Sympathetic & Holistic Saddle Fitting

At LM Saddles we take a rounded sympathetic and holistic approach to the ‘fitting’ of saddles.

These are some of the factors that we like to take into consideration when meeting a horse

What is the history of this horses
Does this horse have good muscle development?
Does this horse have any muscle wastage?
Is there room for improvement?
Is the horse’s posture good or compromised?
What health problems does this horse have?
What riding / training issues is this horse experiencing?
What behaviour problems does this horse exhibit?

All of the above can be influenced by the design and fit of a saddle.

Often, a horse will come to a new home with problems inherited from its past experiences. Where saddling is concerned, it is always possible that a horse will have been fitted in saddles that have never been truly comfortable from the first day that he or she was backed.

Where muscle wastage and posture problems exist, it is still a common practise for a new saddle to be fitted to the contours of the incorrect shape of the horses back. This can compound the problem and does not help the horse in the long term.

Some key points that we look for in every fitting are:

The saddle should be fitted to allow for the moving shape

The static shape of a horses back is not the same as the moving shape
The moving back, when lifting is wider across its span in the saddle area
The moving back, when lifting, is flatter from wither to croup

Once this is understood it is easy to see why a saddle fitted snugly to a static back has the ability to interfere with the bio-mechanically correct movement for a ridden horse by:

Lessening the horse’s ability to lift the back and so engage behind
Putting the horses on its forehand
Creating tension in the horse’s body
Causing physical problems
All of the above can then lead to emotional issues within the horse

Case Study - The effect of exercise on muscle

This wither tracing is an example of a group of horses that have been used in a dissertation to show the change in muscle bulk in the back of a horse when exercised.

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The experiment was carried out over three days:

Day 1 – Lunged on both reins with no saddle

Day 2 – Lunged on both reins wearing current saddle and numnah

Day 3 – Lunged on both reins wearing LM Saddle and Shim pad

Each exercise period was preceded by a back measurement of the static horse and the lifted back of the static horse. You can clearly see how after exercise with no saddle there is a small increase in the muscle, but not as much as when exercised in the wider fitting LM saddle and shim system. What shows very clearly is the compression of the back muscles when the horse is wearing its own saddle.

This perfectly illustrates how a horse with muscle atrophy will remain the same when its saddle is fitted to its existing shape, and how that muscle can develop and recover when a remedial fitting process is used.

Remedial Saddling

We accommodate the moving horse by selecting the saddle tree which mirrors the width of the horse’s wider lifted back, not the horse’s static or dropped back. The important point to understand when using this system is that it involves fitting the saddle in conjunction with a *shim wither pad, saddle pad, numnah or half-pad.

(Note: If you are unfamiliar with the term ‘shim’, it refers to shaped pieces of soft foam padding which are inserted into purpose made pads and numnahs that are designed with a row of shim pockets on each side) – View our Shim Systems.

This creates a soft but supportive interface between horse and its saddle. The shims can compress and allow room for the back to lift and widen. If the horse hollows or drops its back, the pad still cushions the back and shoulder area.

Shimming Systems

For many horses with well-developed backs, they may only use a slim shim just behind each shoulder under the widest part of the saddle, at the front.

When working with a horse who has muscle atrophy, muscle asymmetry and/or compromised posture we will take a remedial approach to the saddle fitting. This still means selecting a saddle tree width that more closely reflects the width/shape of the horse once its muscles are no longer wasted. It involves using extra layers of shims to support the saddle where most needed.

This will be where the horse’s muscle is lacking, where there is muscle asymmetry or where the posture of the back is dropped. The extra shims form a yielding but more supportive layer between the back of the horse and the saddle. The number of shim layers used can be increased or decreased as the horse and saddle require*.

(*It is important that the saddle remains balanced front to back with the lowest, flattest point of the seat being in the middle).

We will advise on this in detail once we have established the needs of the individual requirements of each horse and rider.

To view our full range of shim pads and accessories visit our Tack Locker Shop.

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Remedial

In remedial fitting the extra layers of shims are used as a means to an end. As the back profile and musculature of the horse improves, the shims can be reduced accordingly.

NOTE. The aim is not to try and remove all of the shims! As described above, we (and most horses) would like the saddle always to be a little wider than the static back; hence we would expect the front of the saddle to remain shimmed even when the horses is more developed.

At the end of a fitting our check list is:

The saddle should be correctly balanced front to back
The shoulder should be clear of restriction
The saddle should be stable on the back and not bounce or rock
The length should be correct for horse and rider
The rider should be placed in a well-balanced position
The style of the saddle should be appropriate for the rider’s requirements

It is important that these points are monitored and maintained as the horse’s shape starts changing. It is something that we talk through with owners & riders who care for, work with and saddle the horse on a daily basis.