54/ MARCH/APRIL 2018 THE RIDER Saddle Fit & Technology:


the winter months you will need to ensure that the saddle is fitted properly to allow him comfort and freedom to muscle up again when you begin train- ing in earnest. While it can take four weeks for a muscle to build up with consistent training, it takes only one week for the muscle to regain its original shape (which is negative development). Thus, even if you have given your horse just a week off from training, you will find that your saddle may not fit the way it did and the way it should, so that you should have a diagnostic evaluation done and the saddle adjusted by a certified fitter or saddle er- gonomist before you begin training again. A quick diagnostic can be done using our 9


By Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CSE ©2018 Saddlefit 4 Life®. All Rights Reserved In the spring, a young man’s fancy turns to


love. Well I have found that a woman’s fancy turns to her horse and getting ready for warmer weather and possibly the competitions that go with it. After the winter we have had this year in Ontario, I can only imagine how anxious everyone is to get back out in the warmer fresh air! So as we head into spring, it’s time to put our


points of saddle fit evaluation (with videos avail- able to show you how at our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/SchleeseSaddlery. Below are very brief points to do a preliminary assessment of your own saddle fit as I strongly feel that this in- formation cannot be repeated often enough and is truly evergreen. I have gone into great detail on each of these points a few years ago, but this is just a quick check-list and reminder.


1. Saddle Balance A saddle too high in the pommel and too low


in the cantle causes pressure on the horse’s back. It will be very difficult for your horse to engage his back because too much of your weight is on his last 2 floating ribs. If your saddle is too low in the front it will


pinch into the horse’s shoulder – which is very re- strictive for your horse. Your saddle is too high in the back so your leg goes forward and you fall into a chair seat to balance which can strain the discs in your lower back. It should sit so that the pommel and cantle are even.


2. Wither Clearance The saddle should have 2-3 fingers clearance


This dressage saddle shows where the center of bal- ance is.


thoughts into ensuring that all of our tack and equipment will work for the upcoming training months, and for the shows we intend to compete in. Especially if your horse has been ‘laid off’ for


on the top and around the side of the withers. The saddle must have be an opening (clearance) on the sides of his withers to accommodate the shoulder rotation upwards and backwards during movement. A horse whose saddle pinches his withers


The distance between the top of the withers and the sides of the withers should be 2-3 fingers all around.


may be reluctant to go forward. Other more ex- treme signs of insufficient wither clearance are patches of white hairs (not scattered individua l white hairs) or sores on the top or on one or both sides of the withers.


3. Channel/Gullet Width A saddle with a channel or gullet that is too


narrow or too wide can cause permanent damage to your horse’s back. The width of each horse’s spine will determine how wide his saddle’s gullet must be, and it must be the same throughout the entire length of the saddle.


4. Full Panel Contact Ensure that your saddle’s panels make even


contact with your horse’s back all the way down to distribute the rider’s weight over an area that equals approximately 220 square inches and ends at the last rib. Ensure that it doesn’t bridge or rocks (contact only in the middle.)


5. Billet Alignment Billets should hang perpendicular to the


This saddle has a wide gullet channel with good distri- bution of the rider's weight on the horse’s saddle sup- port area.


ground in the girth area. If the billets hang too far back, gravity will pull the billets (and the saddle) forward into the girth area. The girth will always find its position at the narrowest point of the rib cage, driving the saddle forward onto your horse’s shoulders.


The Nine Points of Saddle Fit


The angle of this


saddle is the same as the shoulder angle of the horse.


This thermographic image shows a saddle with panels that bridge front to back, resulting in greater pressure at the pommel and cantle areas.


7. Saddle Straightness Straightness means that the center of the sad-


dle is in alignment with your horse’s spine. Horses are by nature uneven. Most horses have a left shoulder that is larger and more developed than their right shoulder. The larger shoulder kicks the saddle over to the other side during motion. A rider who sits unevenly due can compress


the stuffing more on one side of the saddle, and drag it over to that side.


8. Tree Angle The angle of the tree (at the tree points for the


This saddle is positioned behind the shoulder but a) is


too long for the horse’s back as it extends past the 18th thoracic vertebra and b) the billets are too far back and will pull the saddle onto the shoulder in motion.


If the billets hang too far forward into your


horse’s elbow area, they may make him sore in the elbows. Gravity will drag them (and the girth and saddle along with them) back into the girth area.


gullet plate) must be adjusted to match the angle of the horse’s shoulder. As the horse moves, his shoulder rotates upward and backwards. Check if the angle of the piping on the saddle matches the angle of your horse’s shoulder. If it does, the angle of your saddle’s tree is correctly adjusted for your horse.


This saddle clearly is too long for this horse at it sits


and puts pressure beyond the last floating rib as drawn in yellow on the horse. The yellow line drawn on the


saddle's panel indicates a more suitable length of panel for this horse.


There will now be too much pressure on the panels at the rear of the saddle.


6. Saddle Length The length of the saddle support area will de-


termine how long the panels must be. The saddle must sit behind the shoulder. A


saddle that is too long often will get driven forward into the shoulder. The saddle cannot extend past the last floating rib at the 18th thoracic vertebra.


This rider is sitting on a saddle which has shifted to the right - presumably


having been moved by the larger left shoulder during movement. Photo


courtesy Dr. Joanna Robson, DVM.


The three diagrams on the left illustrate identical tree angles with different tree widths; the three on the right illustrate identical tree widths with different tree angles (such as can be effected


with the 'self-adjusting' trees of various compa- nies – but changing angle without changing width is not always a good thing).


9. Tree Width The tree width at the gullet plate must be wide


enough for the horse’s shoulders to rotate freely under the tree. If the tree width is too wide, the entire saddle may rock or slip from side to side when it’s being rid- den, or the back half of the saddle may twist to one side or the other. Tree width and tree angle need to be adjusted


together. Adding flocking to or removing flocking from the vertical panels of the saddle will not solve the problem – it is the gullet plate that needs to be adjusted. Some of the self-adjustable gullet plates will accommodate angle adjustment, but will not allow width adjustment (over the wither area). Hopefully these basic tips will help you get


ready for a successful show season while ensuring your horse has the freedom to perform at its poten- tial!


Happy Riding!


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