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By Genevieve Kendell, Certified Saddler and Saddlefit Technician
I am a dyed-in-the-wool Saddleseat rider for over 20 years but I am also a certified saddle maker & fitter for the past 10 years. I hate to admit it as a rider, but as a fitter, the truth is that Cutbacks DON'T FIT! What we see often with NSH's, Saddlebreds etc., is a back with quite a bit of curvature. With a traditional wool flocked dressage saddle it becomes very easy to adjust the saddle to the correct shape and balance. The problem with Cutbacks (Lane Fox) is that they are very long, about 4" longer then the equivalent size in a dressage or general purpose saddle and the panel system is always foam or a foam/felt combination that is very thin and cannot be easily altered. What this means for the horse, especially one that has a lower back, is a saddle that bridges very badly. That means the saddle is contacting the horse at the very front and the very back of the saddle and the weight distribution is very poor.
I would consider "bridging" to be one of the worse fit faults a saddle can have. With a cutback saddle and the fact that the rider sits very far back in the saddle, bridging means that most likely 75% of the rider’s weight is supported by a few square inches at the very back of the ribcage. The remainder of the weight is supported by the trapezius muscle, a very thin & sensitive muscle near the withers, and a major reflex point in most horses. The strongest part of the horse's back, the area just behind the withers, is not supporting anything! For an NSH with a low back, I recommend putting in air panels. When the saddle is properly adjusted, the air will fill in the area that normally would be "bridged" by a traditional cutback. The weight will be properly distributed and results should be a happier, more comfortable horse with improved show ring performance and lifespan.
Other major design issues I see with Cutbacks are saddles that are too narrow in the gullet. That is the channel the runs between the panels, which covers the spine. We need to clear not only the spine but also the dorsal ligaments. Arabs, Morgans, and NSH's are all breeds with a tendency to need a wider gullet (4+ fingers!)I often see trees that have incorrect angles in the front. They are usually too tight in the trapezius area, which is the area right in front of the stirrup bar - and the support just below this area disappears as a result. The tree angle should be similar to the angles of the horse, with slightly more space in the trapezius area.
I think these are the 3 most important points and the ones with resulting issues that I consistently see. Other issues are best discussed on a horse by horse basis.