SEPTEMBER 2011 THE RIDER /53 Saddlefit 4 Life Saddle Fit and Excellent Results in the Ring


DVM – author of “Recognizing the Horse in Pain, and What to do about it” www.inspiritusequine.com) HIPPOH Foundation www.hippo- hfoundation.info


Horse Industry Professionals Pro- tecting Our Horses: A non-profit organization created to educate horse owners and provide a united consortium of Equine Profession- als whose motto is that the horse always comes first.


Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE


By Jochen Schleese. CMS, CSFT, CEE


www.saddlesforwomen.com www.saddlefit4life.com Biography: Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE


Certified Master Saddler, Saddlefit Technician, Equine Ergonomist


Although of course it shouldn’t be all about the medals and the winning, it absolutely thrills and vali- dates me when one of my clients sends me a picture such as this one. This is an absolutely textbook case of a beautiful horse demonstrating “Durchgelassenheit” (‘throughness, suppleness, etc.’) Of particular note is the fact that he has a beautifully rounded croup, the angle of the hind leg is such that it is almost under the girth, and the horse’s eyes and ears are alert and forward. The rider is in absolutely classical dres- sage position with shoulder- hips-heels alignment and the horse looks like he is respon- sively moving ‘uphill’. He takes less than 10 strides to make it down the side of the dressage ring in an extended canter that looks similar to the beginning of a levade. Horses that are ridden like this (not on the forehand) will greatly reduce the poten- tial for longterm damage – with a soft hand, a soft seat, a soft mouth, and a soft back – yet absolutely uphill, straight, and through the poll without any pulling or kicking. Pictures like this give me hope that there are still riders who understand the concept of correct riding. This is in direct contrast to an article by David Guy PhD, “Trakehners and Totilas Rev- olutionize Sport Horse Breeding,” in the January “Warmbloods Today” maga- zine. The article is an alarm- ing example of the misinfor- mation that is being present- ed today to excuse the lack of correct training in the “mod- ern” dressage horse, and some of the specific observa- tions made by the author require direct countering. The horse’s general anatomy and means of locomotion has not changed in thousands of years but the lack of educa- tion as to what actually improves and protects a horse is on the rise. What we are seeing being rewarded at the dressage shows is one of the main reasons for this descent into harming instead of help- ing our horses. The rules


written by the FEI which fol- low the classical principles of dressage training and move- ment are being ignored and replaced by flashy move- ment, particularly the “show trot” that thrills the uneducat- ed audience who are unaware of the harm being inflicted upon the horses. The author himself recognizes that mod- ern dressage “for historical reasons” is a deviation from classical training two hun- dred years ago. The horse is no longer a necessary source of food, transportation, and fighting wars – their sole sur- vival depends on our egos and in wanting them around for sport and companionship. As their roles have changed, form is now overshadowing function.


The pictures of the hors- es included in the article speak for themselves. This hollow, flashy “style” of locomotion is nothing new. The over-exaggeration of leg movement is being per- formed and rewarded in the Saddlebred and Gaited Horse industries. Disconnecting the horse and hollowing its back are exactly what they strive to do as this is the only way a horse can get the front legs moving on a different plane than the hind legs. The acceptance of this “style” is an absolute contradiction of the original foundation of Dressage. What will we see next? Firecrackers and chains around the pasterns? The author is correct that modern warmblood breeding programs are exem- plary. The breeding industry is producing amazing athletes with incredible natural move- ment. Understandably these youngsters will exhibit this “style” of exaggerated move- ment. They are excited, untrained, and are not carry- ing the weight of a rider. It is our responsibility as trainers to develop a horse’s ability to carry a rider. The ability to connect through the back and engage the hindquarters is a fundamental requirement for any horse in any discipline. This connection is what pre- serves, protects, and allows the horse to become a light, harmonious partner. Left to its own natural state, a horse will travel on its forehand, with its center of gravity nat- urally forward and behind the elbow, and drop its back away from the weight of a rider (or the pain of a poorly fitted saddle). In order to carry the weight of a rider and saddle, and preserve the musculoskeletal and tendon-


ligament health of its body, the horse must travel in a cor- rectly engaged frame. The “show-trot” may look fancy, but how many of these horses continue to perform with any longevity without sustaining injuries or without requiring invasive treatments to main- tain their performance? The most alarming commentary is that “Breeders will push in this direction in order to satisfy growing cus- tomer demand of the ultimate dressage horse by the stan- dards set by Totilas. The extreme high scores given to this horse by dressage judges will reinforce the trend to reproduce, and maybe clone, this type of a mover in future dressage horses.” The push to rapidly breed horses is causing over-population problems and ongoing dilem- mas with slaughter and euthanasia. To satisfy mar- ket demand, horses are pushed harder and at increas- ingly younger ages with sig- nificant physical (and often emotional) harm that they simply cannot sustain. The judges perpetuate the physi- cal damage and unethical training methods by reward- ing the end-results consis- tently in the arena.


Horses are the innocent ones in the human pursuit of ribbons, monetary gain, and personal egos. They have not chosen for us to ride them. We owe it to them to con- front and refute this fad of non-training that is receiving high marks by judges that haven’t read, or who choose to ignore (for whatever rea- son) the rules. If we are going to accept this deviation away from classical dressage then let’s not insult the rest of us who believe in the classi- cal principals and who would never accept or give a good score to this new “modern” movement. Call it what you want but please don’t call it Dressage.


The paradox is that it actually means less work for me as a saddlefitter if the horses are actually ridden badly - with a hollow back, without moving the hind legs, and just moving in the front. These horses that are will stay straight in the back will never change their mus- culature positively or signifi- cantly. It’s easier and cheaper to maintain saddlefit, just sad that horses will suffer in the long run.


(This article was written with kind assistance and input from Dr. Joanna Robson,


www.saddlesforwomen.com www.saddlefit4life.com


Biography: Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE


Certified Master Saddler, Saddlefit Technician, Equine Ergonomist Mr. Schleese is a former member of the German young rider’s Three-day event team, and graduated from Passier Germany as the youngest-ever Certified Master Saddler at age 22. He came to Canada as the Official Saddler for the 1986 World Dres- sage Championships. Schleese has made the trade of saddlery regis- tered and certifiable in Ontario as the only authorized training facili- ty. Schleese has 60 employees and agents worldwide.


He developed the


Saddlefit4Life® philosophy and diagnostic system. Saddlefit 4 Life® is taught worldwide to DVM’s, REMTs, DCs, Trainers and Saddle Fitters. Through shar- ing expertise Saddlefit 4 Life® professionals are protecting horse’s and rider’s backs. Jochen


states, “Horses should not suffer for the ignorance of the rider, nor should they be farmed out, or put down because of severe, irrepara- ble damage resulting from poor


saddle fit.” Jochen’s passion and life mission to educate is improv- ing the well being of horses and riders worldwide!


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