Kay Hastilow Master Saddler: Learn Saddle Fitting

Showing posts with label Learn Saddle Fitting. Show all posts

Monday, 8 April 2024

Every Young Horse's First Saddle MUST Always Fit Correctly

“I’m not going to get my young horse’s saddle fitted yet as he will change shape so quickly.”

Add to this “ I need an old saddle to back my youngster. Doesn’t matter what.”

I have been asked many times to provide the latter and regularly hear the former statement ......

confirms author Kay Hastilow, Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter (pictured above).

HONESTLY?

The most important saddle that you ever put on your horse’s back is the first one – this will tell him from the start that; ‘this is nothing to be frightened of. It won’t hurt you’ or ‘this may well hurt but you are just going to have to learn to cope with it.’ Surely, if we want and expect our horses to be biddable, have manners and, in the future give generously of their spirit so that we can achieve our aims, then the least we can do is to start them in a comfortable saddle.

With the wide variety of adjustable saddles available these days you lessen the risk of the horse rapidly growing out of it one way or the other. Something like a Thorowgood T4 really isn’t very expensive, is pretty tough, is adjustable, comes in different tree shapes so that the saddle fitter can choose the correct one for your horse’s conformation, and they fit well. I have been told that a saddle to back a horse ‘doesn’t matter if the tree is broken as he might roll on it anyway.’

Now, I have backed a fair few horses in my time and have watched many others start horses and I have never yet seen a horse that has been started quietly and patiently do this. Horses with a problem that have come to be ‘sorted’ or ‘re- backed’ yes, but never one bought on quietly, and if that is the situation one might ask why he is like that. Don’t think that putting several pads under the saddle will make it okay. All this does is to make the saddle unstable and as one of the the hardest thing for a young horse is to learn to balance himself with you on top it won’t help if the saddle moves around on his back.

You see that I mentioned the saddle fitter there. Yes, even just to back the horse get the fitter in. Of course, they will not be able to see the horse ridden in it at this point, but they will be able to select the right tree shape and width fitting for you, plus carefully and gently place it on his back so that they can tell you which girth straps would be best to use. Many will also supply a bar one fitting wider and one narrower than they have fitted into the saddle. They will also show you how to check the bar width as he starts in ridden work. It is at that point that the fitter should return and check that everything is correct and that the saddle is comfortable, which should be done once he is walking around the school ridden. It is a check that doesn’t want to be delayed as so much can happen during this short time. Once the horse is working under saddle happily at trot on both reins, check again.

If you intend to keep him in work (many people back and ride away, then turn the horse away again for another few months), then get the saddle checked about every three to four months ideally, as changes will be considerable and rapid. If your fitter suggests sooner than this, they are expecting a lot of change in a short period of time and want to keep the horse right. Please listen to them – they have the interests of you and your horse in mind.

If you turn him away for a length of time after backing, then remember to get the saddle checked before starting him again. A lot can happen with a young horse in a few months.

Once your youngster is in regular work you may want to get a saddle that is more suited to your chosen path – more jumping orientated or more for flatwork. That’s fine but please stay with well-designed adjustable saddles, as few horses are really mature before the age of seven and some, especially warmbloods may well be nine or 10 before they finish growing. A nice, adjustable leather saddle will be just right for them through that time and, in all honesty is probably a good bet for the lifetime of your horse, as it is so much easier for your fitter to keep the fit spot on and you and your horse comfortable. It’s just good horsemanship.

Understanding more about saddles and saddle fitting has the potential to help you improve your horse's comfort, performance and also long-term soundness - and you can now do that whenever fits into your busy lifestyle.

With online learning and training credibly established as 'the new normal', Kay's highly acclaimed and informative 2-part video series continues to sell around the world since its launch in 2019. Aptly titled Saddle Fitting Know How - For Riders and Trainers, the two videos distil her 50 years of experience into over an hour of what is an unrivalled go-to resource for all Riders and Trainers interested in saddles and saddle fitting. They contain a wealth of information that will be of practical relevance to everyone serious about improving their riding, competing with more success or at a higher level and for those whose career is focused on training riders to develop their horses correctly.
Watch a brief trailer and buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow

If you are working as a saddle fitter or in training for a career in saddle fitting, Kay's 8-part video series titled Fitting Saddles: The Essential Guide will support your learning and help you develop a more in-depth knowledge of the subject and include invaluable insights into running a successful business as an SMS qualified saddle fitter.

Watch a trailer and invest in one or more of the series that together form a definitive resource to enhance your understanding of saddles and saddle fitting.
Buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fittingsaddles

Friday, 24 February 2023

Can Groundwork Replace Early Ridden Fitness to Save Saddle Fitting Costs?

Sharing expert knowledge helps everyone, emphasises Fellow of the Society of Master Saddlers, Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter Kay Hastilow, hence I thought it would be interesting to discuss a recent question in more detail, as it is both seasonal, and in these days of rising costs in every area of life, topical too….

Question - ‘Can I do just groundwork with my horse to start him back into work, so that I don’t have to have my saddle fitted now, and then re-fitted again quite quickly once he starts to gain fitness? It would be helpful to avoid the costs of two fittings if it is a sensible option.

Kay replies - I must say I was impressed that the enquirer had realised the horse’s saddle would be unlikely to fit when first starting back into work, and also that there would be sufficient changes to his shape to necessitate a second fitting in a relatively short timeframe. It seems that there is a much greater understanding of the importance of correctly fitting saddlery to the horse’s soundness and wellbeing and nowadays, for which we must all be grateful, as it is definitely a positive scenario.

If a horse has been out or work, the first thing to ask is why? Was it because of injury or lack of time / opportunity to ride? The answer to the former will be different to the latter, as correct and effective rehabilitation for an injury often requires the horse to be ridden. If this is the case, then it is imperative that the saddle is checked before the horse is ridden, which will include the saddle fitter checking that the saddle will stay straight and be balanced, as injuries often alter the horse’s way of going and can send a saddle over to one side. I expect that rehabilitation work will have included walking out in hand, but perhaps, if the saddle fit doesn’t look ‘too far out’, sit on for a couple of minutes before the saddler’s visit, just for safety. If the saddle does move when the saddle fitter sees it ridden in, steps must be taken to keep the saddle straight as the horse works, or there may well be further damage caused. Its also well worth noting that in most cases of injury rehabilitation, lungeing can be harmful because of the forces exerted on the leg, muscles or joint when working on a circle on a manmade surface, which might not be ideal in depth or consistency.

Should the break just be that the horse was turned away for convenience, so just purely unfit, it might be possible to do some preliminary work on the lunge and on long reins, provided you have a safe and secure area to do this. If using a roller, with or without attachments such as side reins, I suggest that you read Russell McKechnie-Guire & Mark Fisher’s research on pressures from rollers, which I shared recently. It makes you think - and no, just putting a pad under it doesn’t solve the problem.

It will be necessary to start to ride sooner rather than later though, as although you are getting the horse fitter, his back is not being prepared by groundwork to carry the saddle for any length of time. I am not talking about top line and shape, but the actual physical ability of the skin and coat to accommodate the normal wear and tear from saddle movement. Even with the very best fitting saddle there is always some movement side to side, and possibly a little back to front, as you are strapping a rigid item onto a moving surface. The skin needs to be prepared as much as the rest of the body. Also, the horse will almost certainly move differently when ridden, so the all the different muscles, ligaments, tendons and other tissues used to support this ridden shape need to be prepared and strengthened as well.

So, would this approach of groundwork to gain fitness be sensible? Possibly, in the short term, but my feeling is that, beyond a couple of weeks the horse really needs to be ridden – and unfortunately, this will lead to the need for the saddle fitter to call a couple of times during the period of increasing fitness, to get the saddle fit established. The risks of taking the alternative route could lead to the horse being injured and unrideable for a while. Just what we don’t want.

Like many riders and trainers, you've probably thought at some point that understanding more about saddles and saddle fitting would have the potential to help you improve your horse's comfort, performance and also long-term soundness - and not only are you right, you can now do that online, whenever and wherever fits into your busy lifestyle.

With online learning and training now much more familiar to us all, Kay's highly acclaimed and informative 2-part video series continues to sell around the world since its launch in 2019. Aptly titled Saddle Fitting Know How - For Riders and Trainers, the two videos distil her 50 years of experience into over an hour of what is an unrivalled go-to resource for all Riders and Trainers interested in saddles and saddle fitting. They contain a wealth of information that will be of practical relevance to everyone serious about improving their riding, competing with more success or at a higher level and for those whose career is focused on training riders to develop their horses correctly.
Watch a brief trailer and buy securely online for unlimited streaming or downloading to your device at
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/saddlefittingknowhow

Friday, 4 June 2021

Busting Myths 20 - My Horse Has A Short Back But I Am A Big Rider ...

There are many myths that have been going around with regards to saddlery and the use thereof. In this series of posts, I endeavour to show most of them are without foundations and can, in some cases, be the opposite of the actual facts.

Pictured right is author Kay Hastilow, Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter.

'My horse has a short back and despite me being 5'8" and 11½ stone I am told that I MUST ride in a 16" saddle as that is all that he can take. Can this be right?

Edited image to illustrate the issue.

It is a fact that, at the same time as our riding population is becoming taller and heavier, horses are being bred with ever shorter backs. Whilst we know that a short back is stronger than a long back and considered good conformation, there is a limit to all things. Would a horse with just 6” (15cm) between the leading edge of the scapula and the last rib / T18 be considered to have good conformation? Would it be of any use to anyone? I think not, but here we are with these short backed horses and their tall, well-padded riders.

What then is the solution to this? To my mind having a saddle far too small for the rider doesn’t help us at all. Our rider mentioned in the question would be most comfortable in an 18” saddle, 17 ½ at the very least, so to put them in a 16”, as is so often insisted on by various no doubt well-meaning people is a recipe for disaster. For a start the rider will be so uncomfortable that they will be constantly moving in the saddle trying to find a place to sit. They won’t manage it – it really isn’t possible. The constantly moving rider is changing their balance every time and the horse will have to try to rebalance the rider and themselves. That’s very tiring and certainly not going to help their concentration and so this will limit their ability to work as you would wish. Not only this, but the rider’s weight, the downward pressures and upward forces will all be concentrated in a very small area making it nigh on impossible to distribute these pressures and forces as is necessary to prevent damage to the horse’s back. Now that CAN cause a ‘sore back’!

Another solution sometimes used is to fit a shorter panel to a larger tree. Very clever. Now the rider’s weight is concentrated exactly where the panel ends. Well, I suppose at least the rider is more comfortable….

Often these shorter saddles are recommended by some form of paraprofessional, qualified or possibly not, in the massage / physio/ chiropractor / ‘back man’ field. They will have found an area of tightness and discomfort in, say the lumbar area and the saddle immediately gets the blame. Whilst of course the saddle should be checked for fit (by an SMS qualified saddle fitter ideally) it is often the case that discomfort in the back is a symptom of a hind limb lameness or ulcers and nothing to do with the saddle. It’s just too easy for some of these people to scream ‘SADDLE!’ having the belief, incorrect I believe, that saddles are usually the culprit. In an ideal world a practitioner such as those mentioned will work with qualified saddle fitters so that the knowledge that each has can be shared to the benefit of both horse and rider. It happens occasionally but perhaps not as often as we would wish.

I have two problems with the suggested ‘solutions’. One is that some people take T18 as the point at which the panel of the saddle must end, whereas the actual bearing area of the tree is forward of this point. Beyond the tree the pressures are much reduced through the panel as, with no tree to support the panel it will fold away from the horse’s back to some extent. Also, I have yet to see any proof (or evidence) that having a saddle an inch longer than perfect is going to cause any harm to the horse, and it is certainly preferable to having the rider squashed into a saddle that is too small for them.

The second problem that I have with fitting such small saddles is that so often the saddles are just fitted static, and then condemned as being ‘too long for this horse.’ Often they are not even girthed up, let alone ridden in, and yet we know that when the horse is dynamic the area available for the saddle increases. No, the back itself doesn’t lengthen- if you have ever tried to pull two thoracic vertebrae apart on a fresh cadaver you will know that this is nigh on impossible. However, if you just bring the horse’s head down from standing position to that more adopted for work ( a titbit or some food will achieve this) you will note that the saddle area is increased. Could this be the spinus processes opening? I don’t know, but this increase can and has been measured, showing between 1 ½ (3.5cm) and 2” (5cm) increase in length from the edge of the scapula to the last rib. That is a huge amount and would, of course allow our tall, well-built rider to have their 17.5 or 18” saddle.

This is easy to prove for yourself. Mark the edge of the scapula and the last rib (use Tippex or insulating tape), measure, then get the horse to change his head position as suggested. Re-measure. Likewise, put the saddle on. Photograph where the saddle sits then work the horse. Film with the zoom lens so that you just are filming the shoulders to quarters of the horse. You will see that the back marker, possibly concealed by the saddle when static is now clearly visible behind the saddle. Before being talked into buying the tiny saddle please try this for yourself. I think both you and your horse will be grateful that you did so.