MAY 2022 THE RIDER /15


Beyond the Wither Tracing A Saddle-Fitting Series by Holly Barnett, REMT, CSF


Short Pommels on Long Withers Cause Big Problems!


parts match the combination of your horse’s wither and back shapes. The front half has a more vertical fit while the rear half interacts on a more horizontal plane. The change in rail angle happens where the saddle halves meet in the middle - this area must line up where you horse’s withers disappear into the back. I call this point the ‘critical juncture’. Your


tree points One of the more seri-


ous and common fit issues I see (and seldom hear dis- cussed) is the Wither to Pommel Relationship. Sev- eral factors make up a happy marriage between the two, though today we focus on


length. It may help to think of


a saddle in two separate halves that fit completely different to one another - a front half and a back half. The ideal fit is when the combination of these two


should rest behind your horse’s shoulder blade and the pommel should end where your horse’s wither ends (critical


ating pressure points accom- panied by painful and atro- phied wither muscles. There’s an easy way to


juncture).


Pommels that end before your horse’s wither ends are too short and create excruci-


tell if this is happening with your saddle. With your horse standing square, set your saddle on your horses back without a saddle pad and observe by standing perpendicular to the girth area. How does the balance of your seat look? Is it level or tipped back towards the cantle? If you were to raise the cantle an inch does it look more balanced? If so, slide your saddle back a few inches and reassess – does it look balanced now but too far behind the shoulder blade and sitting you too far


back? Tell-tale sign your pommel is too short for your horse’s wither. Often people notice the saddle sitting low in back and add a rear riser to balance it – creating a ful- crum effect that effectively crushes the wither even more. Please don’t do that. Here’s are some clas-


sic signs you may have this issue with the fit of your saddle:


• A horse with muscling everywhere except the with- ers (can present differently but this a classic sign) • Saddle sits high in front even though it isn’t too nar- row for your horse (in fact, often too wide due to mus-


cle atrophy) • Saddle looks more bal- anced when you lift the can- tle up a few inches • Saddle sits balanced when set too far back If you try this with


your saddle and aren’t sure, post these three photos on IG and tag us @auguste- quine so we can help train your eye. All horses require and deserve pommels that are the appropriate length, shape and width for their withers. Unlocking your horse’s withers will unlock your horse’s potential and completely transform your ride – make sure you have a happy pommel to wither re- lationship!


Stay tuned for more


tips on assessing your sad- dle on your horse. Happy Assessing!


Holly Barnett has been a professional


fitter and


equine therapist for 20 years. She has worked with horses of all breeds and rid- ers of all levels and disci- plines throughout North America. She is the founder of August Equine, located in Campbellville ON. Her team provides saddle-fit consultations of all brands and sales of new and used saddles. Stay tuned for more issues of Beyond the Wither Tracing saddle-fit series.


2022 Hometown Bonanza Fun Show The 2022 Hometown Bo-


nanza fun show was held in the new indoor arena at the Ancaster fairgrounds from April 14 to April 17. For this year we had the participation of the Ontario Xtreme Cowboys on Sunday which helped bring a lot of riders and horses- who also tried out new disciplines- more spectators, and vendors. The show had approxi-


mately 60 stalls booked and 100 competitors in the different


classes that were offered: reining, ranch riding and western horse- manship. The class with the most


competitors was the Non pro Ranch Riding with 28 riders, fol- lowing the Open ranch riding and Western Horsemanship with 18 registrations. The paid warmups were packed on Friday and Sat- urday morning with a total of 50 riders each day. The class win- ners took home a bunch of prizes donated by some business and


ribbons. To have access to the re- sults visit our Facebook page. Everyone was impressed


with the new facility; the stalls were top notch and the fact that we had the vendors inside the arena was very convenient to everyone: close to washrooms and all the amenities. The public and the competitors were happy to be able to shop from used to new tack. It was a great way to start the season and an opportu- nity to get your horses out, see


everyone’s faces, and have fun after all those hard years we had with the pandemic with so many restrictions. There was even a live band on friday night that some of the participants enjoyed after the classes were over. Todd Bailey and his scriber


Tom Ramey did a phenomenal job judging the classes and Dean Mougenot was also great an- nouncing for us! The lead line class was so adorable, and it brought smiles to many faces.


Todd had a hard time judging that class and all the participants took a red ribbon home. According to Wendy McIn-


tyre the positive feedback re- ceived from riders to onlookers was a big indicator that there will be another show next year. “Without the sponsors, the com- petitors, the judging and the vol- unteers, my dream of holding a fun show would never have been made possible.” Contact Wendy if you are interested in sponsor- ing or volunteering for 2023 at starrmac5@gmail.com.


If you would like more in-


formation, follow our Facebook page and Instagram Hometown Bonanza.


Story by Roberta Alves Buttelli Photos by


Speckled J. Photography


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