My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
How many ways can a saddle not fit a horse? It turns out there are many. In fact, there are probably more horses wearing saddles that don’t fit than which do. My evidence? Recently, I joined a saddle fitting group on Facebook. It’s a page where people post photos of their horse and saddle and […]
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Just because a saddle fits a horse that’s standing still doesn’t mean it will still fit when the horse is moving, because saddle fitting for the horse in motion has to take into account how the horse’s back changes. I came across an interesting post on Facebook by Erica Allen, a certified independent saddle fitter […]
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The gullet of a saddle is the channel that runs down the center of the underside of a saddle, in between the panels. The gullet bridges the horse’s spine so it is an important part of the saddle design. If the gullet is narrow, it can pinch the muscles on either side of the spine which […]
Read MoreA new study conducted by researchers at the University of Zürich and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences confirmed that saddle fit is dynamic and influenced by even modest increases in speed within a gait. Researchers found that a 10 percent increase within each speed range resulted in a 5 percent increase in the total […]
Read MoreI suspect we’ve all seen saddles like this one — perched so far above the horse’s back that you might not even know you are riding a horse. I’m sure that the rider’s intentions are good. But while they might want a pad to protect their horse’s back, too much of a good thing can […]
Read MoreThe Ainsley Chester saddle that I’m now using on Zelda is the one I bought in the parking lot of a CVS from a woman who drove up in a white van (see Another Saddle for my Tackroom). This brand/model was very popular among eventers about 35 years ago. The woman who sold it to […]
Read MoreAs I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Zelda sometimes bucks. While some of it is probably testing boundaries, I also worried that it could be related to saddle fit. I haven’t had a horse the size and width of Zelda ever, and while I have a “library” of saddles, I wasn’t sure which one was the […]
Read MoreAlthough I’ve owned many, many saddles over the years (Goldilocks and the 31 Saddles ) all but three have been flocked with wool and checked by a saddle fitter twice a year. What’s the difference? The material that fills the panels of the saddle are critical to saddle fit and comfort. Wool Flocked Traditionally saddles […]
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