Equine-Naturaltherapy

Saddle #___... It's a common story. Riders and owners go through multiple saddles in the search for the right one, often bringing in several saddle fitters who ...tell them it fits, or to simply shim it here and there. Constantly struggling with their horses going well, but only briefly, which are the lucky ones. More often the horses go poorly, don't develop correct musculature or posture and deteriorate with each new saddle. The owner or rider becomes frustrated after spending thousands on both fittings and saddles only to end up back at square one, or sometimes further back. Unlike the medical field where there are global standards for diagnosing and treating particular injuries or diseases, along with necessary schooling and knowledge required to become a physician, saddle fitting has no such standard. The education will vary from school to school, as will the fitting methods and guidelines. Selecting a qualified fitter is as important as selecting a qualified veterinarian. You wouldn't hire a vet who dismisses certain symptoms or anomalies, so why hire a fitter who does not consider reactions from the horse as a symptom? If a saddle is causing the horse to pin its ears and attempt to bite, that is a huge red flag and the fit needs to be assessed. If a horse regularly trips or feels like he's stepped into a hole with his hind foot, that is a red flag. If a horse pins it's ears when you approach with the saddle, again, red flag. Horses don't dislike something for no reason, however they will try and communicate that a certain piece of equipment is unwelcome due to causing pain or discomfort. Don't get stuck in a cycle of buying saddle after saddle and hiring fitter after fitter to be no further than when you started. You, as a consumer and the caretaker of your horse are charged with knowing how to weed out those just trying to make a sale. Bring someone in who can show you, clearly, what the issues are, what the horse needs and what you need as well in a saddle to allow both of you to work in a healthy posture, without pain. Ditch the "well my horse doesn't like etc etc.." It's an excuse, and a poor one, to not investigate further and do right by your horse. You know, deep down, the truth is that your horse doesn't like pain, and that is what he's trying to tell you through what you consider misbehavior. So, then what is the solution to the multiple saddle conundrum. Firstly, understand that with correct riding and training the horse will change shape, this is guaranteed. The thorax will lift and the ANGLE of the shoulders becomes steeper, while the WIDTH of the shoulder widens. In addition, the saddle support area will likely become shorter, so off the bat we know that at least 3 areas of the horse changes through proper work. In order to not amass a tack store's worth of saddles, you need to look at ones that are adjustable in those areas. A saddle that only changes in angle, such as the interchangeable gullets, do not take into consideration the shoulder width, with many people swapping out for a wider gullet angle but then coming into other issues such as the saddle rocking side to side, or crushing the withers. Going in the opposite direction and narrowing the angle but not providing the necessary width for the shoulders to slide through without damage. The saddle will be pushed backwards by the shoulders, only to get shoved forward again due to extending onto the lumbar and being pushed forward by the movement of the back. There are a number of saddles that will allow for a swapping of panels to shorter ones, however without altering the width and angle of the tree, it will not do the horse any favors. Lastly, many believe that simply changing the flocking will allow the saddle to be fitted differently. Most flocking is relatively soft and fails to protect the horse from the localized pressure caused by English tree points and tree rails. When the flocking is shifted to match the angle of the shoulder, so long as the metal/plastic/wood tree is incorrect, the scapula will still connect with the tree points as it falls through the flocking. See more

Both great products!

https://horsesdaily.com/a/ehv-1-%E2%80%93-disinfection-101 Disinfection protocols for EHV-1

How can you tell if your saddle is hurting your horse? Here are the top 6 signs to look for when you suspect poor saddle fit might be hurting your horse. https...://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS8roq0wldg #Schleese #FitisEverything #SaddleFit #Horse #Equestrian #Equine #horselife #horselove #horsestagram #horsesoninstagram #Saddles #Saddle #Dressage #Horsebackriding #Horses #EquinePhotography #SaddleFitting #SchleeseSaddle

Did you get your Equine Wellness Magazine issue in January? If you did, you might have come across my article on 'How time off from riding can affect saddle fit...'. I had so much fun writing this article and look forward to writing for the magazine in the future. If you read the article and it inspired to you register for an 80-Point Saddle Fit Evaluation, this is your sign to register! Register here: https://register.schleese.com/saddle-fitting-registration/ We look forward to seeing you and your horse!

ENGLISH VERSION: It’s been some time but it’s finally done! Here is the graphic to understand the differences between males and females and how that impacts how... we sit in the saddle. It should be noted as it says in the disclaimer that these are only sample body types as for what is considered average conformation. We know we are uncomfortable in certain saddles and in others we aren’t... this might just be why: Saddles were made for men, members of the military, women rode in side saddles. This impacted design for decades and only recently have there been more specific studies regarding these differences. Regarding production we are still quite behind and this not only when recognizing the existence of these differences but properly differentiating between their chatacteristics. Hopefully this graphic can give more insight into why a saddle might be less comfortable for you as a rider. - I would like to thank Jochen Schleese of Saddlefit 4 Life for his studies on the topic which he has made readily available for people to find. I would also like to thank Dr. Deb Bennett for the amazing work done in the years both regarding horse and rider. Knowledge is power! P.S: Please note I am not associated in any way personally or economically to the professionals that the study for this graphic was based on. This is not an advertising poster and these are aspects I have personally verified both in theory and practice on saddles from several brands.