Saddle seat size calculator
Seat size is about the rider; tree and gullet width are about the horse. Pick your saddle style and enter one measurement for a starting seat size to try.
Seat size
Western seat size
Western seats are measured from the back of the swell to the top of the cantle. A common starting point is pant waist size:
Build matters as much as waist: long thighs or a larger seat may need the next size up, and a deep, high-cantle saddle rides smaller than a flat one of the same size.
English seat size
English seats run from the saddle nail to the center of the cantle. Measure the thigh from the back of the knee to the back of the seat while sitting in a chair with your knee bent:
Charts vary between makers; use these as a starting size to try. For the horse's side of the equation, see the rider weight & horse size calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the calculator ask for a waist measurement to size a saddle seat?
Seat size is primarily about the rider's own proportions, not the horse, so a body measurement like waist size (rather than height or weight alone) tends to track more closely with which seat size actually feels comfortable and correctly proportioned.
Does seat size differ by saddle style?
Yes — this calculator lets you pick your saddle style because the internal seat measurement for the same nominal size can run differently between disciplines (English versus Western, for example), so the "right" seat size number isn't universal across every style.
What's the difference between seat size and tree or gullet width?
Seat size fits the rider; tree and gullet width fit the horse's back — getting the seat size right doesn't guarantee the saddle fits the horse underneath it, so both need to be checked independently for a saddle to actually work for a given horse-and-rider pair.
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