JUNE 2012 THE RIDER /53 Saddlefit 4 Life: Saddle Fit and Saddles Made for Women (Part II)


By Jochen Schleese. CMS, CSFT, CEE


Although I have broached this subject in the last article, I would like to address the last two key points in more detail, as they are important in deter- mining the proper saddle fit especially for women – which is 85% of Schleese’s market – and makes us the only female saddle special- ist in the world!


Schleese and associat- ed Saddlefit4Life saddle fitters all have a compre- hensive understanding of equine biomechanics and how saddles need to fit to prevent long term back damage in the horse, but we also have a good under- standing of how female anatomy impacts saddle fit. In this installment we will go into the last two of the five key points in consider- ing a male or female saddle model.


is much smaller, therefore he fits into the padded part of pretty much most sad- dles very comfortably. The female pelvis has the seat bones much further apart, which means that if she is riding in a ‘male’ saddle, she will likely be sitting on the seat seaming, which is generally pretty uncomfortable. Often this seat twist and seat width are mixed up, and she will end up buying a saddle with a wide twist rather than the wide seat she needs to accommodate her pelvic shape. As a result, the knees and hips will angle out instead of being able to hang straight down (remember, the twist is that area between the thighs), and she will not sit com- fortably for both reasons – the twist is too wide, and the seat is too narrow. You need to look at the distance between the seams on the seat, which should be wide enough to allow the female seat bones to sit on the padding – if this is too nar- row, it feels like you’re sit- ting on a ridge, or that your seat bones are falling off the edge of the seat.


ring lower back aches some riders experience.


When a male rider sits on a male saddle, he can balance on his seat bones as on a bipod, whereas the


female finds her balance on a male saddle in a tripod position – which means her ps will be in contact with the front of a saddle. We cut out a hole in the front


of saddle tree to form a channel to allow space between the ps and saddle. This channel is filled with foam and is very forgiving to the position of the rider in balance. Often times because it simply hurts for a woman to sit on her pubic symphysis, she collapses at the hip to escape the pain – resulting in a chair seat, and the coach yelling “sit up straight, get your leg back!” (or something along those lines!)


ing optimal saddle fit; 80 if you go all the way back to what the saddler also takes into account when making a fully custom saddle.


Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE


www.saddlefit4life.com; www.saddlesforwomen.com Biography:


Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE


Besides the usual height, weight, leg mea- surements, we also take into consideration hip cir- cumference, length of leg hip to knee, knee to heel, thigh circumference, and position of leg in the stir- rups for the discipline the rider prefers. There is a total of 36 points that are referenced when determin-


Jochen


Certified Master Saddler, Saddlefit Technician, Equine Ergonomist


dlery registered and certifi- able in Ontario as the only authorized training facility. Schleese has 60 employees and agents worldwide. He developed the


Mr. Schleese is a for- mer 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 Dressage Championships. Schleese has made the trade of sad-


Saddlefit4Life® philosophy and diagnostic system. Saddlefit 4 Life® is taught worldwide to DVM’s, REMTs, DCs, Trainers and Saddle Fitters. Through sharing 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, irreparable damage result- ing from poor saddle fit.” Jochen’s passion and life mission to educate is improving the well being of horses and riders world- wide!


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One of the areas in saddle where the most mis- takes occur during mea- surement is the width of the twist and the width of the seat. The twist is that area of the saddle which is actually located between your thighs (was discussed in a previous Female Sad- dle Fit Tip), whereas the width of the seat is deter- mined by the space between the seam running along the edge of the seat. In the male pelvis, the seat bones are much closer together and the distance between the two seat bones


The last area of con- sideration is our patented Crotch comfort feature in the AdapTree® . The male pelvis has a relatively high- er pubic symphysis (ps) – when he sits in a balanced position with his spine per- pendicular to the ground on the saddle, his ps will be tipped upwards and not in contact with anything. In contrast, when the female sits on the saddle with her spine perpendicular to the ground, her ps is much lower and closer to front of saddle – to the point of contact and rubbing. This can result in recurring blad- der infections even to the point of bleeding. The pelvic tilt is also affected by the saddle model and the saddle balance. You want to ensure that the four natural curves of the spinal column are positioned in such a way as to act as shock absorbers – as they were meant to be. Incorrect positioning will result in the very commonly occur-


Hickstead Commemorative Portrait Now Available


Ottawa, ON—World renowned equine artist Fred Stone has painted a portrait to honour Canada’s beloved show jumping champion, Hickstead. The painting is the subject of this fine art poster which is signed by both Fred Stone and Eric Lamaze. Proceeds are in support of the Cana- dian Equestrian Team.


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