My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Almost everyone has heard the three-finger rule for saddle fit: that you should be able to fit three fingers between the withers and the pommel of the saddle. But do you know why? It’s more than just protecting the nerves and muscles that run down your horse’s back, the saddle also needs to leave enough […]
Read MoreI’ve always discounted people who said that their saddle fits “every horse” they put it on. And with two horses that look completely different in almost every way, it never occurred to me that the same saddle that fits Zelda could possibly fit Freedom. Especially since both horses changed shape this year But after fitting […]
Read MoreI knew there was something wrong. I was crooked. I had to keep stepping hard in my left stirrup to stay even. It was particularly noticeable jumping. I was beginning to feel like I couldn’t ride. Or at least that there was something wrong with her saddle (because I didn’t feel unbalanced on Freedom). So […]
Read MoreI was talking to someone once who complained that her horse’s back was sore. I asked if she had a saddle fitter look at it. Her response? She’d had it fitted when she bought it . . . three years ago! That begs the question, how often do you have your saddles fitted? Personally, I […]
Read MoreI am lucky. I live in the land of saddle fitters. I have many choices of who to use and don’t have to wait months for one to travel to my neck of the woods. My fitter comes to my barn at least twice a year to evaluate how well my saddles fit. Even better, […]
Read MoreFinding the right saddle for your horse can be tricky so before you start shipping saddles back and forth from tack stores, you can help narrow down the potential candidates by taking a wither and back tracing of your horse. These measurements can help a saddle shop determine whether or not a specific saddle has […]
Read MoreSaddle fitting can be a real nightmare. Sometimes you feel like Goldilocks: it’s just a bit to narrow or a bit too wide, or maybe that panel shape is a bit too flat . . . or a bit too curvy. Seriously, for some people finding a saddle that fits their horse is worse than […]
Read MoreI read a forum posting recently which stated that Jochen Schleese recommends you have your saddles professionally fitted every season. Debate on this topic got heated. Some people didn’t believe in saddle fitting at all; others felt that a saddle once fitted properly, shouldn’t need to be adjusted that frequently. The answer is probably somewhere […]
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