Real Life Horse & Rider
82 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com TRAINING & Showing
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REAL LIFE HORSE
Do you have a horse
that looks like our
chestnut in the picture?
Don’t despair,
there IS a saddle that
fits! Our model horse
has a shape that can
be described as high
withered, large shouldered,
flat backed,
with a depression
behind the shoulders.
This horse was lucky
enough to get a full
custom Antares Connexion,
pictured below.
Note the buildup
under the tree points
in the second picture.
This saddle has an extra
10 mm of padding
added on each side
to support the saddle
on either side of the
wither and ensure
there is enough wither
and spine clearance.
This saddle also
has thicker panelling
throughout, again
ensuring the saddle
is free of the spinal
area, and making
sure the buildup in
front hasn’t created
a low cantle behind,
affecting the balance
of the saddle.
If custom is not in the
cards for you, a good
used saddle rep can
help you fit a horse
like this horse!
REAL LIFE RIDER.
Today we are going to look at flap configuration for the rider.
The correct saddle flap size and shape are often overlooked
when fitting a saddle to the rider, but are a critical component
of saddle fit since the leg is the base of support for the hunter
jumper rider. I’m going to show you an example of the C flap
versus the L flap in a CWD. Both saddles are 17” SE02 seats,
however the saddle in the first picture is a C flap, versus the
saddle in the second picture which has an L flap. Our rider,
Sarah, is about 5’7” with proportionally a bit of a longer thigh.
If you look at her leg in the C flap (considered the forward
flap) you can see her leg doesn’t follow the contour of the
flap shape. She has extra on top of thigh and not enough flap
where her knee is. If you look at the L (considered standard)
flap the contour of the flap follows her leg beautifully. She has
a bit of room in front of her knee for shortening her stirrups, and
the flap hits her on the widest part of her calf.
Sarah’s trainer loved the saddle and texted us saying, “The
saddle was awesome! She was staying with him MUCH better
than in the other saddles she had been riding in! What a
difference the right saddle makes!”
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