The rider must sit in a balanced position vertically with your legs under you-this will allow the bars of the tree to function properly spreading pressure equally front to back. You will be able to see the tree.

The Saddle

Full Quarter Horse Bars FQHB also known as Wide Tree fits standard Quarter Horses and most stock breeds like Paints and Appaloosas.

How to tell if swaddle is full quarter horse bars. It doesnt matter what the label says - you gotta try it on. The second Saddle with the built up pad may be worth a test as long as the tree does not hit the top of the withers when someone is in the Saddle. Gullet width of 7.

Here is what I always pictured Full Quarter-horse bars to be which made me think the one above is semi. Use our downloadable gullet templates to get an accurate measure. The angle is flatter compared to the Semi-QH tree.

Semi-quarter horse bars have the narrowest saddle tree and the steepest bar angles. You should see four felt knots embedded in the panels towards the front of the saddle. The fit may also vary among disciplines.

If the measurement is over the 7 mark then it is an extra wide make. Full Quarter Horse Bars-have even wider angles to accommodate wider-bodied horses and horses with flatter or Mutton withers. Full quarter horse bars sometimes abbreviated as FQH or FQHB have the widest tree with the flattest bar angles.

Heres the saddle Im looking at which Im thinking is Semi-QH bars. It usually has a 7 gullet and is often used for the Bulldog Quarter Horse or horses with broad backs and sometimes mutton-withered low wither Quarter Horses. Theyre considered mutton withered or a less pronounced wither.

Tree material is determined by flipping over your saddle and looking between the two sides of fleece. Just remember the main thing you need to know is is your horse narrow wide or in-between. The gullet width should be about the same width of the withers approximately 2 below the top of the withers.

Desiree December 10 2015. I have a small question about how to even know what tree the horse will need. They seem quite narrow to me.

As horses age they may gain weight and need a larger bar saddle or they may become leaner lose weight and require a smaller bar saddle. You cant really get a correct measurement once the saddle is made but as a basic figure Semi bars will measure around the 55 mark under that it will most likely have regular bars above that full bars. The gullet measurement is important but it is the most misunderstood.

Full quarter horse bars are 6 14 to 6 12 inches apart. The gullet width should be about the same width of the withers approximately 2 below the top of the withers. If you are sitting in the saddle like a recliner with your legs out in front you are exerting twice as much force on the back of the bars and digging the bars into the horses loins.

Extra-wide quarter horse bars gullet width. Semi-qh is too narrow full-qh is too wide. Full Quarter Horse or FQHB can be referred to as Wide usually 7 gullet.

If you Google Western saddle width fittings you will come across a variance and the following list is regarded as a general guide to gullet sizes. Semi-quarter horse bars gullet width. This is for horses with a broad shoulder.

The width of your horses shoulder determines the type of tree and gullet width you will need. I think your Horse is in that in-between stage. Just remember the main thing you need to know is is your horse narrow wide or in-between.

Semi QH Bars have a higher pitch and Full QH Bars have a flatter pitch. On the underside of the saddle find the two parallel panels. I have a quarter andalusian mix that is 152 1150lbs and he uses a full quarter horse bars.

The distance between each side of the hanger will be your horses gullet width. When you are looking at the saddle from the front a saddle with semi-quarter horse bars will appear to be narrower with a steeper angle created between the skirts and the gullet. A saddle with full quarter horse bars will appear to be wider and will be sitting flatter than a comparable saddle with semi-quarter horse bars.

There is no standardization in the industry for a Regular or Semi-Quarter horse tree and Wide or Full Quarter horse tree so different saddle brands will not fit the same. Regular Quarter Horse Bars RQHB 5 34ins to 6. Measure the distance between the two.

Regular quarter horse bars gullet width. The FQHB will usually have a flatter pitch. Full-quarter horse bars gullet width.

It is not the defining factor of saddle fit. This size fits horses who are wider in the front shoulders than a semi-quarter horse bar size with extra muscle or fat. Tree size is determined by the angle of the gullet.

While the Semi-Quarter Horse Quarter Horse and Full Quarter Horse designations may give you a bit of an idea of the section of the bell curve of horses back shapes that the saddle is supposed to fit in reality fitting a saddle to a horse is like buying womens clothing. Quarter horse bars are wider and have slightly flatter bar angles.