We hear people referring to different types of bars used in saddle trees by name: Mule, Gaited, Semi-quarter horse, Quarter horse, Full quarter horse, Arab, Morgan and so on. It is important to realize that there is absolutely no standard for any of these. If we lined up three 'quarter horse' trees from three different manufacturers, you would see that there would not only be significant differences in gullet height and width and bar angle but also in the rock, twist and flare of the bars. We have talked to people who have had a saddle made by brand "A" Saddle Company with 'quarter horse' bars that fitted their horse fine, then they go out and get a new saddle made by Brand "B" Saddle Company also using 'quarter horse' bars and they end up with a sore backed horse. It is absurd to think that all tree makers have some manual that defines exact measurements for all these types of trees!Also horses' backs are not standard either.
As a test I took three trees I had in my shop that were all listed as having 'quarter horse' bars. The angles of the bars were different on all three. The gullet heights and widths were also all different.
And guess what? They were all made by the same tree maker!
