Very confused by western saddle tree sizes - please help!

[Ysabel]

I am trying to fit a mare for a young girl I have been helping with her horse. I am not very familiar with western saddle sizes. I know how I want the saddle to fit (once I see it on the horse) - but I have no idea what size to order because the terms means nothing to me - and the internet has not been helpful because every site says something different.

Some sites say a QH bar is narrower than a Semi and others say the opposite.

I thought that bar size = gullet size, but I was just on a site that listed both gullet and bar size - so I guess that isn’t true at all.

The girl currently has a Full QH Bar on her mare which is far too wide and is causing damage to the mares withers. I tried a Semi on the mare last night and it still seems too wide (this is baffling to me because the mare is purebred QH and I have never had a QH that didn’t need a FQHB). She is narrow in the shoulders so I think it is not so much that the wide but that she needs a steeper pitch. I am way outside of my element so I hope I am making enough sense for one of you to be able to help me.

Also - where do I measure the saddle for gullet size? Everyone tells me a different. I never thought english saddle fitting would be easier than western, but clearly I was wrong.

[imaginique]

You have every good reason to be confused. There are no standards in western trees. A full QH is wider than a semi QH and the bars are flatter. Or should be but there are not guarantees. Here’s a site where you can download templates to check gullet width and tree angle and ask questions. They are very helpful.
www.horsesaddleshop.com/western-saddle-guide.html

[China_Doll]

Why not get someone with more experience to help find a saddle. If you talk to several people that fit and sell saddles you should be able to get an idea of the knowledgable ones.

[Angelico]

Hijacking, I also have a similar problem. I would love to buy a new roping saddle to pony in, but I have no idea how to fit one, and I don’t know of any western saddle fitters.