42/ SEPTEMBER 2017 THE RIDER Saddle Fit & Technology: Saddle Fit and Endurance Riding


the saddle fit of an endurance horse is so tricky because


caloric


loss, con-


there


are so many ele- ments at work: fluid


sumption, mus- cle


stress,


By Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CSE ©2017 Saddlefit 4 Life® All Rights Reserved


A recent article in The Rider


“Local Vet explains the Art of Endurance Riding” (July 2017) has moved me to submit this ar- ticle with further information on endurance riding, especially as it relates to the saddle fitting that is involved in this arduous sport. My personal interest in en-


durance riding has come through my association with some top US Endurance Riders – who I am happy to work with in keeping their horses sound over the long distances ridden in these races. I have seen this sport grow from its crazy first decades to the well regulated and exciting sport that it is today. Now, much more so than in the beginning of what has come to be known as “the mod- ern sport of Endurance Riding”, the American Endurance Ride Council (AERC), the governing body of the sport here in the United States and Canada, has matured into an organization that


metabolic rate etc. It stands to reason that the physical changes the horse (and rider) undergo in a many mile ride are quite severe. We mustn’t for-


get that this level of exertion and athleticism is not necessarily a natural condition for the horse – and also that the horse was never meant to be ridden! It takes an extreme maintenance and train- ing program for both horse and rider to be able to achieve these kinds of goals. Endurance riding is some-


times compared to Formula I rac- ing. During a Formula I race the car goes into the pit stop and gets serviced several times during the race. These extreme sports have the commonality of requiring constant maintenance to ensure peak performance. During en- durance season, the saddle should be checked on almost a monthly basis, or as soon as the rider feels off balance or the horse exhibits the slightest resistance. This indi- cates it is time to have an evalua- tion. If it is the rider who is experiencing pain in her back, it is also an indication that the sad- dle may be out of balance. It could also simply be muscle fa- tigue because of the amount of riding that goes into a race of this length.


No horse in


the wild ever goes 50 miles in 7 hours, which is the average speed that in- cludes checks


and


m a n d a t o r y holds. In the wild, the far- thest


have ever been observed


horses to


travel in a day is nearly 20 miles, and that’s not often. Plus, they graze the almost the entire way. Usually horses


sport we do with our horses. It takes years of conditioning a horse that is “born” for the sport in order to succeed. Based on some of the pic-


tures I have seen of endurance riders, many horses are ridden with their heads up and their backs down, which exacerbates issues occurring over these dis- tances. It is the rider’s responsi- bility to keep the horse happy and pain free especially during condi- tioning and competition. As an endurance rider this responsibil- ity is increased tenfold given the demands of the sport. Endurance riders


(and


horses) are the marathon athletes of the equestrian world. Obvi- ously, long hours of preparation and training go into every event. Many endurance riders include dressage training as part of the


ing endurance competition and training because the saddle will definitely be shifting which is very uncomfortable for the horse. A tighter girth gives the horse more support as well because the saddle stays where it belongs. Many riders believe that a tight girth is only for jumping, etc., and that when you are doing en- durance competition, you don’t want the horse to feel as though he is constricted by the girth being too tight. You don’t need to squeeze all the air out of their lungs when the horses are girthed up, but definitely the saddles need to be snugly fastened and stay that way for the entire ride. Without minimizing the ne-


cessity for a blacksmith on site because of potential shoeing is- sues, saddle fit is certainly the biggest problem due to the mas-


sive weight loss. A saddle that was fitting properly at the start will certainly show issues during the course of the ride given that the horse’s conforma- tion will actually have changed within just 24 hours!


One of the best way


to help the horse is to keep the saddle pad dry (change wet saddle pads). Imagine you were to walk in your shoes all day with moist socks - your skin would get soft and start to blister. Some riders get off their saddles during the ride and run beside their horse: this gives the horse less weight to carry at least over short distances. To counteract the effect of losing weight, most of the riders use cruppers and breast plates to ensure that the saddle stays in place, even for the up-and downhill portions of the ride. One of the best saddle designs ever devel- oped is the McClellan army saddle, which was made for horses who were used in the military and had to be kept healthy in order to ensure sur- vival of their riders; unfortu- nately it was discontinued in the 1920s, but its basic design is probably still the most ergonom- ically friendly for both horse and rider!


Saddle fit is critical even for Sharma Gaponoff 2015 (used with permission).


curriculum to strengthen the horse’s back – in a properly ad- justed and fitting saddle of course that allows the horse the neces- sary freedom to move at the shoulder and to engage his back properly. Just as important as comprehensive training however is, of course, the proper equip- ment.


It is one of the biggest chal- vet


the are


Photo courtesy Lori McIntosh and 'Hotwheels' (used with permission).


definitely focuses on the well- being of the horses first, and I very much appreciate this as I have unfortunately been witness to how some riders in past years have treated their mounts. That type of abuse and disregard for our amazing equine athletes is a rare occurrence in the sport these days thanks in large part to the AERC. What endurance riders do


on a weekly basis is the absolute extreme of riding. Maintaining


weighed before and after the ride. There is an endurance ride in Northern


California which is famous for


having the steepest and the most hills of any 50 mile ride. It is typ- ically extremely hot. The average weight loss of the 80+ endurance horses competing that day is 50 pounds—approximately


1


pound/mile. So yes, endurance horses definitely change shape during ride day. The girth will be tight at the start and loose by the finish. There is nothing natural about the distance and speed horses go during endurance rides – or about any other performance


lenges for the endurance rider to keep the horse sound and healthy over the course of the competi- tion – one of the most grueling of these is the Western States 100 Mile 24-hour Tevis Cup Compe- tition. I work directly with the au- thor of “Tevis – From the Back of my Horse” (Sharma Gaponoff) who has shared with me what the preparation and the competition entail. When in competition she trains three smaller rides/week (about 10 miles each) and one 50 mile ride/month. (Read more about this race here if you’re in- t e r e s


t e d :


http://www.teviscup.org/the- trail/about-the-trail.) Some horses can lose 100-


200 pounds in a race of this length. The conditions are ex- treme – temperatures fluctuate between very hot during the day to almost freezing at night. The terrain is demanding and often dangerous. It is important to have a great support team, and the vet checks are rigorous to ensure the horses are sound enough to han- dle what lies ahead. Funny enough, I have heard


that some European riders think that riders in North America suf- fer from the “American Loose Girth Syndrome”. A loose girth is not good, especially during the long hours of intense riding dur-


shorter trail rides; indeed for any


oped for endurance riders (Photo cour- tesy of Christoph Rieser - used with permission).


activity with your partner and friend – the horse! The time to have your own saddle fit assessed is before the competition season begins – but recognize that in a sport that is as extreme as en- durance riding, you may have to truly build an ongoing relation- ship with your saddle fitting pro- fessional.


The McClellan saddle is, to this day, the template for many saddles devel-


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