A Tennessee Walking Horse walks with a lot of rolling shoulder
motion, and a deep nodding action of the neck. Consequently,
it requires a saddle that is cut back at the withers to
accommodate the increased neck action, and also one that is pared
away on the skirts to allow for the shoulder action. These
cutback saddles are not padded with knee rolls because the gait
does not require any grip to ride it, so the leg is extended
straighter down in a more relaxed manner. There is very
little bend at the knee and the stirrup leather is only short
enough to cause the toe to tip up slightly to maintain contact
with the stirrup. This leg position is not as straight and
rigid as in a Western Saddle, nor is the foot thrust forward like
in Western equitation. Rather, the leg is held back and
slightly behind the girth line to stay out of the way of the
horse's shoulder.
Any other type of saddle runs the risk of interfering with
the action of the neck and shoulder, and impeding the gaits.
The saddle is placed in the middle of the horse's back, and not up
close to the withers as on a trotting horse. There should be
a comfortable hand span between the girth and the horse's elbow.
Cutback saddles are designed for maximum comfort of both the
horse and the rider.
Below is a link to all the suitable cutback saddles that are
currently being offered on eBay.
BLUE HAVEN FARMS
Barbara Blue Daicoff
Murfreesboro, TN
Cell. 931-993-9370