S P E C I A L TA C K S E C T ION
Saddle Fit and Saddle Length
backed” to describe a horse, but few of us are aware that even a horse with a back that appears to be of normal length may actually have a very short saddle support area.
M
Your horse’s saddle support area is easily identified: - With a piece of chalk, outline the edge of your horse’s shoulder blade - Locate your horse’s last floating rib. (To do this, find where his hairlines come together in the area of his flank and draw a line straight up to his spine)
Does your horse have a “4-beat” canter? Does he have tense back muscles that impair movement? If you answered “yes” to either, you may be faced with a saddle length issue.
by Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE any of us are familiar with the term “short-
Te saddle cannot extend past the last floating rib. A saddle that is too long is extremely uncomfortable for the horse, as it puts pressure on his lumbar region. A horse ridden in a saddle that is too long will often tighten his lower back muscles. In some cases, you can actually see the horse hollow and drop his back in an attempt to get away from the pressure of the saddle. He may buck in an effort to get the weight off his lumbar area. He may have difficulty moving forward into the canter, or he may simply be persistently “off” for no readily apparent reason.
If these are issues you have been facing, and have been unable to attribute them to anything ‘real’ (like illness of some sort), it could simply be your saddle is too long for your horse’s back and is making him extremely uncomfortable. Tink about how you would feel if you had something constantly pounding into your kidneys.
Sometimes you have to look past the obvious symptoms to find the cause....
Certified Master Saddler and Equine Ergonomist Jochen Schleese has been a leader in the North American equine industry since coming from Germany to be the Official Saddler for the World Dressage Championships in 1986. His motto is “Ride Pain Free”.
www.schleese.com or
www.saddlefit4life.com
Te saddle must sit behind the shoulder. A saddle that is too long will get driven forward into the shoulder, particularly at a canter. Tis can produce a buildup of scar tissue on the scapula, and over time, the scapula may actually be chipped away by the tree points of the saddle.
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www.holistichorse.com
Watch the video “How to Tell if Your Saddle Hurts Your Horse” on the Schleese Saddlery Service Educational YouTube Channel at
www.youtube.com/mjpschleese
Holistic Horse™ • October/November 2010 • Vol.16, Issue 69
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