TCS Placement, Padding and Girthing Guide

The information on this page, especially the information relating to placement and padding of the TCS, is based on horses who have healthy and well-muscled backs. If you have any worries regarding your horse's back muscles, please consult a professional before attempting to pad your horse yourself. Saoirse Equine at https://www.facebook.com/saoirsesaddlefitting offers this service via Zoom and covers worldwide.

The TCS has been designed to fit any horse of any shape, size and weight without the need for a saddle fitter. However, appropriate padding for your horse's current condition, shape and muscle density can require additional help to ensure you get the most from your saddle, whilst keeping your horse comfortable. This is paramount to maintain the saddle’s proper function and use.

Placement of the TCS

The TCS, as the saddle is affectionately named by our ever growing and already extensive community, has a large area on the underside specifically padded to help disperse pressure. The stirrup bars are set much lower on the TCS than on a traditional saddle, and are attached to a wide plastic reinforcement plate within this set padding helping to create a bridge. The saddle itself sits above the horse’s centre of gravity to maintain balance for both horse and rider.

A horse's withers are unable to support weight, hence why traditional tree'd saddles, along with various treeless brands, have the apex for wither clearance. The TCS is highly different to a traditional saddle and requires specific placement on the horse's back to maximise comfort and maintain contact with your horse.

The TCS should sit further back than a traditional saddle to allow the wither to remain weight-free. It goes on top of your padding, with the front edge of the saddle behind the wither. It will sit further back than a traditional saddle. When your saddle is in the right place, the billets of your saddle will be at a direct 90-degree angle with the ground.

Please see example below of correct and incorrect TCS placement:

Padding

Padding is a question that comes up a lot for TCS users. There are various breeds of horses which means no two horses' backs are the same. This also means that no two horses' padding will be the same. Some cobs, for example, will have the TCS sitting directly behind their normally very low withers. At the extreme other end of the scale, the Thoroughbreds, have high and sometimes long withers, not unlike the Irish draught types, and this would require shimming at the base of the wither to enable the saddle to continue bridging over the area reflecting the horses centre of gravity.

Remember to also be mindful of your own physiology when thinking about padding; if you have a slight build, your horse may feel your seat bones as your ride, so take this into account when choosing your padding.

Please see example below of high/long wither requiring shimming around wither

Please see below an example of low/short withers

Girthing 

Once you have found the correct position for the TCS on your horse, the next step will be to check what kind of girth your horse requires:

• Straight
• V-shape for deep girth groove
• Crescent

Because the TCS sits further back than a traditional saddle, most horses require a V-shaped or crescent shaped girth. Your girth should sit ✋🏻 1 hand behind your horse's elbow and no more than 2 ✋🏻 hands behind the elbow (anatomical girths for forward girth grooves do sit a little further back than a straight girth). Pop your saddle on and ensure your billets, hanging straight down, match up with where the girth should sit. We always recommend a leather girth.

The choice of girth isn't given enough thought sometimes but it is a very important determining factor in whether your TCS will sit properly and whether your horse will be comfortable in its ridden work. As we can see below, a straight girth pulls the TCS forwards onto the wither, forcing the wither to bear weight:

It is worth spending a little bit of time looking at your horse and checking whether it will need an anatomical or V-shaped girth.

Once you have found the type of girth that suits your horse’s anatomy, it is purely your preference if you order a short billet or long billet saddle. Most brands and types of girths will come in both sizes.

The shorter billet saddle is intended for those that wish to use a longer /
standard length girth and the longer billet for those who wish to use a short / dressage girth. As the rider, if you feel you don’t have the flexibility to bend down and adjust a short under girth, you may be better suited to a short billet saddle - or if you want to use the TCS on a Shetland pony then the long billet may be too long and swamp him.

 
Diclaimer: This guide was written with the sole intention of aiding our customers with placement and a basic understanding of how the saddle works, how to ensure you get the most from your saddle and of course that yourself and your horse are comfortable. The entire guide is based on the assumption that our customers' horses’ backs are healthy. We implore our customers to regularly check their horse's back for any back related issues which may affect the saddle placement or padding structure including Atrophied Muscles, Kissing Spine, Lordosis and many more.

Please see below image of an unhealthy back with atrophy and kissing spine.

If you feel you have concerns regarding placement or padding on your horse, please feel free to send us a direct email to melanie@total-contact.co.uk or call or WhatsApp us on +44 7918 602556 and we will help point you either in the correct direction, or towards our recommended Padding Specialist, Saoirse Equine at https://www.facebook.com/saoirsesaddlefitting.

Pads and products that are not sold by us or one of our retailers but marketed as a TCS product are not endorsed by Total Contact Saddles and we are not responsible for their use.

This guide was co-written by Total Contact Saddles and Saoirse Equine.