08/23/2026
🐴 COME WITH ME TO WORK — Saddle Fitting a Former Broodmare
Today’s case is a **12-year-old former broodmare** who has been back in work for approximately six months.
Former broodmares can present an interesting saddle-fitting challenge. After pregnancies and time away from regular work, the **core and back musculature may be significantly weaker**, often resulting in what riders describe as a poor or underdeveloped topline.
Our goal here isn't simply to find a saddle that *fits her today.*
We want her comfortable enough under saddle that she can **step underneath herself, engage the hindquarters, lift and use her back, and allow the movement to travel from back to front** — giving those muscles the opportunity to become stronger again.
And this is where we sometimes run into a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. 🐔🥚
I often hear:
**“I want to build my horse’s back first, and then I'll have the saddle fitted.”**
In theory, that sounds reasonable. In practice, it doesn't always work.
If the horse isn't comfortable enough under the existing saddle to use her body correctly, we may actually be making it **harder for her to develop the muscles we're trying to build.**
For horses whose bodies are expected to change, I prefer a saddle that can be **fitted now, with room for development, and adjusted as the horse changes over time.**
An **adjustable tree combined with wool-flocked panels** gives us valuable options to make those corrections along the way.
In my experience, horses returning to work after **pregnancy, injury or an extended break** can be some of the more challenging cases for the saddle fitter, rider and trainer alike. Their bodies aren't static — so we need to monitor how the back and topline develop and make changes when necessary.
For this mare, her owner ultimately chose a **JC One from our Basic Line, available for $3,000.**
And this isn't the end of her story. ❤️
**We'll keep you posted on her progress and bring you along for the ride as her body changes and she becomes stronger.**
🐴 **CAS Equestrian**
*Comfort. Care. Connection.*
*Video and photographs are shared with permission from the rider and horse owner and may be used in this and future posts.*