HOW DOES YOUR HORSE
LIKE YOUR SADDLE? By Julie Goodnight
At a recent clinic weekend, I met a lovely woman, MaryAnn, who had hauled her Paint mare eight hours to get to my clinic. MaryAnn was a sponge of a student—my favorite kind. She was knowledgeable, expe- rienced and a very good rider who couldn’t learn enough. We always do introductions at the start of my clinics and she stated then that her horse bucked at the canter. That’s never a good thing. I was eager to find out why this horse was bucking
and see what we could do to help the problem. I wondered right away if this was a personality issue, training issue or had to do with her physi- cal build and the saddle’s fit. Too often, I see horses that learn to fear or dislike the canter because they feel pain from the saddle as soon as they enter the fast gait.
Knowing MaryAnn’s concern, I kept an eye on the mare while the whole group practiced groundwork and manners. I wondered if the mare had a touch of what I call PMS: Pissy Mare Syn- drome. Some mares can be kind of cranky and bossy, but overall the horse was doing what MaryAnn asked of her and seemed to have a good handle on the mare. I began to rule out a personality issue as the cause of her bucking.
It wasn’t until after lunch that I first saw the mare under- saddle. As we warmed up at the walk and trot I didn’t see much that concerned me; although the mare was a little cranky, she did everything asked of her. I was eager to see this horse canter and find out more about what could be causing the problem.
The first time I ask people to canter--in a clinic with 15 horses that are unfamiliar to me--I always ask them to can-
Whether you trail ride leisurely or demand high performance of your horse, you need to make sure the saddle is comfortable for you and your horse. Photo by Heidi Nyland Melocco.
ter two or three at a time, with the other horses walking on the rail. That keeps my blood pressure down. When it was MaryAnn’s turn to canter, her horse stepped right up to the canter on the correct lead, but as she proceeded around the arena, it was obvious the mare was not happy. She was crow-hopping around like a pogo stick with her tail wringing like a propeller. The mare didn’t warm out of it and get used to the gait. She stayed at the canter, but no one looked happy or relaxed. Taking a closer look at the picture, I could see it was a physical problem—a saddle fit issue.
MaryAnn had a very nice saddle with a Wade tree—a popular kind of Western saddle that is built up in front with a deep seat to help keep the rider seated. Very popular amongst colt-starters, for the same reason MaryAnn liked it—helps you ride through the bucks. Although it was the right saddle for MaryAnn, it just wasn’t the right saddle for the mare.
When I evaluate the saddle fit on a horse, the overall balance is impor- Northwest Rider Magazine
16
tant, as well as checking some specific areas on the horse. If I step a few paces back and look at the horse from the side, I want to see the saddle (be it English or Western) sitting level on the horse’s back. If it is sitting downhill, the horse’s shoulders or withers could be uncomfort- able, once you add the weight of the rider, and if it is sitting uphill, the horse may be getting undue pressure at his loins. In either case, the rider’s balance and position is impaired when the saddle does not sit level and balanced on the horse.
I could see from looking at MaryAnn’s saddle, and the uphill slant, that the horse was getting a lot of pressure on the loins from the way the saddle fit her. It is not surprising that the mare protested the canter; she has to round up her back and lift it with each canter stride; not to mention that the rider’s weight can come down hard on the saddle at the canter.
I tactfully suggested that perhaps MaryAnn might like to try the demo saddle I had brought to the clinic (a saddle I designed, made by Circle Y). I knew the saddle she had was not cheap, nor was it the first one she had purchased for this mare. I know the thought of getting yet an- other saddle to resolve this problem was not what she wanted to hear. But of course she listened and tried out the new saddle.
It was at the end of the first day—all the horses and riders were beat and headed for the barn, but quite a few specta- tors stuck around to see what happened when MaryAnn tried the new saddle. She trotted a circle or two and cued her horse up to the canter. Although the mare still seemed tense and tight in the back—there was a noticeable improvement. MaryAnn was eager to try the saddle again the next day.
The next day, MaryAnn saddled her horse with my Monarch Arena Performance/ Trail saddle. We spent a long time working at the walk and trot and when she cued her horse for the canter. The mare cantered smoothly, with
her back relaxed and her ears perked forward. Gone was the crow- hopping, wringing tail and pinned ears. MaryAnn went home with a brand new saddle and a big smile on her face. It’s amazing how often horses work day in and day out with ill-fitting and inappropriate equipment. Imagine working on your feet all day in shoes that caused you pain. Did you ever notice the number of horse’s that have white spots on their backs? Did you know those white hairs are damaged hair folicles caused from pressure points? Sometimes, when the fit-issue is fixed, the hair color comes back but over time the scars become permanent.
The other things that are important to check on the saddle are the clearance at the withers (can you stick your whole hand in there?)— even the pad pressing on the withers can cause painful pressure. Check to make sure it is not pinching at the withers at the front of the tree and, in the case of Western saddles, that it is not too long for the
May 2012
cont’d on page 18
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