Ralphs Tackeria

31/08/2026

🎉 NEW PRODUCT PRESALE — RALPHS GULLET FITTER™ 🎉

Ever wondered what gullet actually matches your horse?

Meet the new Ralphs Gullet Fitter™ 🐴

A simple, reusable tool designed to help you check your horse's wither shape against the gullet you're considering — whether it's already in a saddle or a changeable gullet on its own.

Simply position the Gullet Fitter approximately 1–2 cm behind the curve of the shoulder, gently shape it to your horse's withers, then place it into the gullet you want to check.

That's it. One little tool. One simple job.

Perfect for:
• Checking which gullet may suit your horse
• Comparing different gullet sizes
• Taking with you when looking at saddles
• Monitoring your horse as their shape changes
• Keeping in the tack room for future checks

🇳🇿 Designed in New Zealand
♻️ Reusable stainless steel
📦 Comes boxed with fitting instructions

⭐ INTRODUCTORY PRESALE — $25 INCLUDING NZ SHIPPING ⭐

Available for presale now while I get the first batch packaged and ready to go.

Message Ralphs Tackeria to order yours.

Making gullet fitting simple, one gullet at a time. ❤️🐴

27/08/2026

🐴 SEE YOUR HORSE'S SHAPE — THEN COMPARE IT TO YOUR SADDLE

Ever wished you could take the shape of your horse's back with you when checking a saddle?

That's exactly what Ralph's Back Map lets you do.

Simply mould the Back Map over your horse, remove it, and you have a physical representation of their shape that you can compare directly with your saddle.

It can help you visually explore:

✔️ Gullet width & angle — is the gullet wider or narrower than your horse's shape?

✔️ U-shape vs V-shape — what shape does your horse actually need?

✔️ Bridging — does the saddle follow the Back Map through the middle?

✔️ Saddle length — how does the saddle compare with your horse's weight-bearing area?

✔️ Unevenness — are the two sides of your horse the same?

✔️ Changes over time — reshape it and compare as your horse gains muscle, changes condition or workload.

And it's reusable, so one Back Map can be used on multiple horses. 🐎🐎

Made from flexible 0.5 mm stainless steel and designed to hold the shape you mould into it.

📏 Approx. 10" wide × 18" long

📖 Includes an easy-to-follow instruction booklet.

RALPH'S BACK MAP — $69

📦 POSTAGE
South Island — $15.70
North Island — $25.70
Rural delivery — add $7

💳 Afterpay available through our Stripe checkout.

📩 Message me to order, ask questions, or see more examples of how the Back Map works.

🐴 You can also find Ralph's Back Map at Burwood Produce in Christchurch.

Making saddle fitting simple, one back at a time.

27/08/2026

🐎 WHEN THE GULLET YOU NEED DOESN'T EXIST… 😂

Dixie's saddle has an interchangeable gullet system, but we had a problem — there were no wider gullets available in the country!

The saddle had a Medium gullet, and using Ralph's Back Map we could see it was just a little too tight for Dixie.

So... out came the anvil. 😂🔨

Our farrier used the Ralph's Back Map mould of Dixie's back as our reference, along with his experience and good judgement, to carefully widen the existing metal gullet.

Something else interesting showed up during the process — the two sides weren't sitting at quite the same angle. He worked on them to get the angles as even as possible while widening the gullet to better match Dixie's shape.

And THIS is why I've taken so many photos! 📸

You can follow the whole process:

🐴 An aerial view showing how the Back Map sits across Dixie's back and captures her shape.

📐 The Back Map mould once removed from Dixie.

🔨 The gullet being carefully widened on the anvil.

👀 Comparing the angles as we went.

✔️ And finally — Dixie's Back Map sitting inside the newly adjusted saddle, showing a much better gullet match and no bridging through the Back Map comparison.

Now Dixie is rocking her newly fitted saddle! ❤️🐎

I love examples like this because Ralph's Back Map gives us something physical and visual to compare against. Instead of simply saying "I think that gullet looks a bit narrow," we have Dixie's actual shape sitting right there in front of us.

⚠️ Important: I'm definitely NOT suggesting everyone take their interchangeable gullets to the nearest anvil! 😂 Altering a gullet outside the manufacturer's adjustment system may affect its strength, warranty or safety. In this case the work was carried out by our experienced farrier because the required replacement gullet wasn't available.

I'll add the photos in order so you can follow the process from horse → Back Map → gullet adjustment → final comparison.

Pretty cool little experiment for Ralph's Back Map! 🐴🔨✨

09/08/2026

🐎 SHORTER vs LONGER GULLET POINTS – DOES LENGTH MATTER?

While adjusting Dixie's saddle yesterday, I started thinking about something we don't always talk about when looking at saddle fit — the length of the gullet points.

We often focus on the width and angle of the gullet, but the length of the points can also affect how a saddle sits on the horse.

🔹 SHORTER GULLET POINTS

These extend less distance down the shoulder and provide less contact further along the shoulder.

🔹 LONGER GULLET POINTS

These extend further down the shoulder and can provide a larger area of contact and help distribute pressure — when the length and position are appropriate for that particular horse.

But here's the important bit...

LONGER DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN BETTER!

The ideal length depends on the individual horse, their shoulder shape, movement and the overall design and fit of the saddle.

And this is where cost can get interesting! 💰

Longer points and other construction features can contribute to a more expensive saddle, but a more expensive saddle doesn't automatically mean a better fit for your horse.

Point length can also vary between individual saddle models, so it's worth looking at the actual saddle rather than assuming based on the brand.

I've made a little 3D comparison to show the difference between shorter and longer gullet points.

What do you have on your saddle — shorter or longer gullet points?

Have you noticed a difference in how your saddle sits?

👇 I'd love to hear what you've found!

🐴 RALPH'S BACK MAP

Want to better understand how your saddle matches your horse's back?

Ralph's Back Map moulds to your horse's back so you can compare the shape directly with your saddle and get a clearer visual picture of what's happening.

💲 $69

📏 10" × 18"

Made from flexible 0.5 mm stainless steel and reusable on multiple horses.

📖 Comes with an instruction booklet to help you get started.

📦 NZ Postage:
🇳🇿 South Island – $15.70
🇳🇿 North Island – $25.70
🚜 Rural delivery – add $7

💳 Afterpay available through the Stripe checkout

🛒 ORDER HERE:
https://buy.stripe.com/3cI6oH3bW8fQgBwgABaMU03

🐴 Also available from Burwood Produce

🎥 Check out the Ralph's Tackeria page for videos, customer examples and more saddle-fitting information.

📩 Or send me a message if you'd like to know more!

30/06/2026

30/06/2026

🐴 Ralph's Back Map (RBM) Available Now! 🐴

Take the guesswork out of saddle fitting by measuring your horse's actual shape.

The RBM helps you:
✔️ Understand your horse's back shape
✔️ Compare saddle gullet angles
✔️ Assess panel fit and contact
✔️ Make more informed saddle-fitting decisions

Whether you're buying a saddle, changing a gullet, or simply wanting to understand your horse better, the RBM provides a visual reference that makes saddle fit easier to understand.

📦 NZ-wide shipping available.
-Sth Island non RD $13.80
-Sth Island RD $18.80
-Nth Island non RD $23.80
-Nth Island RD $28.80

🛒 Order yours here:
https://buy.stripe.com/7sY3cvcMw7bM4SO989aMU02

📩 Have questions? Send me a message or drop a comment below.

Disclaimer: I am not a saddle fitter. The RBM is a measuring tool that helps us understand the horse's shape and provides information that can be used alongside professional saddle fitting advice.

29/06/2026

29/06/2026

Part 3: Understanding Your Back Map – Bridging 🤔

One thing your Back Map can help identify is a common saddle fitting issue called bridging.

Bridging happens when the saddle doesn't make even contact along your horse's back. Instead, the saddle makes contact at the front and back, leaving a gap through the middle.

This can create two areas of increased pressure while the middle section isn't carrying its share of the load.

The most common cause of bridging is a saddle that is too long for the horse's back, meaning the saddle cannot follow the horse's shape correctly from front to back.

However, bridging can also occur when the gullet is too narrow.

When the gullet is too narrow, it can lift the front of the saddle and change how the panels sit against the horse's back. This can contribute to a gap forming through the middle.

In some cases, widening the gullet can help the saddle settle more evenly onto the horse's shape and reduce—or even eliminate—the bridging.

Of course, the gullet is only one part of the equation. The panel shape, panel angle, saddle length, and overall saddle design still need to suit the horse as well.

That's why it's important to look at the whole picture—not just one measurement.

📸 Swipe through the photos to see an example of bridging and how adjusting the gullet can improve panel contact.

👉 Not sure if your saddle is bridging? Drop me a pic below and I'll help you take a closer look.

Disclaimer: I am not a saddle fitter. The RBM is a measuring tool that helps us understand the horse's shape and provides information that can be used alongside professional saddle fitting advice.

25/06/2026

🐎 Understanding Your Back Map – Part 2: What Does "The Tree Doesn't Fit" Mean?

One of the most common things horse owners hear during saddle fitting is:

👉 "The tree doesn't fit your horse."

But what does that actually mean?

It's one of those saddle fitting phrases that gets used all the time, yet often isn't explained.

Many people assume it means the gullet is the wrong size, but that's not always the case.

A saddle can have a gullet width that looks quite good and still not fit the horse properly.

Think of the tree as the overall shape and structure of the saddle from front to back.

For example:

🔹 The front gullet angle may look like a reasonable match.

🔹 But the tree may be too curved for the horse's back, causing bridging.

🔹 Or the tree may be too flat for the horse's shape, preventing even contact through the panels.

🔹 The saddle may fit nicely through the front but not follow the horse's shape through the weight-bearing area.

This is where understanding your Back Map becomes really useful.

In Part 1 we looked at comparing front gullet angles. That's an important piece of the puzzle, but it's only one piece.

A saddle can have a reasonable front angle and still have other fit issues further back.

One of the reasons I love sharing customer photos is that they help turn these saddle fitting phrases into something visual.

Instead of hearing:
❌ "The tree doesn't fit."

We can start asking:
✔ What part doesn't fit?
✔ What am I actually seeing?
✔ What is the saddle telling me?

Because once you can see the shapes and understand what they mean, saddle fitting becomes a lot less mysterious 🐎✨

📸 All photos shared in this series are from custo