saddle evaluation

In an ideal world your saddle will have been purposefully made and fitted for your horse by a saddle maker and fitter registered with the Society of Master Saddlers.

Most likely, your saddle came with the horse when you bought him, or is one that you have to use on several different horses.

Any saddle, no matter how good a fit when originally purchased needs to be maintained and evaluated on the horse at certain times in the horse’s life.

Horses change

Your horse will change shape considerably during its life.  When he is fit and muscled up or on the fat side after a holiday, his shape will affect the fit of the saddle.

Added to these natural changes is the fact that no horse is symmetrical – a problem which is magnified when training methods or riding style produce uneven muscle development.

An ill-fitting saddle will cause discomfort or actual pain to the horse.  The horse responds by altering its balance and posture to compensate which, over time, will lead to referred pathology to the limbs such as tendon strain, arthritis and navicular.

Signs to look for

If your horse is showing behavioural problems such as snapping whilst being groomed or saddled, bucking, rearing, napping and moving off while being mounted, the chances are either his mouth or saddle are hurting him and he is trying to communicate his discomfort.

More subtle signs include hollowing the back, toe dragging, head tossing, resistance and a shortened stride pattern.

Unfortunately, not many of us can afford the option of purchasing a new saddle, but we can take steps to ensure that the saddle we have fits our horse as well as possible.

The solution

Our saddle evaluation involves the following 5 stages:

• Evaluation of the horse’s back and posture.  Here we look for muscle imbalances and structural problems, such as low heel syndrome, which affect the way your saddle fits.
• Evaluation of the horse’s need of therapy.  We will check your horse’s back for muscle spasm and evaluate his action.  If any muscular problems are thought to be present your horse may benefit from a Body Work session.
• Evaluation of your saddle.  Your saddle will be checked for safety, symmetry, suitability and the need for re-stuffing.
• Evaluation of your saddle on the horse.  This is where we check the actual fit of the saddle in relation to the shape of your horse’s back.
• Evaluation of saddle with rider up and in motion.  The saddle fit changes when the rider mounts and needs to be checked.  We will watch the horse being ridden in order to assess how it is going and what affect the rider has on the horse.

We will then work with the rider in order to address any saddle fitting problems and help find solutions through the use of pads, risers and re-stuffing. We will also discuss Body Work needs for either the horse or rider as appropriate. We are also happy to discuss schooling exercises to help address stretching and muscle rebalancing.