Is it really possible to have a saddle fit well enough to not leave dry spots by the withers?  I have three saddles and none of them fit any of my horses perfectly.  I also just started using a saddleright pad to see if that would help.  It is helping a little but I am still getting dry spots, they are larger now without roughed up hair.  I need to find a saddle that fits.  I ride my stud and his foals and they are all really similarly built, no conformation flaws - nice withers, average length back, nice slope to the shoulder.  I know that I was riding with my saddle too far forward but I am still having fitting problems with it moved back.  Am I fighting a losing battle or can I really find a saddle that fits??

Does the saddle you are riding now leave dry spots?

Using a Marlene Eddleman on 3 different style horses, Tod Sloan pad.....no dry spots. 

However, if my horse was working good, not cinchy or irritable in any way, then I don't know tht I would change saddles even if I had a dry spot.  Have had improper saddles before, and the horse will start talking to you..if they are sore.

When I went to Janet Stover's clinic last fall, we had a saddle fitting session with Sonny Miller.  After we had made a run, everyone brought their horses back into the arena and removed the saddles.  Then Sonny went to each horse to check saddle fit. 

My horse had dry spots about 4" wide on each side of the withers.  Even though I was sure my saddle fit him, I always wondered if the dry spots indicated that there was a problem.  Sonny assured me that SOME dry spots do not indicate poor saddle fit.  It's the dry spots where the hair is roughed up and/or the horse is ouchy to pressure that you have to worry about.  In fact, Sonny said that I had an excellent saddle fit, the 2nd best fit of all the students that day. 

So, bottom line is, my Paint has dry spots, but his saddle fits nicely.  My new gelding does not have dry spots, using the same saddle that fits the Paint, which is an Allen Ranch with full QH bars.

Yes it is....

There was post a while back that really helped to explain this.... but big dry spots on the shoulders do not necessarily mean a bad saddle fit but small dry spots on the withers do.

My Wright pad and Effx saddle on my mutton withered horse leaves NO dry spots. The fit of the saddle has been checked by several people and all say its great.

My Billy Cook on my older, average built horse just recently started leaving dry spots, but no roughed hair. He just got a new custom fit/built Martin saddle last week (after almost 7 months of waiting) and there were no dry spots with it and my wool pad (similar to a Slone, but made by Circle Y) after 1 riding. Thanks to about 4 inches of rain, I haven't been back on him since last Friday.

I also ride the Billy Cook on my 6 y/o who is the full brother to the above horse, similar build and all, and it leaves the same dry spots, but no roughed hair. Doesn't leave any sore spots either.

For the Marlene McRae riders - are you riding the Special Effex Saddles?  I ride an older Marlene All-Around.  I'm going to get my horse totally conditioned first before I start shopping around for another saddle.  I've put so much into him, I don't want to have my saddle causing problems.

Thanks for the input.

I ride a Special Effex Saddle.  I love mine.  It doesn't fit every single horse that I put it on, but the majority it fits and fits a larger amount and different type of horses than any other saddle I've seen.