That’s what I mean by fad. These saddles are often
placed too far forward (on the shoulder cartilage) because
they may be too long for a certain horse. This is the
worst fit of all of the fits, as the saddles rest on the shoulder
cartilage, lumbar spinal processes and ligaments. As
explained previously, the horses do not move properly
through the back, but mainly through the legs. The false
show trot, also known as resulting from ‘rollkuer’ in dressage,
or false elevation as shown in the Big Lick impresses
the uneducated masses. These types of fit create long
term damage to spine, nerves and joints with little obvious
muscular pain, as there is little or no weight being carried
by the back (longissimus) muscles – as it should be.
Fit #6 – The “Specialty” Fit
The fit for specialty
saddles actually uses a
combination of various
fit methodologies
to work. It is different
from saddle to saddle.
These are saddles which
are generally used in
specific disciplines, such
as racing, side saddles,
or parades. Each of
these saddles of course
require different fit considerations
given their
specialized uses.
Each specialty saddle requires the understanding of the fitter
of the biomechanic movement of the horse and the
goal and use of the saddle in each discipline. While the
general premise of how a saddle should fit given the requirements
of both human and equine anatomy doesn’t
change, there are specific ‘opinions’ of saddle fitting which
are a must for these disciplines which fly against the usual
rules.
Racing: the jockey stands in the stirrups. The greatest area
of contact will therefore be in the front of the saddle.
Parade saddles (drum saddle): Must rock extremely to accommodate
the rider sitting in the saddle to lift the drums
away from the horse’s shoulders.
Side saddles: the tree is completely different on the left and
right sides, and the stuffing needs to be totally asymmetric.
Both legs are on one side of the horse.
Fit #7 – The “Fake Adjustable” Fit
The ‘fake’ saddle adjustment
is often practiced
on saddles which are not
really built to be adjustable.
Home-made hydraulic tree
machines are being used on
wooden trees which are not
meant to be spread under
the rider’s weight over the horse’s withers. The part of the
saddle over the horse’s withers is called the pommel. On a
traditional English wooden tree it has a thin metal plate on
the bottom of the pommel (small radius) and a thin plate
on top of the pommel (larger radius) connected by around
16 rivets along its length. If a hydraulic press is used to
spread or narrow the pommel of the wood tree, the rivets
will pop and the metal will rip – resulting in a broken tree.
Wood trees are used in saddles in all price ranges so you
have to know what’s in your saddle.
Most saddle companies advertise their saddles as being
adjustable. Unless the saddle can be adjusted in tree width
independently from the tree angle, (orthopedic adjustment
on left and/or right); narrowed or widened over spinal
clearance; increased or decreased flocking in panel;
billet alignment correction/adjustment; panel contact area
widened/narrowed/lengthened/shortened) the saddle
cannot be balanced properly on the horse and it cannot
be truly considered adjustable. In motion the saddle will
not stay in position front to back or left to right, and the
rider will never be able to sit over the balance alignment
point of the horse.
Saddles which are DIY with interchangeable gullet
plates can give the impression of being adjustable at any
time to accommodate changes in the horse’s conformation;
unfortunately these gullet plates only change angles,
and not width. The tree as well may suffer in its integrity in
conjunction with constantly changing gullet plates, and
adjustments are confined to only a handful of predetermined
angles. If a saddle fitter can only work on the stuffing
this does not do your horse justice and is known as a ‘fake’
adjustable fit. “Adjustable” does not always mean adjustable
– so do your homework! Know what’s in your saddle
and what your fitter can actually do.
If the saddle can only be adjusted in tree angle and
by adding stuffing through a slit in the side of the panel,
this very often causes more pressure on the horse’s back
after the adjustment. The pressure can actually cause
atrophy. The paradox is that capillary ischemia is proven to
be caused by as little as 4.67 kPa (kilopascals) of pressure;
many of these saddles have readings deemed “acceptable”
of far beyond 11+ kPa! (again – documented in the
literature; not just because I say so!)
Fit #8 –
The “Tree Lift” Fit
The reasoning behind the name “tree lift fit” is that a
saddle with a properly fitting tree has to support the rider’s
pelvis and distribute her weight – but in movement it needs
to allow the horse’s back to engage and come up by lifting
away from the pommel (shoulder) and cantle (loins)
area. This type of functional fit specifically accommodates
the anatomy of both the horse and rider to ensure optimum
comfort and protection against long term pain and
possible back damage. The tree has rear-facing tree points
to ensure that if properly placed behind the shoulder there
will be no cartilage damage. The gullet channel is wide
enough to not impact spinal processes, and the rider’s
weight is properly distributed within the saddle support
area of the horse’s back (on top of the rib cage and on
the belly of the longissimus dorsi muscle between the base
of the withers and the 18th thoracic vertebra).
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