¨      A side saddle sits slightly further back than an ordinary saddle- the front of the tree should lie about a thumb-width behind the shoulder.  It's easiest to check this on the off-side where the flap is smaller. 

¨      As with an ordinary saddle, there should be good clearance along the spine and over the wither.  The seat should not be too long for your horse's back, or there will be pressure point over the loin which could lead to a sore back for your horse

¨      Make sure that the points of the tree are not pinching by slipping the flat of your hand under each point and then lifting or getting someone else to lift the horse’s front foot on the same side.  The muscle over the ribs will bulge and you’ll feel any tightness against your hand.

¨      The panel should be in full contact with the horse’s back- it must not bridge or rock, though if there is some minor poorness of fit, it can sometimes be corrected by a re-pack.  These days there are only a handful of saddlers who really know what they are doing when it comes to re-stuffing a side saddle, so you may need to ask around to find one.

¨      With a modern, flat seated side saddle, the seat should appear level from pommel to cantle, and slightly tipped to the right when viewed from behind.  This slight rightward tilt levels out when the rider sits on the saddle and the weight of both legs comes on the left side. An old-style solid tree side saddle may appear to slope downward slightly from pommel to cantle, as it sits higher over the wither than the cutback head of a modern side saddle.

¨      Lastly, check that your side saddle fits you too! 
You should be able to get your right knee round the fixed head comfortably, without feeling pinched or pushed too far over to the right.  If it’s too far to the left, however, it can be padded with a special pad called a queen.
The seat should be big enough for you to sit on comfortably, with about 50-75mm spare between the back of your seat and the back of the cantle when you are sitting correctly. If the seat is too short for you, there will be a pressure point under the back of the saddle which could lead to a sore back for your horse.
There is room for your left thigh to fit comfortably under the leaping head when sitting correctly, with enough space to slip the flat of your hand between.

Checking the fit of a side saddle

Because a side saddle rider's weight is distributed unevenly across the horse's back, the panels of a side saddle must be flocked asymmetrically to compensate.

Typically there will be more flocking in the left rear and waist of the panel than along the right side, and there will be more padding under the left point of the tree and under the top of the tree on the right side where it sits on the wither.  These are all places where there is more pressure on the horse's back because of the uneven weight distribution.