W I had to pick up the phone to call and say how awesome
your magazine is. I think your November/December issue is your best one yet. I loved the Lisa Wilcox interview, the orphan foal article and the great story about Sam and his rider (Michael Jung). Thank you for printing such a fabulous magazine.
Sandy from Virginia I’m writing to check on my subscription renewal. I want
to make extra certain my online payment went through. I have to tell you that Warmbloods Today is my favorite horse magazine and I would be heartbroken if I missed even one issue! I always read it cover to cover, and you should know that it’s the only magazine that I do. Keep up the great work and thank you.
Stephanie from Florida
Question from a reader regarding the saddle fit article that ran in September/October: “Danny Kroetch claims that a wooden tree isn't adjustable,
yet my saddle fitter claims that most wooden trees he can adjust, plus there are wooden trees designed specifically to be adjusted. Please explain why Danny claims wooden trees are not adjustable.” Yes, there are many saddle fitters out there that claim
that they can, or they do, adjust wooden trees. However, the point I would like to stress is this: if they are truly adjustable then why do saddle manufacturers sell them in sizes, such as narrow, medium and wide? If the tree can be adjusted it should be able to be made to any size, and it should be able to be adjusted to fit any horse. If you look at the construction of a wooden tree (see
photos) you will see that this is not true. Let me explain the basic process of how a traditional English wooden tree is made. First, they take a thin piece of wood and then put it into water to soften it. After it is softened they take it out and form it to where they want it and then allow it to dry. After it is dried, if any person took a hold of the bottom of the tree points in their hands and squeezed them together the tree would break as the tree is not strong. Secondly, they take a tree that isn't strong and drill 16 holes, creating 32 stress points to the tree, making it even weaker. Then they place an English gullet plate on the underside which is 1/8" thick (also not very strong as a person can also squeeze the points and bend them). Then they attach a head plate (also 1/8" thick) to the top side of the wood. Then they put 16 rivets in the front of the tree attaching the metal to the wood; 8 of the rivets are over the head of the tree every inch apart. When you are adjusting a tree you are moving the head of the tree. How far
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do you think we can bend the wood that is sandwiched between two pieces of metal with rivets every inch before we break the wood and pop the rivets? You can adjust the wood tree approx one to one-and-a-half centimeters before it will break—that's bending it in—but if you try to open the wooden tree you will press the tree points up against the edge of the head plate and you risk breaking the tree points off. Clearly, this is not what one would call adjustable. Yes there are some adjustable wooden trees such as the Passier, where the head of the tree is cut in half and then a thick gullet plate is attached with only 8 rivets with none in the head of the tree. Then they stitch the tree back together on both sides of the gullet plate and this allows this tree to be adjusted. There is also the system called a Wellup adjustable tree where again the tree is split in the middle of the head and an adjustable gullet plated system is riveted to the head of the saddle. The rider can adjust this system himself (or herself) with a wrench that is provided. This system has proven to be weak and breaks over time as different versions of this system are always being tried. To me a truly adjustable treed saddle can be adjusted
English Wooden Tree Gullet Plate Head Plate
anywhere from 35 to 45 cm, in or out! This can be done right in front of the customer in minutes. As an example, our tree has 46 cm of adjustability—not bending it 1.5 cm then stuffing the front of the panels with wool! The saddle should always be supported front to back by the tree points of the tree, then add the air system or the wool to fit the panels of the saddle to the horse's asymmetrical body and to give a cushion to the horse's muscles and shoulders. Once again, if wooden trees are adjustable, why do they come in specific sizes? The answer is they were never meant to be adjusted.
Correction: In our November/December 2012 issue, the photo on page 16 of Adrienne Lyle at the Olympics was taken by Kim MacMillan/MacMillan Photography, not by Amber Heintzberger.
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