Obvious signs of a saddle not fitting will be when the horse has a sore back but there are many more to watch out for. Some are things you can see such as muscle atrophy, white hairs, rubbed hair, ruffled hair, dry patches after work where the saddle presses. These have all been discussed in our previous blog/post - "Basic Saddle Fitting - What you should check everytime you ride".
Others signs relate to the horse’s behaviour – either as you go to put the saddle on, girth up or when you are mounting and riding. Some of the ridden signs creep in slowly. Maybe your horse used to do great transitions but now resists or perhaps once he was easy to sit to but is now like a board. Watch out for horses that are heavy in the hand – this can be due to inadequate wither and spinal clearance – it hurts them to come up in front, and horses that have difficulty turning and bending. This can be from a range of saddle issues such as too long and putting pressure over the loins or incorrect gullet width putting uneven pressure at the tree points. Another big red flag is horses that struggle going down hill. Honestly – get this checked out!!! If your horse shows any of these signs you more than likely will need a saddlefitter but in the meantime you may be able to help by riding with a riser or a pad. You need to work out why the problem is happening and not just assume that these solutions will fix all problems as in some cases they will make it worse. This is where it is essential you have a basic understanding of how a saddle should fit. If your saddle is fitting low in front, affecting the balance and also not giving enough wither clearance then a front riser may be a great temporary option. However, if it is sitting low behind due to being too tight for the horse, adding a pad will just make it tighter and hurt your horse more. Riders should always be present when saddle fitters work on their saddle so they understand what is being done. This is not only so the saddle fitter can see the horse and rider work in the saddle and fit the saddle dynamically (as opposed to just statically, when the horse is standing) but also as often saddle fitters will explain what may happen in the future as the horse changes shape. Build a good raport with your saddle fitter. Don’t chop and change. They get to know your horse, what he/she likes and how they change. This is all valuable information and is lost if you move from one fitter to another. If you have a good relationship with your fitter they are more likely to squeeze you in should a problem arise and you need their help. Hopefully you won’t but you just never know!
0 Comments
Oh No! I can hear you say!
Not something else to do before I ride! I will never find time! This check is not very onerous at all and will become second nature! A lot of it is about safety and all of it is to prevent your horse being uncomfortable and perhaps not working well or becoming sore. Every day when grooming your horse, you should check for any soreness. Does your horse react to the curry comb or brush? Are there any swellings, white hairs or rub marks anywhere on his/her saddle platform area? Look at your horse’s posture, not just when you have them tied up but how are they standing in the paddock when you go to bring them in. Are they square? Are their hindlegs out behind them or too far underneath them? Or perhaps their front legs are stretched out in front of them? All these pieces of information may alert you to something not being quite right before it is an actual problem. Stand back and look at their topline. Is it developing as you would like or are there areas that still need developing? Are there areas that have dropped off? Important areas are anywhere along the spine and particularly where the saddle sits. Atrophy (muscle wastage) in this area points to pressure and needs to be addressed ASAP. A good idea is to take a photo of your horse standing square monthly so you can notice any differences. Perhaps every pony club rally could be a good day or maybe the 1st of the month. Then when you go to put the saddle on your horse what is his/her behaviour like? Also when you do up the girth. If your horse shows any signs of being grumpy or uncomfortable this needs to be investigated and not ignored. When your saddle is on and before it is girthed up it is useful to check for rocking or bridging. If you place one hand on the pommel and one hand on the cantle and lightly press each alternatively there should not be any rocking of the saddle. It should stay stable. Then slide a flat hand underneath the panel from front to back by coming underneath the flap. It should make even contact the whole way along and not just contact at the front near the shoulders and then at the back which would indicate bridging. Once girthed up, the saddle should be balanced so the deepest part of the saddle is in the middle. This is important as if it is not, you will be fighting your balance the entire ride. If the deepest part is too far forward the rider will feel like they are continually tipping forward. This can happen quite quickly if the horse drops condition and may require a pad or riser until your fitter can revisit. If the deepest part is too far back the rider may sit in a chair seat and put too much pressure on the horse’s back. This can happen if the horse builds up and needs a wider gullet/saddle and if not addressed quickly will result in atrophy at the back of the saddle platform area, making the balance even worse. After riding, take your saddle and saddle blanket off in a way that you don’t affect the way the horse’s coat lies. It can tell us a lot about saddle stability. Look for any signs of ruffling or rubbing and make note of any excessive sweat or dry patches. Take a photo to show your fitter if you see any. Then when washing or brushing check for any soreness, both immediately after untacking and again when your horse has cooled off – perhaps when you change rugs. So all of the above actually only takes a few minutes, if that, and can make all the difference between a good ride and a disastrous one, not to mention being able to address a problem before it happens! What is actually inside your saddle and have you ever thought how each part affects the fit and comfort for both the horse and rider? The saddle is the interface between the horse and the rider and needs to suit both so that they are comfortable and able to communicate with each other. This is very important! A bean bag placed on the horse’s back could be comfortable for both horse and rider but would minimise a lot of the way the rider could communicate using his/her body, forcing them to rely more on peripheral and auxiliary aids such as hands/reins and whips. Much better is a saddle that evenly distributes the rider’s weight over areas of the horse’s body that can weight bear whilst completely avoiding contact with structures that should not have pressure. Most English saddles have a solid structure inside them called the saddle tree. This is like the skeleton of the saddle and is made of wood (either solid or laminated), polyurethane or plastic. The tree gives the saddle its shape. Some trees are flatter whereas others are more curvy. They will also vary in width and length and the rails will influence how the panels will lie. When you look closely at different saddle trees it is easy to see how essential it is that the actual tree suits the horse and that no amount of packing in the panels will make up for an incorrect tree choice. The tree material determines how flexible the saddle is and some horses prefer a flexible tree whereas others prefer a more solid tree. Saddles that have changeable gullets need a flexible tree to allow the huge range in gullet widths that may be inserted. This range just would not be possible with a wood tree. This is why wood trees with metal gullets that require pressing should only be pressed according to manufacturers’ instructions. Most of these will state that they should only be pressed in or out one size, 3-4 times throughout the saddles’ life. Something to think about if your horse is very young and you feel it is going to change a lot. Also remember that there is no industry standard requiring saddles to be stamped when adjusted so if you buy second hand you have no way of knowing if it has been done. Head plates may crack from metal fatigue if pressed too often or made to change shape too much. Gullets come in different shapes, widths and orientation. Some are more open at the head like an upside-down U whereas others are more like an upside-down V. Some gullets angle forwards and flare out, most are straight or vertically positioned and some angle backwards. Add to this the fact that they can all vary in length, there a lot of ways this area of the saddle can vary. Just as well when you consider how different horses can be in their conformation! Between the tree and the horse’s back there are the panels which may be filled with flocking (natural wool or synthetic), air or foam or a combination of all of these. They may or may not have a foam or felt lining to ensure a smooth surface for the horse’s back. No one type of flocking is better than the other. What matters is that the correct flocking is used to compliment the tree and the fit of the horse. A more flexible tree needs a firmer flocking whereas a more rigid tree is better with a type of flocking that is springier and softer. The panels will follow the contours of the rails of the tree of the saddle and these should match the shape of the horse's back from all dimensions. Often gussets will need to be added to saddles in front or behind to allow the saddles to be balanced properly. Whilst not strictly inside your saddle but certainly under the top flap are the girth points. These are so important to ensure your saddle stays where it is supposed to stay on your horse’s back. Different saddle brands have different girthing options. The furthermost front strap can only be as far forward as where the gullet of the saddle is. This is known as the point strap. For horses with very forward girth grooves this strap is a lifesaver! It helps to keep the saddle back off the horse’s shoulders but when used it needs to be balanced either with a balance strap or a self-adjusting running-Y back strap. Then between these two girth positions there may be 2 or 3 other options, depending on the saddle brand. All have their own use, depending on the horse being fitted. When you have your saddle fitted you need to make a note as to which straps your fitter recommends for your horse. It can make the world of difference to saddle stability and freedom of movement, not to mention safety as some horses get quite wild about saddles moving up over their shoulders! The parts of a saddle that all D* riders need to know are Girth Stirrups Pommel Stirrup leathers Seat Cantle Waist Gullet Stirrup Bar Sweat Flap Can you name these parts correctly? Most are labelled on the diagram, including some other parts that are useful to know such as Channel Panels Gussets Skirt D rings Nail heads Stirrup leather keepers Click here for a link to an unlabeled version of the above diagram which makes a great activity sheet for pony club and riding school camps. Other parts that we believe are also important for riders to know are Saddle tree (not visible unless the saddle is opened) The twist of the saddle which is the area between the rider's upper thighs and Boot or sweat guards (as these can become worn or may be added to saddles if they start to wear in the area when the rider's boots may rub on the bottom of the saddle flaps). And finally some concepts that are important for riders to understand are Gullet variations – shape, length, angle, position Different types of girth points – long or short, point or behind point, self adjusting, balance strap Tree shapes and materials Materials used to fill panels Stay tuned – we will be discussing these in detail in our next post/blog as well as at the talks at the VH Saddlery Pony Club WA State Dressage Championships. VH Saddlery is so proud to be the naming rights sponsor of this years Pony Club WA State Dressage Championships!
Not only will we be having a stand on the grounds for the duration of the event, including the VIP evening, we will be presenting a series of talks about everything you need to know about saddles! From the basics to detailed discussions about parts, materials and fit and what you as riders can do to ensure your saddles fit all the time. Learn about quick checks and temporary fixes you can do and gain the knowledge of when you absolutely need to have a saddle-fitter. Times will be posted on our Facebook page closer to the event. One of the main problems riders have with their saddles is keeping them stable on their horses’ backs. When you stop and think about it, it really is a big ask for something rigid to stay stable on something that moves in all directions, often with something on top that is also moving sometimes more than it should be!
Often saddle instability is very obvious to the rider but sometimes they just get an inkling that this could be an issue due to some of the signs their horse may be showing. Examples are
If you feel that your saddle is not stable, ask someone to watch you ride and/or take a video. It is great to work on a figure of 8 where you are changing direction going directly away from the person watching or videoing. Ride in walk, rising and sitting trot and canter on this figure of 8 pattern. This allows the horse and rider to be seen from the inside and outside of each circle as well as their change of direction from behind. Common problems are
Whilst not all of these problems can always be directly attributed to the saddle, many of then can be. Riders will need to work both with their coach and a saddle fitter to work out which are saddle related and also be aware that they can be very inter-related. Take the first issue. Saddle slip where the saddle moves up on to the horses shoulders. Yes – this absolutely can be due to poor saddle choice and fit such as -
Sideways saddle slip is also incredibly multifactorial. Studies have demonstrated that this is often due to a hindleg lameness in the horse. This makes sense as if one hindleg is not pushing as much as the other, the back muscles won’t be as developed as much on that side. Many riders will struggle to feel this and it may not be very apparent at all, but certainly enough to affect muscle development. What most riders are more aware of is asymmetric shoulders. Sometimes the shoulders are different but often it is the difference in the musculature behind the shoulder which makes one look more pronounced. All horses are asymmetrical as are riders so unless straightness is addressed on a daily basis , asymmetries can become worse and lead to unsoundness. Regular saddle fit is essential for these horses as the saddle panels will wear unevenly, compounding the problem over time. Asymmetrical riders will also cause a saddle to slip sideways and wear the panels differently. Riders may be crooked in that they may prefer to sit on one seat bone, so sit more to one side or may be twisted and have one seat bone further in front of the other. Rider awareness work is essential here, both on and off the horse. Extremely wide horses with little or no withers will always be more difficult to prevent sideways saddle slip, no matter how symmetrical horse and rider are. For any horse and especially these ones, it is essential that the tree of the saddle truly fits the horse’s back profile, not just the gullet and channel width but their shape when viewed from the side. This is the only way that minimal packing can be used and the saddle can be kept close to the horses back. Likewise the seat of the saddle needs to be relatively similar in shape to that of the horse’s back or else excessive packing will be required. Think about a very wide horse with a rider who needs a particularly narrow twist. There will need to be some distance between the horses back and the seat surface to allow both to be comfortable. The greater the distance the further the rider is away from the horse. This then accentuates any lateral tendency of the rider. An important sidenote here is that sometimes it is not just the packing within the panels that becomes uneven in saddles that slip sideways. If left unaddressed for too long the actual leather can stretch and the panel placement can be affected. This is a much bigger problem to address with your saddle needing to be sent away to a saddler. If buying a saddle second hand always ask your fitter to check this. Saddles that bounce are often too wide or have a tree that is the wrong shape for the horse. You will need to ask your saddle fitter to help you with this. If it is a saddle they have fitted to your horse before, they will often advise you of what you could do until they are able to get to see your horse. If they have not seen the saddle on your horse before then you shouldn’t continue to use it until you have professional help. Likewise for saddles that twist or wobble. This can happen due to a combination of the above where the saddle may have pushed forwards onto or abutting the shoulders. If one of the horse’s shoulders is bigger that the other, as it comes back to hit the displaced saddle, it diagonally swivels the saddle during that phase of the stride. Again – this is absolutely a saddle fitter job and no riding until seen. If the cause of your saddle instability is not primarily saddle related you should look at reasons how and why it happened. As mentioned earlier in this article, it is highly unlikely that any horse or rider is perfectly symmetrical, both in the way we move but also in our muscle development. Continual attention to straightness, groundwork, physio/bodywork, good hoof care and regular saddle fitting will help immensely and is our responsibility to our horses wellbeing, particularly before and during their ridden careers. We are super excited to announce that Discovery Saddles are now making custom-made saddles in addition to their standard range of saddles! This is fantastic news as so many horses just love the discovery saddle trees, some even going to the extreme of not working so well in anything else! Now their owners can have the saddle made exactly as they want, be it different from a fit/feel or cosmetic point of view.
This is the beautiful Discovery D-Lux Diego, made as a monoflap with a fixed knee roll, silver trim and a behind the point and running v-web strap. The twist and seat in this particular saddle were made slightly narrower as the rider was particularly petite. Many different options are available - more than you could imagine! So, if you absolutely love your Discovery saddle and want to bling it up a bit, maybe add some coloured trim, fancy leather, diamantes, turn it into a monoflap or change the flap length - now is your chance!!! We are super excited to welcome FCS - Fiona Cork Saddles to Australia!
People often ask how we select the companies we work with and which saddles we choose to bring into Australia. Lots goes into the decision, not only the obvious such as the quality, design and fit of the saddles, from the tree upwards, but also the research team behind the company and the history of the company itself. The story behind FCS is not dissimilar to that of VH Saddlery! Fiona Cork, like Victoria Hamilton, has been a very successful competitive rider and it was her understanding of her horses' needs that drove her to develop FCS and become a saddler. Fiona's background is in showing - especially natives which is great news for all the riders in Australia of these wonderful breeds. Her saddles are beautiful, comfortable and she is incredibly passionate about every single one of them. FCS is a small, family run saddle-making business based in Shropshire, UK. Saddle maker Fiona Cork comes from a showing background where she specialised in showing natives and from this developed an incredible understanding of the needs for these types of horses and ponies and some of the common issues encountered by riders when buying tack for them. Through her endeavours to design the perfect saddles for these horses she met her partner, Richard Belton who was a member of the Albion design team for over15 years. Richard brings a wealth of experience from the design and engineering sector and is regularly working on new tree moulds for their ever increasing range of saddles. All of the beautiful FCS saddles are designed and made by themselves beginning with the tree. Each tree is tailored to the individual horse after a template is taken of their back shape. Stay tuned for posts on some of these beautiful saddles and to organise to test ride some that we have in stock now! |
AuthorDr Victoria Hamilton is an icon in the Western Australian Equestrian Community, with a wealth of experience as a veterinarian, coach, breeder and international dressage competitor. As one of Australia’s top dressage riders, her love of horses is contagious and apparent in everything she does. Archives
February 2024
CategoriesFollow Us |