bad back?

[Nanno]

Is there anyone in the Boise area who would consider themselves an "expert" in saddle fit and might be able to help me learn how to do it properly? I'm feeling a little miss informed and not sure where to go next.

All the saddle fitting stuff I learned was with horses, but the same principles apply to goats. Do you know any good horse riders/trainers, saddle makers, or outfitters in your area? Some of these people can be very knowledgeable, especially if they've ever run long pack trips with mules and/or horses. You might even do a search on YouTube for saddle fitting tutorials. I'd be willing to bet there are some good resources out there that can help you learn how to check this stuff out on your own.

The main principle is that your saddle should put even pressure along both lumbar regions of the back without hitting the spine at any point and without rocking front-to-back or side-to-side. To clarify that last point, obviously the saddle will rock along with the goat's walking motion, but it's important to make sure it's actually rocking with him and not simply rubbing a sore spot into his back. (Hope that makes sense.)

Feel free to ask any questions. I'm not an expert at this by any means, but I did take some classes on saddle fitting back in college that were quite helpful.