Saddling up
Next, you can prepare for the fitting of his first saddle by putting the old saddle gently on his back. It's best to choose an enclosed arena for this exercise - a sand school or similar is ideal. You will need an assistant to hold the horse's head, so that he can be allowed to move back or away from the saddle as much as he wants - tying up the horse is not a good idea since if he panics and pulls back suddenly, he will associate the pain with the saddle, now and in the future.
You will need to take the stirrup irons and girth off the saddle to begin with, to avoid unnecessary pieces of equipment flapping around and frightening the horse.
Allow the horse to smell the saddle for as long as he needs, perhaps putting it on the ground in the school and letting him walk up to it and round it freely, before you lift it up and move it gradually back towards his hindquarters. He may watch you; he may move away or jump. Just take it carefully, and as soon as he shows any signs of fear, stop and start again. Eventually he will figure out that this is nothing to be afraid of and will settle down.
This is the time to carefully and slowly move the saddle up from his side towards his back. Again, if he shows any signs of fear, stop and go back a stage. Your horse should always be as calm as possible before you push him any further: if he really gets in a state, stop altogether and try again another day. Just try to end on as positive a note as possible.
Once you have the saddle on his back and he is accepting it happily, you can re-attach the girth and draw it up under his belly, eventually fastening it very lightly to hold it in place. Remember, though, that the saddle you are using will probably not fit him properly, so never fasten it tightly.
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to get the saddle which is to be used on the horse fitted correctly right from the start. A horse who is distracted by an uncomfortable saddle, or in pain because of pinching or the wrong weight distribution, will not be able to concentrate on his initial training, let alone be happy
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