My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
If you don’t already read Kitt Hazelton’s blog, Saddle Fitting: The Inside Journey, you should! It’s a wealth of information about the importance of saddle fit and other saddle-related information. Here’s a fascinating look into how a saddle is constructed. More specifically, this article is about how Black Country saddles are built. It was contributed […]
Read MoreMy most important Christmas present this year was coming home from the hospital in time to spend the holiday with my family instead of the hospital staff . I was delighted to get sent home yesterday after my colic episode, having recovered without the dreaded surgery. Okay, so my holiday dinner will most likely be […]
Read MoreAlthough women now dominate most equestrian pursuits in the U.S., it’s taken a long time for saddle manufacturers to catch up with the gender shift. English saddles were originally made for men to ride in the military or the hunt field. During World War I, that trend which was solidified, causing most saddles to be […]
Read MoreIn theory a saddle that fits well shouldn’t need anything other than a thin pad to keep the panels clean. However, for an older horse, especially one that’s lost some of its natural padding, may benefit from a pad with some extra cushioning according to saddle fitter Gary Severson. That was his prescription for Fortune, […]
Read MoreIn saddle fitting, choosing a saddle with a wide enough gullet is essential so that the saddle properly clears your horse’s spine. I’ve written about this before — Evaluating Saddle Fit: Gullet width is one of the most popular posts on this site. Here’s the third in the Saddle Fitting series from Schleese which shows […]
Read MoreToday’s a fitting day to show the next video in the Schleese saddle fitting video series as today my saddle fitter came to the barn for our spring tune up. I like to have my saddles fit before hunting season begins because galloping in half seat and jumping fences for a couple of hours in […]
Read MoreIt’s hard to truly understand saddle fitting until you’ve had the chance to watch how a fitter evaluates a saddle. I recently came across an excellent series on the subject from Schleese. This 9-part video series gives clear instructions that demystify saddle fit. Here are the first one. In addition to talking about how the […]
Read MoreI’ve come across this misconception several times: People who refer to the tree size as the gullet size. Since I just wrote about trees, I thought it was worth clarifying this point.
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