Regarding western horse saddles, what are approximate flare angles of QH bars, semi-QH bars, & full QH bars?

Answer 1

Flare refers to the way the front or point of the bars kicks out along the shoulders of the horse, As a horse bends his body to turn he needs room for his neck, shoulder and ribs to curve without contact by the leading point of the bar. Again, skirt design and attachment to the tree can make a well-made tree a poor fitting saddle, but there are many tree makers who do not put enough flare in the bars. Generally it is the less expensive trees that mass producers use where this is problematic. Without enough flare the bar will be digging into that shoulder.
Quarter Horse Bar or Semi Quarter Horse Bar (usually 6" for semi - 6 1/2" for regular gullet) is by far the most common tree. It has a higher pitch as opposed to the flatter pitch for FQHB. It is for the medium back, decent wither and often mixed blood descent (1/2 Arab, Appendix or other mixes). Most of our saddles are semi qh/qh bars. QH/Semi QH bars usually have the higher pitched angles.
The FQHB tree (usually 7" gullet) is often used for the "Bulldog" Quarter Horse or horses with broad backs and sometimes mutton-withered Quarter Horses. The FQHB will usually have a flatter pitch than the QH/Semi QH bar.
Arab saddles are for Arabians they have a narrow (usually 6 1/2" - 6 3/4" width) gullet like the Semi QH but a flatter pitch angle like the FQHB - sometimes flatter yet, than the FQHB.
Gaited horse bars have a higher gullet for high withered horses. They usually have a wider gullet front that narrows towards the back to allow shoulder movement. They usually have more rock.
Haflinger saddles (7 1/2" gullet) are great for Haflingers or short backed mutton withered horses. Often have the flatter pitch and very little rock.
Draft Horse bars (8" gullet), are for the large Draft Horses.

Answer 2

There's more to it than just the angle. And Different saddle companies have slightly different trees. So your horse might be QH bars and find that a different company's QH bars don't fit at all.
Usually though, Full QH bars are designed to fit the old style, stocky, bull-dog type QH. Semi tends to be for the average horse QH. and QH tends to be QH that have alot of TB in them.
Always put the saddle on your horse both with a pad and without before you buy. (a sheet is okay if you want to keep it clean.)

Answer 3

If your horse fits a semi QH, buy a semi QH. Blankets only hide the problem, they don't fix anything.

Answer 4

I have three different saddles and each saddle will fit each one of my Quarter Horse's differently.

I agree with the person above me. Always have the saddle fitted with the horse prior to buying. I know people and do this when I purchas a saddle. If I purchas online, I will try to go to the store that the saddle is in OR I go to a store that has the saddle to fit prior to buying online (lets say the saddle is cheaper online store/person or buying from Ebay for instance).

Do with and with out pading. Ask for a person who has experience in saddling Equines to help with proper tacking to fit the horse.

Answer 5

Varies with brand. And some trees are shaped differently so even if their front angles are identical, the rest of the tree would not fit the same horse.

Answer 6

i don' t know