we aren’t hurting them with all the hard work and gear, they have to wear.

Saddles, in particular, can be awkward pieces of equipment, and after a day’s riding you’ll know the feeling of aching and pain in your legs.

But what about the horses themselves?

How do they feel about the saddles?

My own horse was displaying signs of discomfort as I saddled her up recently, so I decided to look into it.

So, do saddles hurt horses?

As long as your saddle is correctly fitted and that it is on properly, it should not hurt your horse. Different horses can take different loads, so it’s essential that you know your horse, how much it can bear, and that the saddle you have is properly fitted and is on properly.

Some horses may like being ridden less than others, but if you have a well-made and well-fitting saddle, it won’t hurt your horse.

Getting to know everything about keeping horses can be a long process, but it’s essential to keep your horse in the best health.

Make sure you’re putting the saddle on properly.

So, let’s take a deeper look at what it’s like for horses to wear saddles.

Are saddles bad for horses?

It can be quite natural to worry that a big, heavy thing like a saddle could hurt a horse.

Horses might be big, but a saddle is a heavy thing with lots of parts attached.

There are also lots of different type of saddle, so it’s essential to know what’s right for your horse.

Saddles are not bad for horse in and of themselves, and can be perfectly comfortable for them if fitted properly.

For the best results with your horse’s saddle, you should always have them fitted by an expert saddler.

Measuring horses for their saddles is an art, and is very difficult to get right without a lot of experience.

If you get your horse fitted, you can rest assured the saddle will not hurt your horse or be bad for it.

Nonetheless, when you get the new saddle, you should take your horse out for a test ride and very carefully monitor its behavior.

It will, most likely, make a considerable fuss and let you know if its saddle is especially uncomfortable.

Look out for behaviors like excessive tail swishing or refusing to move.

Your horse will become sensitive to you touching his back.

Any of these behaviors could tell you the saddle is not fitting correctly.

As long as the saddle fits properly, it will not hurt your horse.

But what about riding in general?

Do horses feel pain when ridden?

Again, if done correctly and all the right steps are taken, riding a horse will not hurt it.

Obviously, the animal is bearing your whole weight, so it’s really important that your saddle is fitted correctly not just for the horse, but also for you.

The saddle is about keeping you comfortable and properly distributing your weight so it’s not all borne by one point on the horse’s back.

If you weigh more than 20% of the horse’s bodyweight, you could be causing it pain when riding it.

Equally, how horses react to being ridden can depend on their age.

Naturally, younger, smaller horses should not be ridden as they will not be able to bear your weight.

At the same time, as horses age they develop back and leg problems just like us, such as arthritis.

This makes bearing the weight of people much harder as they get older, so be careful that your horse isn’t getting too old to ride.

So, if ridden properly and carefully, horses do not feel pain when ridden and certainly not from a saddle.

Indeed, a saddle actually helps the horse be more comfortable with you on their back.

Is it bad to ride a horse without a saddle?

Riding without a saddle can be tempting sometimes.

There’s something freer and more authentic about it.

In reality, though, riding a horse without a saddle, even for a short time, is generally not a good idea.

As I said, one of the saddle’s main jobs is to distribute your weight across the horse properly, so your whole weight isn’t bearing down on one point on the horse’s back.

Riding without a saddle is likely to be bad for your horse, and you certainly shouldn’t do it over long distances.

Over a short distance it may be okay, but your horse probably won’t like it very much.

A well-fitting saddle might look like a rather bulky and unwieldy thing to wear on your back, but good quality saddles are designed with the comfort of the horse in mind, too.

Do best by your horse and by yourself by always wearing a saddle whenever you ride.

Saddles should not hurt horses if they are working correctly, are fitted correctly, and you are attaching them correctly.

Different horses have different temperaments, and you may have a horse that simply refuses to wear its saddle.

This is not very common as horses generally do not have a problem with being ridden, but it is a possibility.

If you think your saddle is hurting your horse, it might not fit correctly.