The Ten Step Procedure for Assessing Saddle Fit
This is the first of several articles
on the Master Sadders Association Ten Step saddle-fit procedure. It
covers the first step…CORRECT SADDLE PLACEMENT. In subsequent
articles, I will cover the remaining nine steps. Two or more of the
remaining steps may be combined in one article. This first article
covers only one step because of its overall importance. All of
these articles will require concentration and participation from the
reader to obtain the full benefit. Expect to find yourself asking new
questions as you obtain answers to old ones. I promise you will learn a
lot. And in between, please feel free to contact me about any and
all questions you may have as we go along.
As you know
by now, saddle-fit is a complex subject. Because the saddle-fit equation
involves two dynamic components, horse and rider, and a seemingly static
one, the saddle, correct saddle-fit can be a challenge. The Master
Saddlers Association, US, whose purpose is to educate the riding public
about the importance of proper saddle fit, has established ten objective
saddle-fitting steps. All of these steps are interrelated and none
are completely independent of one another.
By becoming familiar with this ten-step
system, you can realize the following benefits:
1) Identify
weaknesses in your saddle’s fit and how they may impact your horse’s
comfort and performance.
2) Correct
such weaknesses, and improve your saddle’s fit, either with on-site
flocking adjustments and/or, in some cases, recommendations for specific
supplemental padding, if possible, by a qualified professional.
3) Experience
the improved comfort for your horse. Without question, you will
feel improvement in your horse’s behavior and way of going under saddle.
And, if you, as a rider, are fitted properly, you will perform better
since you will not be “fighting the saddle” for a proper position.
There is a saying “If the saddle doesn’t fit the horse it doesn’t fit
the rider, and vice versa”.
4)
Eliminate the question as to whether the saddle’s fit is
contributing to training issues (e.g., lead change difficulties) or
medical concerns (e.g. sore back).
5) Obtain
peace of mind to know that the equipment you are using doesn’t cause
pain to your horse.
Commitment to proper saddle-fit also requires an understanding about
some of its realities:
1) Horses’
backs change shape for many reasons: diet, work program, illness,
and age. The degree of change, even in a short period of time, can be
surprisingly significant—especially horses that have never had their
saddles fitted properly. In consideration of this, and to be
effective, saddle-fit cannot be a fixed, one-time-only practice.
It is an ongoing process requiring regular saddle-fit checkups and
adjustments. These ensure that the horse’s back soundness is
responsibly maintained in the short and long run.
2) Back
soreness can be related to other issues besides saddle-fit. If your
saddle has been properly fitted, and your horse continues to be sore, a
veterinarian should be consulted for medical advice.
3) Very
unbalanced riders and/or unbalanced horses can make even a well-fitted
saddle “have bad moments”. You cannot expect a saddle-fitter to
compensate for such situations. These are training issues and require
correctional input from a professional trainer.
4) Some
horses are extremely difficult to fit. If your horse falls into this
category, be prepared for challenges. Especially if your horse is
performing at a high level, expect to pay more in terms of time and
expense to get the right result. Be wary of someone who promises you
otherwise.
5) Some
saddles lack the essential design ingredients to achieve proper fit for
a particular horse and rider. The attempt to redesign such saddles
rarely achieves the desired result and may introduce new problems.
Better to sell the saddle and start anew.
6) Your
saddle is the most important piece of equipment you use to communicate
with your horse. It distributes your weight over his back.
Your horse is always aware of this fact.
STEP #1—CORRECT
SADDLE PLACEMENT
The essential
FIRST STEP in achieving proper saddle-fit is correct saddle “placement.”
If the saddle is improperly placed, the remaining NINE steps in the
saddle-fit assessment will be, like a bad lab experiment, doomed.
To avoid this outcome, this first step should always be performed
“first”--never subsequent to the others. It may be of interest to know
that many saddle-fit problems can be immediately resolved by this first
step alone. This step also needs to be analyzed both
statically and dynamically.
Static Placement
Statically,
“too far forward” saddle placement is the most common mistake riders
make when tacking up their horse. This makes the saddle’s
tree points (the vertical wooden/steel processes on both sides of the
pommel) place painful pressure onto the horse’s shoulder blades by
“loading” the horse’s shoulders with the rider’s weight, restricting
free movement. In addition, when the tree is improperly
positioned, the saddle’s panels lie unevenly on the horse’s back.
Typically, a bridging effect happens—the front and the back of the
panels make more contact with the horse than the middle. This type
of bridged weight distribution will disconnect the fore and hind
quarters of your horse. He will also “hollow” under the saddle.
To test
yourself on your static saddle’s “placement”, have your horse stand
square, on level ground. Without a pad, place your saddle on your
horse’s back a bit forward, on the horse’s withers. Put your right
hand on the pommel, and give the saddle a short shove back. You
will notice that the saddle’s tree
points stop repeatedly at a resting place dictated by your
horse’s unique conformation—always behind the shoulders. Repeat
this exercise several times if you are doubtful of the first result. The
final outcome will probably surprise you when you compare it to your
“normal” placement. Do not worry about the girth groove and
girth placement. (Although girth design is another topic for
analysis…most are not designed for a proper fit.) The horse’s back
is of primary consideration. Ultimately, when you girth up your
saddle, all will fall into place.
When you have
become confident about your saddle’s proper placement statically, you
are now ready to test the “dynamic” phase of this step.
Dynamic Placement
Unfortunately, even when placed correctly in the static sense, some
saddles “move” too far forward due to the horse’s biomechanics.
This happens most commonly in dressage horses at the sitting trot or
canter. The reasons for this can be conformational and/or biomechanical,
such as:
1) A
loaded shoulder (one shoulder lies farther back than the other and
contributes to the saddle being pushed to one side and “walking”
forward).
2) Very
well-sprung ribs and/or narrow girth groove right behind elbow—thereby
pulling the saddle into the shoulders.
3) Horse
drops his back (toward cantle area) in trot or canter creating an
intermittent space between back of saddle and horse’s back (makes saddle
“walk” forward as work progresses).
4) Nature
of dressage work in and of itself. Rider mainly sitting, horse
dropping haunches in collected work, all motion going “forward”.
One device,
the foregirth, was developed with the purpose of preventing saddles from
going forward. Although effective in restricting the saddle’s
movement forward, they are not very forgiving and usually wind up
“digging” into the horse’s shoulders creating a lot of pain and
discomfort
A much better
and inexpensive solution, under professional advisement, is the
attachment of point-billet straps. These act as a regular billets,
but are attached to the tree’s points on each side. When attached
to the girth, they stabilize the saddle in front so it cannot move
forward. When using point-straps, you have to make sure that the
saddle’s panels are properly adjusted/fitted, and that the tree’s points
are absolutely parallel to the horse’s musculature. Otherwise
inappropriate pressure points may ensue.
Another
option, which is not as effective, is to use a sheepskin pad with
sheepskin “rollers” lining the front of the pad. These act
as “buffers” in front of the pommel and will assist in keeping the
saddle back.
Coming next
issue:
Step #2, POMMEL/CANTLE RELATIONSHIP, and Step #3, SEAT LEVELNESS, will
follow in next month’s issue. Keep in mind that all of these steps are
interrelated. If you achieve one of the steps, but not the
other(s), your saddle’s fit is in question.
Sandy Panek
is a Master Saddlers Association Certified Saddle Fitter and County
Saddlery Agent and who has been fitting saddles since 1997.
She can be reached at. 540-272-0797 or
sandypanek@cs.com
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