EQUINE INSPIRED S APPROACH TO THE DESIGN AND FITTING OF OUR DRESSAGE SADDLE

Transcription

1 EQUINE INSPIRED S APPROACH TO THE DESIGN AND FITTING OF OUR DRESSAGE SADDLE DESCRIBING HOW WE DESIGNED THE SADDLE FOR THE ANATOMY OF HORSE AND RIDER FOR MORE INFORMATION CHECK OUT OUR WEB SITE: 1

2 INTRODUCTION For as long as I have been in the saddle design business, my focus has been on two concerns; how I could change the shape of the saddle to achieve an optimum position for the rider to communicate their aids, and give the horse the ability to move with the least amount of resistance from saddle and rider. The complexity of that goal has often times been a frustrating journey. Not only did I have to learn the name and purpose of every muscle, ligament, tendon, and bone structure of the horse, but also the complex physiological idiosyncrasies of the female rider. I can t blame the saddle industry or their component suppliers for their reluctance to the changes I required to achieve my goal, but once we came to a mutual understanding of what I not only required, but demanded, did the final product materialize, and my goal was achieved. If you have received this booklet it is for one of two reasons; for the advanced rider this booklet will describe the edge our saddles can give you, or for the novice or intermediate rider, which this book was basically written for, this booklet will hopefully educate you on how we design saddles for any rider to achieve a position that will allow them to ride in their balanced aerobic frame, and give their horse the ability to move with the least amount of resistance of saddle and rider. If you look at the physical build of the world s best dressage riders, you will see that they have similar body types, whether they are men or women; tall, equal disparity of their upper-to-lower leg length, balance in a posterior frame, have a short pelvis with narrowly placed sitting bones, and most often are left brain thinkers (analytical). These fortunate riders are often heard saying, I can ride in any saddle, which they should be able to. On the other hand, we have women with an atypical assortment of physical muscular/skeletal traits, with each one representing a different challenge when trying to ride in the discipline of dressage. To add to that complexity, the trainers that they seek to help with their ineffective position and inability to communicate their aids, have seldom experienced what those clients are going through, and instead of providing guidance for the cause, they try to manipulate the result in other words, ride like me. SADDLE ISSUES FOR THE UPPER-LEVEL DRESSAGE RIDER I ll keep this short, because usually these riders have a pretty good idea what they need, or unfortunately are sponsored by a saddlery that forces them to ride in that manufacture s saddle. However, if they are looking for that edge or need that extra 3% on their scores, then they will need the following alterations/modifications which are never considered by any other saddlery, because it is very cost prohibitive. 2

3 The above pictures are of the same horse and rider taken within one year. In the picture to the left, is a saddle that did not allow this rider to sit in her aerobic frame (chair seat). The result of that position, made her horse hollow its back, work out behind, and had a difficult time with a clean pirouette. The saddle to the right, allowed this rider to use her core strength, which resulted in lightness in the bridle, and a more animated gait. The tree of the saddle has to reflect the aerobic frame of their horse this may mean that for some horses that use so much back in the collected gaits, the tree has to allow the horse to use that cat like movement, The horse dictates the shape of the tree, not the saddle dictating the shape of the horse. The vertical panels have to allow the follow-through of the fore limbs, or the horse will overly develop the triceps and deltoids. This eventual vertical movement can cause further complications by tearing the serratus ventralis muscle group under the scapulas, which in turn will cause deep shoulder holes and a loss of muscling of the latissimus dorsi in other words, a lack of forward. The panels in the pommel have to be positioned so that the saddle is not sitting on the sensitive thoracic trapezes, a muscle of submission. Again, this will not only effect the forwardness of the horse, but will cause the horse to hollow their back, create tension in the pole, and force the horse to work out behind again, cost prohibitive because of the need for a special tree/gullet plate. The seat of the saddle has to reflect the rider s ischial contact in the saddle. The axis of the pelvis, which is covered later in this booklet, is not something upper-level riders are willing to change; what got them to ride at this level is what they will continue to do. In the picture, lower left, this rider has somehow managed to make this horse go with a position that looks very awkward in a long frame, whereas the rider to the right is riding in her natural aerobic frame, allowing her horse to move in a short frame. 3

4 HOW DO MOST PEOPLE CHOOSE A SADDLE FOR THEIR HORSE I still see many riders only look for two issues when purchasing a saddle; the comfort when sitting in the saddle, and the correct width of the tree for the horse. However, the complexity of the position of the rider with those diverse physical traits, have absolutely nothing to do with that fundamental mindset. It is the position of the rider representing live weight to their horse, and the saddle that allows the horse to move in their natural biomechanical frame, are what not only allows the rider to become an effective upper-level competitor, but also allow their horse to build the correct musculature for this physicallyy demanding movements required for the discipline of dressage. The ability for a rider to sit in their aerobic frame is dictated on how that saddle is designed for the frame of that particular rider. In no other sport, is the equipment used to participate in that sport, determined by another individual as is often the case by the recommendation of a trainer, or the influence of a famous rider that they aspire to be. As an example: I have a client that is a World Class bicyclist. Every measurement of her body has a reflection on how her bicycle was made; length of femur, length of humerus versus ulna/radius etc. Even the disparity of the length of her legs, which is 7mm s, had a reflection on the disparity of the thickness of her pedals how did this affect her competiveness? On a 20 km time trail in 2009, before her custom-made bike, she was 32 seconds off her time in that same race in 2010, on her custom-built; more importantly it was a difference of finishing in 22nd place in 2009, to a 2nd place finish in WHAT SHOULD A RIDER ACTUALLY BE LOOKING FOR WHEN CHOOSING A SADDLE FOR THEIR HORSE? When checking for the placement of the saddle on a horse s back, the saddle should sit right up against the shoulder if it is set back 1 or 2 inches as some fitters suggest, it will end up against the shoulders anyway Newton s Law of motion. Normally speaking the saddle should sit between the 8th and 18th thoracic vertebras. That would make the center of the saddle thoracic vertebra 13. Of course an Arab influence will move that forward. Again, the same green arrow, as in the previous sketch, is indicating the center of the saddle (T- 13); this woman rider is exhibiting exactly how a dressage horse should move. The front and hind quarters are working in harmony (indicated by right fore and left hind on the same red line). Both horse and rider are relaxed and other than the bridle sitting on the TMJ, this is what every saddlery should be working on to build saddles to fit both horse and rider. 4

5 The picture to the left, is a poorly designed dressage tree, that would place the weight of the rider in a chair seat, in the back of the saddle (red arrow), instead of the center of the saddle (green arrow), here the weight of the rider would not only make this horse back sore, but would force the horse to work out behind, or what I call the long frame. Here we would also have hock issues, suspensory problems and on and on However, this is not the fault of the rider, but the saddle s design which places that rider in a compensating frame. In the picture to the left is an example of behind the motion the sloucher. This position is caused by saddle design, or how a rider would be forced to sit in a saddle using the tree on the above picture. Although this is a dressage rider, she is having a difficult time achieving the preferred shoulder-hip- heel position, as with the rider on the previous page. So with that inability to ride in her aerobic frame, she is forced to place her weight, as indicated by the blue line, into her horse s lower back the resultant position makes the horse hollow his back, work out behind and is struggling to even get off the ground. The other form of behind the motion is how another rider has learned to ride by hanging on to her horse s mouth - the water skier. Here the rider is sitting back against the cantle. Although this appears to be a talented horse, this rider s cantilevered position eventually will cause wear and tear on the sacrum, stifles, and hocks. The excessive tension being placed on the reins making a false on the bit, is evident by the uneven muscling of the splenius, rhomboid, and cervical trapezes muscle groups that knotty mess plus the tight brachiocephalic muscle (neck s under-muscle) tell me this horse isn t comfortable. 5

6 When a horse is being ridden in a saddle that doesn t allow the rider to use their core strength, as in this case, the horse will often develop bracing and compensating musculature. For this horse, and a trait found in Arabs and Morgans, the neck s under-muscle, brachiocephalicus muscles have made this horse move like a lama. Not only is the frame of this horse going to have major stifle, hock, and sacrum issues, an impingement in the compromised back can result in kissing spine. Worse, these horses can becomee quite dangerous, and will do anything possible to get rid of the rider that is inflicting pain can you blame them? As an overview of behind the motion, in the sketch to the left is a horse that is being compromised by the rider sitting in the back of the saddle (red arrow) and unable to represent live weight to their horse the horse can t use their abdominal muscles, engage their hindquarters, and is forced to flatten their pelvis, and raise their neck. This will create bracing on the horse s under neck muscle ( brachiocephalic), an inability to strengthen their top- line, longissimus dorsi, force the horse to work out behind, and create a very sore unhappy horse. So with the design of our line of saddles, it was imperative that we place the rider as close to the shoulders as we could, which allows the horse to carry the rider in a position, (green arrow) in the saddle where they can use their core strength to represent live weight to their horse, which in turn, will allow their horse s correct back and abdominal muscles to develop. THE DESIGN OF THE SADDLE FOR THE POSITION OF THE FEMALE DRESSAGE RIDER This is where it becomes complicated; one can become quite proficient in determining if a saddle is fitting a horse correctly, but the ability to determine how it fits the rider is a different story. The sales of saddles are often driven by individuals who have become successful in their respective discipline. An example, is our nation s best dressage rider, Steffan Peters riding Ravel in a saddle manufactured by Custom Saddlery; the Steffan Peters Advantage. Althoughh this is a great saddle for Steffan and some fortunate riders built like Steffan, for most women, the position in that saddle would be detrimental to building the correct musculature of their horses - that ability to ride like me, unfortunately, is most often impossible. 6

7 SO WHAT TO LOOK FOR The horse will tell you the story; as shown in the top sketch of the previous page, the horse that stands in a static frame (cross-ties)top-line, most likely carrying the weight of the rider in the lower thoracic or even lumbar area of with a flattened pelvis, camped under, middle hollow, lacking a their back. The saddle may appear to fit the horse correctly, but often, the saddle is not allowing the rider to sit in the area of the horse s back that would allow the horse to carry the weight of the rider comfortably. So if the saddle appears to fit the horse correctly, then this is most likely a case where the saddle in not fitting the rider. If the horse is standing in cross-ties in a frame like the bottom sketch on the previous page, chances are that the saddle is fitting both horse and rider. THE EFFECT A RIDER S POSITION, CAN HAVE ON THE HEALTH OF THE HORSE Although a saddle may seem to fit a horse correctly, it doesn t mean that the saddle is allowing the rider a position that will allow their horse to work in their natural bio-mechanicc frame. The basics - What separates a woman's ability to ride effectively, compared to a man, is the structure of their child-bearing pelvis; wider and taller than their male counter-parts, their weight is distributed over an area, ischial tuberosity to pubis, called the ischium or plate. However, women from different genetic backgrounds will distribute their weight differently. For that reason, when we build a saddle for a woman, the seat of the saddle has to reflect that genetic disparity. The 3 illustrations above are depicting the different pelvis positions for women. The far left, is the northern European lineage pelvis, the center, is a woman with mid-european lineage, and the pelvis to the right, is the Mediterranean pelvis. The importance here, is that genetics has engineered these women to all be built with a different pelvis position - therefore, their aerobic frame, or a pelvis position where they can effectively use their core strength are all different, and each will require a different seat configuration...you are what you are. With a straight spine, as shown in the right sketch, whether it is a man or a fortunate woman built like a man, the center of their ischial tuberosities is slightly forward in their frame, or what we call a posterior balanced frame. However, for the woman, left sketch, the center is placed further back, which makes their weight bearing area in the seat of the saddle, further towards the cantle on their ischial tuberosities, or what we call an anterior balanced frame. 7

8 In addition to their difference of ischial contact within the seat of the saddle, is that those riders that are built like the sketch on the upper right, their pivot point, blue arrow, allows these riders to ride in a two part frame; or the area that they separates their upper to lower torsoo with the movement of the horse - their sitting bones. However, for women with an inward curvature of their spine, lordosis, they will have two pivot points that separate their upper and lower torso; the first is shown with the orange arrow, the most anterior vertebra of the lordotic spine, in this case L-3, the second, is the is shown by the blue arrow, ischial tuberosity, sitting bones. The complexity is a huge obstacle for a woman trying to ride in this 3 part frame; upper torso to L-3, L-3 to ischial tuberosities, ischial tuberosities to lower torso. It becomes harder to use their core strength, they will need to develop stronger oblique muscles for lateral balance, and with that constant activity at that L-2/ L-3 pivot point, they will experience more back pain than their male, and fortunate female counterparts with their straight backs which is further complicated, when those women are forced to sit in a chair seat. Some fortunate women seem to have the ability to get in any saddle, and ride as effortlessly as most men do, while other women find it very difficult to sit in a saddle at all - there are reasons for that. This natural straight build, is often times a genetic trait; usually associated with women with a Northern European lineage; Scandinavian, British Isles, and northern Germany, or coincidentally those regions that produce the best Olympic women dressage riders. Having excelled in their discipline, these naturally gifted women often become trainers. Unfortunately, it becomes hard for them to realize what a rider with a different frame than theirs, has to go through to just sit in a saddle, let alone ride effectively. Without regard to the unique challenges of their students physiques, unlike their own, their instructions will promote bodily compensations making riding all that more frustrating. It would be great, if women had the ability to ride like me, but honestly, no matter how many classes in yoga, palates, or time spent in the gym, most women cannot actually reconstruct their skeletal system, or change the muscular, tendon and ligament insertions, in their skeletal frame. In this frame, a rider has a genetically hyper-extended spine that causes her pelvis to tip forward. In order to ride in her natural frame, the rider often has to sit against the cantle of the saddle where the upward curve of the seat of the saddle, is more reflective of downward ischium position of their pelvis. This has a negative two-fold effect; first is that the rider will be placed in a chair seat, have no use of their core strength, slouch, their knees will go over the thigh-rolls, and lower leg willl go back of the girth for balance. For the horse, now forced to carry the weight of the rider on their lower thoracic and lumbar vertebras, will not be able to raise their back, will be forced to work out behind, and create tightness from poll to hocks, not to mention a lot of Vet bills for their horse, and chiropractor and massage sessions for the rider. 8

9 This takes a very special saddle that has to have a different tree and the seat webbed in such a way that the female rider with a lordotic spine, can sit naturally in the center of the saddle, and at the rising trot, where these riders often hit their pubic bone on the pommel, the stirrup bars have to be positioned for minimal pelvis travel in that gait. A trainer asking a student with a lordotic frame to ride like me, is asking for the impossible. If you walk, run, dance or do any aerobic exercise in a lordotic frame, why wouldn t you also want that same abdominal, back muscle interaction while riding a horse? Besides, by forcing a lordotic spine into an unnatural position is exposing the lumbar vertebra into possible herniated or ruptured discs. You are what you are... The above CAT scan is from a client I am currently working with from Spain. As in many cases, when a rider is having a difficult time sitting in a saddle comfortably and effectively communicating their aids, CAT scans, MRI s and X-rays are often exchanged. These X-rays are very beneficial for me to design a saddle to allow the rider to sit in their aerobic frame. [This is extremely important - As you can see, this woman has very strong abdominal muscles, and an extremely lordotic spine. However, if you notice the discs between her lumbar vertebras, that spacing is very even, which indicates this is her natural genetic build. On the other hand, if she lacked abdominal muscles, which forced her into a lordotic frame, this would mean the discs would be wedged shaped, and prone to herniated discs. If the saddle the rider is using, does not allow her to sit in her natural aerobic frame, or a trainer doesn't like the look of this sometimes awkward looking position, whereas they are instructed to sit back and straighten their spine, those same discs between the lumbar vertebras, would also become wedge shaped, and extremely prone to inward ruptures, usually between L-2 & L-3, L-3 & L4, or L4 & L-5. Unfortunately I see this very often and it is usually the reason a lot of women built like this, have to stop riding.] This woman came to me because she has a severe pain in her coccyx ((tailbone). As you can see by the outward protrusion of her coccyx, sitting against the cantle would push her coccyx inward, in this case creating an impingement, between L-5, and her sacrum. The red arrow is pointing to an area between L-5 and her sacrum, although it is not distinguishable on a CAT scan, on her MRI, that shows she has an inward herniated disc, which is very common with women in a lordotic frame, trying to ride with a straight spinal column another reason to ride within your frame, and not make any bodily compensation to ride like someone else. 9

10 What we are doing for this woman, is create the seat of the saddle to reflect her exaggerated tipped-pelvis, move the twist of the saddle forward, to accommodate her rotated femurs to allow her legs to hang straight, position the stirrup-bars, back to give her that natural shoulder- hip-heel position, which will prevent her from tightening her quadriceps. We will also web the seat laterally against the cantle whichh will prevent an upward transition of the saddle's seat, keeping her from making contact with her coccyx against the cantle when the horse is sitting down in the piaffe and passage. Saddle requirements for the female rider. To have a saddle fit a rider correctly, the seat of the saddle has to reflect the exact shape of the rider s ischium, to allow that rider a position that represents their natural aerobic frame; a frame where a rider will have the ability to ride in a relaxed position and have the correct interaction of their abdominal, back, and oblique muscle groups. In addition to the shape of the seat, a custom saddle for a woman also has to have the following: Correct seat size - thatt measurement is determined by the circumference of your pelvis - it has nothing to do with the length of your femur. Correct length of the flap - which is the distance from the top of your inseam (crotch), to the top of your show boots, minus 1 1/2. This will allow maximum amount of lower l leg on your horse s side, yet long enough where your boot won t get caught on the flap. Correct rotation of the flap and placement of the thigh roll - a complicated measurement that has to do with how the rider balances with their quadriceps - usually a side effect of women with lordosis that often have an anterior frame for balance, which causes over-developed quadriceps. Correct position of the stirrup bar. This crucial position, will allow a rider to sit in that much sought after shoulder-hip-heel position, but more importantly, keep the rider from sitting on their horse s lower thoracic vertebra and the lumbar region of their horses back. The depth of the seat has many contributing factors; it may be determined by the strength of the riders abdominal muscles, whether the rider is seeking a more secure seat due to a previous injury, or for a horse that is still green, or it can be a required for those riders that like a confined position, for communicating their aids at upper levels movements. In addition, there may be other alterations needed for the saddle for the rider that has experienced arthritic spurs on their ilium, have injured their coccyx, or have pulled or injured an array of muscles, tendons and ligaments found in the pelvis region. The goal of a Saddlery should not only be to make the rider sit comfortably, but also ride in their natural aerobic frame. 10

11 Riding in the Null. I don t have a better explanation for that term other than from my engineering background; it refers to a point of zero reference, or in the case of the carpenter's level, shown above, it is a point when the bubble is centered or balanced, it is called neutral. For riding a horse, it would indicate a position on the horse s back, where the energy is equal in front and back of that point, in this case the neutral ilium contact of the rider's pelvis. For an example: Have you ever experienced a sitting trot, where you feel like you are part of the horse; back is up, you are not bouncing, and your horse is moving without the aid of spurs, whip or a driving seat. It is if the energy in front of you, is equal to the energy behind you, and it becomes almost effortless for both horse and rider that is riding in the Null. A client of my son, Chris, explained to him when she rode in one of our saddles for the first time, It was like riding with wind in my face. A rider should be able to have a position where they shouldn t have to make one single compensation to maintain that position and have the ability to easily communicate their aids. The horse too, shouldn t have to make one single compensation to move in their natural biomechanical frame. So when those two conditions take place, as Chris client explains, You should feel the wind in your face. The driving seat, the long warm up to have the horse relax, the comments about slouching, thighs over the knee roll, chin up, heels down, and on and on, is not dressage, or it shouldn t be in the 21 st century. What you should take away from this explanation is that unless a saddle address the natural balanced position of the rider, and has the ability to allow your horse to move in their natural biomechanical frame, a compensation will occur; either from horse to rider, or rider to horse in most cases then, all the lessons in the world will only exacerbate those compensations. The individual Gold Medal Ride at the 2012 Summer Olympics showed us what dressage is all about. All those wonderful adjectives about suppleness, throughness, harmony, and a complete lack of manipulation, took place on that ride that was "Riding in the Null". 11

12 COMPARISONS TO OTHER SADDLES The best way to judge our product was to compare it to what accomplished riders find to be the best product, and then strive to make ours better...and that we did. This was not a simple application, due to the fact that a woman s aerobic frame varies by genetic traits, and horse s conformation differs from one breed to the next. Pure and simple, this design was achieved based on all the possible diverse conformations. Therefore, not only does our saddlery have the ability to make different configurations for the needs of the variable equine and human anatomy traits, but also allows our saddlers in the field, to make modifications to insure a perfect fit for horse and rider. We were aided by this design from other equine professionals; chiropractors, farriers, massage therapists, and veterinarians. Not only were we privy to x-rays, CAT scans, and thermal imagery through their studies of equine anatomy and lameness issues. Some of the examples are from left to right, (1) correct fit of saddle s panels, if i horse is not moving middle hollow (2) excessive bridging, and also full vertical panel contact causing interference with motion of triceps (3) the banana tree placing more weight on the sensitive thoracic trapezes, forcing the horse to move middle hollow (4) and the resultant kissing spine. The information from these thermal images is invaluable, but as an example, the image in slide (1), is supposedly a correctly fit saddle. However, if that horse is observed to be moving middle back hollow, it then becomes the full-panel contact of the saddle that is preventing the horse from using their abdominal muscles. Whereas the image in slide (2) is supposedly a saddle that is excessively bridging, but if the horse is observed to be ridden with too much contact, or manipulated into a false on-the-bit frame, then it is the rider that is creating the bridging. So as good as these images are, they are only as good as the knowledge of the operator and their understanding of the correct discipline of dressage. PANEL CONTACT ON OUR SADDLES A saddle s panel contact should be placed on the horses back on muscles of strength; latissimus dorsi, and longissimus dorsi, as shown by the green arrow. When the panels of the saddle are placed high into i the pommel, as shown by the red arrows on the picture to the left, the saddle s panels will also sit on the sensitive thoracic trapezes a muscle of submission, as shown by the blue arrow - this is the banana tree. 12

13 The analogy here would be what this mother cat is doing as she carries her kitten to make it more manageable to carry. The bite of the cat on thoracic trapezes cranial nerve 11, is placing this kitten into a fetal position the bite of the saddle can have the same effect on the horse by placing too much weight of the saddle and rider on the sensitive thoracic trapezes. By attaching the panels lower in the pommel and extending the length of the gullet plate, the weight of the rider is now only sitting on two muscles of strength; the latissimus, and longissimus dorsi. We design our line of saddles for the specific genetic traits often associated with the different breeds; thoroughbreds with higher withers with less trapezes, we set the panels higher, horses like the baroque and Frisian breeds with wider withers, we not only drop the panel contact, but also extend the length of the gullet plate to insure maximum weight distribution. This is what separates from all other saddlerys; because of the complexity of our tree and gullet plate, we can vary the placement of our panels to insure that the act of submission is never experienced. So to demonstrate how a kitten could be carried without being in submission, I have recruited our neighbor s pet raccoon named Bandit A horse that is being ridden where there isn't any weight of the saddle or the rider on their thoracic trapezes will not be in submission. The horse will also be a lot more forward with a freer open gait, which is required to open their humerus, thereby developing a stronger latissimus dorsi, an important stage in getting the horse off its fore-quarters, and the beginning stage of the horse having the ability to come under with the hind-quarters. 13

14 THE CHANNEL OF THE SADDLE (DISTANCE BETWEEN THE PANELS) It is hard to believe that today I am still finding saddles with channels as narrow as a quarter. Not only are these saddles sitting on the supraspineous ligaments, but even the skeletal processes of the horses. The result of the position of the rider makes it impossible for the horse to lift their backs, use their abdominal muscles, it forces the horse to work out-behind, and eventually become highspined and extremely back sore. The saddle to the right is how I designed our line of saddles; allowing maximum movement of the supraspineous ligaments, but also allowing the saddle to fit into the horse, instead of on top of the horse. PANEL CONTACT (POMMEL TO CANTLE) The saddle to the left is one of a number of saddles that don t have gusseted panels. Sorry, this is just plain idiotic - The argument here is that the trainer or Vet doesn t want the rider to sit on the horse s lower back. However, the amount of panel contact on the horse s back, as long as it is on the area of the thoracic vertebra, is for the rider s weight distribution. To keep the rider into the center of the saddle, should not be determined by the length of panels, but the ability of the rider to sit in the middle of the seat of the saddle. That is determined by the placement of the twist, and the stirrup-bar location, which will allow the rider to sit in their aerobic frame. Besides, for horses that are up-hill, it is almost impossible to balance a saddle without gusseted panels. 14

15 In the picture of the Hennig saddle to the left, the area between the two green lines allows more weight distribution over the horse s back. This not only equally distributes the rider s weight more evenly, but for those horses that are excessively uphill, which is indicative of a horse with a longer shoulder, the gusseted panels gives the saddle-fitter more area to correctly balance the position of the saddle from front to rear. When we measure a horse for a saddle, we take the approximate weight of the rider, the amount of back we have to work with, and adjust the panel contact so that we can maintain a weight distribution of 1.75 lbs. per sq. inches. As shown on the grid below, if we had to deal with not using the area between the right red line and green line on the top picture, we would lose approximately 30 square inches for weight distribution. In addition to using all available back to design a saddle for a horse, we sometimes even make the base of the saddle longer or shorter to assure that we can distribute that weight correctly. For an example, if a rider is petite, but rides a very large up-hill horse, we sometimes will put the base of an 18 saddle on a 16 ½ seat. This will prevent the saddle from sitting in a hole, which can occur on horses with longer backs. On the other hand, for a larger person that rides a horse with a shorter back, we have to make the panels wider, rather than longer for that weight distribution. 15

16 MODIFICATIONS FOR THE HIGH WITHERED HORSE The before and after pictures to the left was one of my projects that I have done with the Thoroughbred horse. Prone to having narrow withers, the placement of the saddle behind the scapulas, often times blocks the natural bio-mechanical movement of the shoulders without the ability to open their humerus, they pace, lose the development of the latissimus dorsi, start popping their shoulders, tear the serratus ventralis, and start a downward spiral of compensations that create a very lame horse And like so many thoroughbreds either off the track, or from Hunter/Jumper barns that wind up looking like this, end up at the auction and eventually go to slaughter. This is definitely a saddle design and/or fitting problem that can be solved we do this all the time. As you can see by the picture on the top, this horse has had a saddle that not only was sitting on top of the wither, but also digging into the shoulders. Here again, I have addressed this issue with David Kempsels s Flair air panels system. The picture on the bottom was the same horse six months later, on his way to eventually becoming an excellent dressage horse, living a very happy life. When I design a saddle for the Thoroughbred horse, or other horse breeds with narrow withers, I add a stronger gullet plate that will hold its integrity, due to the narrowness of the tree. The panel contact, blue arrows, does not sit on the sensitive thoracic trapezes. The special air panel, green area, only sits in the area of the panel, which has the deep shoulder hole, and can be adjusted for the lateral asymmetry. With little resistance from the saddle, these horses make remarkable changes not only to their wither musculature, but also the important top-line muscle group; longissimus dorsi. 16

17 MODIFICATIONS FOR THE WIDE-WITHERED HORSE With the popularity of the Baroque and Frisian horses, saddles for these breeds have become a huge problem. The inherent problem for these breeds is that they tend to lack reciprocal motion of the ilium; they naturally don t sit down like a Warmblood. The Frisian, with the disproportional shorter femur in reference to the ilium, indicative of a cart horse, is a genetic trait. However, the Baroque horse which often times prefers to go in a vertical frame; piaffe, passage, always seems to be in a bracing frame. The result on both of these breeds, is that they tend to develop more ilocostalis, and brachiocephalic muscles, which often makes their backs middle hollow, and gives their backs the appearance of a barrel, as shown in the picture above. Here I have designed a longer and stronger gullet plate which allows me to drop the panels even further than I do for the Warmbloods. In addition, I also make half-panels which will not interfere with the follow-through of the fore quarters, due to the presence of triceps in the Baroque horses, and occasional fat pockets on the Frisians. This ability to move with a follow-through on the fore also allows the hind-quarters to move the same; with natural ilium movement, comes the allimportant interaction of the longissimus dorsi, and abdominal muscles. The saddle on the left is the basic Walsall saddle, which could be any of 60 models made throughout the world. What we have done differently, is to install a longer and much stronger gullet plate, drop the panels, as seen in the right picture, and make the tree of the saddle be more reflective of how those horses are actually built. ; Or in this case, a channel 7 s wide, versus other saddlerys much narrower 4 1/2 wide channel, which places more weight of their saddles on the sensitive thoracic trapezes. 17

18 STIRRUP-BAR ADJUSTMENT: All of our saddles come with adjustable stirrup-bars allowing the rider to adjust for that perfect shoulder-hip-heel position. There are two types of adjustable stirrup-bars that we put on our saddle, depending on what tree we use. If you have a natural lordotic frame, you might find that you will need to adjust them farther back. If you have a straight back, you may want them moved forward. What I want to see, is a rider with a very relaxed thigh, and relaxed quadriceps and hip-flexors; this will keep the rider from riding off their knees, allowing the rider to sit into their horse, instead of on top of them. This position will give the rider that perfect shoulder-hip-heel position. There is not an exact science, so you may need to make some trial and error adjustments - this requires a flat blade screwdriver for the stirrup-bar shown above, or adjusting the wheel on the other model; both of these adjustments should be adjusted before the saddle is on the horse. Equine Inspired s saddles are ridden in by some of the best riders in the World. The saddle was designed for the horse to move with the least amount of resistance offered by both saddle and rider. The seat of the saddle, the rotation of the flap, depth of seat, placement of thigh rolls, are designed to allow the rider to sit in a relaxed vertical position, where the rider has an interactive use of their obliques, abdominals, and back muscles, which allows them to move with the horse. The placement of the stirrup-bars, will allow the woman rider to easily make contact with the inside of their calves, yet not have the ability to activate either their quadriceps or abductors, or a position where it is almost impossible to grip with her knees. Developing the Dressage Horse I know there are a lot of riders that rely on their trainer to develop the dressage horse. However, the trainer should be responsible for helping you learn the discipline of dressage; it is up to you to build the athlete capable of comfortably competing in the discipline. A correctly designed and fit saddle is only as good as the rider s knowledge and ability to ride in this complex discipline. As Americans, we don t have the patience to compete in this discipline as our Europeans counterparts; there, horses are long-lined into a powerful athletic frame before they 18

19 are backed, hours of a rider properly lounged to achieve the correct seat for strength, and balance, and a rider correctly versed on the health and upkeep of their horse do you know your horse s pulse and respiration in a static frame? Do you know the angles of your horse s feet? Do you keep up on your horse s health, or leave that up to the stable manager or trainer? All of these issues are your responsibility. For the junior and young riders that I work with, I not only educate them in those basics, but I also instruct them on the anatomy of the horse; not only to identify those correct and compensating muscle groups, but also what kind of exercises it takes to either strengthen the correct muscles, and atrophy the compensating muscles. In 2009, those young riders in my saddles, finished 1 st, 2 nd, and tied 3 rd. Developing the top-line The latissimus dorsi is connected to all of the thoracic vertebra, 18 in most horses, 17 with an Arab genetic trait, and inserted in the humerus, or the upper arm. The purpose of this muscle is to support the position of the humerus; the stronger the muscular development, the further up and back the humerus will be positioned. The correct muscular development of the latissimus dorsi is known as getting the horse off the fore. Because the humerus is connected to the scapula of the horse, the more vertical the humerus is located; the further back the position of the scapula will be (shown in green). The secondary value of the horse coming up in the wither, is when the latissimus is correctly muscled, the humerus correctly positioned, the wither up, the cannon bones of the horse will be perpendicular to the ground. When all that is not correct; lack of latissimus, flattening of the humerus, a more vertical placement of the scapula, the cannon bone will be camped under (shown in red). The importance here then becomes two fold; not only is the strength of the latissimus dorsi responsible for getting the horse off the fore, the straightness of the cannon bone, creates a natural position of the fetlock and hoof, allowing the coffin bone a position that will prevent hoof abnormalities such as navicular. Whereas horses that are encouraged to work off the fore, are often camped under, and suffer from those debilitating hoof issues. Another important issue for the development of the latissimus dorsi muscles, is that there is a direct correlation between what happens on the fore-quarter, is what is responsible for the muscular development of the major muscles of the hindquarter; gluteus, hamstring group, and quadriceps. As shown with the box in green, the angles are all equal to each other; humerus to scapula, humerus to femur, scapula, pelvis to scapula, and pelvis to femur, or what would be considered an up-hill horse in a short frame. The opposite is the box shown in red; collapsed on the humerus, and too vertical on the femur, flattened on the pelvis, and too vertical on the scapula, or a down-hill horse in a long frame. 19

20 The picture to the left is a left-sided horse. As you can see by the uneven musculature, the left-side is much more developed; gluteus, hamstrings, thoracic trapezes (wither muscle), and more importantly, the latissimus dorsi, and the longissimus dorsi muscle, which we will cover next. Because this horse has more musculature on the left latissimus dorsi that shoulder will be positioned further back than the weaker right side. This trait is often found in off the track thoroughbreds that need to be retrained to go straight. The symmetrical saddle sitting on this asymmetrical horse, will cause the rider to sit left, collapse their upper body to the right for balance, force the horse to brace on the left rein, which leads to one compensation, followed by many more. This soon becomes a cause and result issue for rider, trainer, and eventually chiropractor and veterinarian. Coming up in the wither. Dr. Deb Bennett came up with thatt expression a long time ago, to describe the development of a dressage horse. Although this is a basic change a horse goes through as it becomes stronger, it is very complex to explain and harder to understand, even by experienced trainers and veterinarians, Let's start by saying that you have a horse that was very comfortable riding bare-back. You would soon find that the most comfortable place to sit that horse, and a position the horse would put you on their back, would be very far forward or right behind the shoulders - the narrowest part of the back. Because there is not a saddle to resist the natural movement of the shoulders, the horse could almost be ridden in their natural frame. However, as the horse becomes stronger, the back muscles, longissimus and latissimus dorsi muscles would strengthen, or bulk up; development of the top-line. As this occurs, the latissimus dorsi, which is attached to all of the thoracic vertebra and connected to the humerus, would actually reposition the humerus to a more 20

21 vertical position. Because the shoulders are attached to the humerus, the shoulders will be drawn back and up, placing them in a narrower position of the wither. The stronger that muscle group becomes, the more vertical the humerus will be positioned, and the further back the shoulders will sit. So, instead of sitting on a nice comfortable round back, the wither will actually narrow and become almost boney and extremely difficult to sit. Example: Tom Noone, one of the better riders in the U.S., presently has a horse named Inky. About 3 years ago, I sold and fitted that horse a very wide tree saddle, As the months went by, that gelding became more athletic and narrower in the wither, so much now, that I have had to narrow the tree many times, and add air panels because that horse has actually developed deep shoulder holes. In other words, that horse has gone from needing a wide tree, to now requiring an extra narrow tree as he has developed into one of the best upper-level horses in the U.S. The saddles we make are equipped with a very strong gullet plates that have to be narrowed over time. In fact, I have never had to widen one of my saddles, which is a testament to Dr. Deb's saying, "coming up in the wither" - it just happens. Until one of our saddle-fitters can return to readjust the saddle, you may have to ride in either the now popular correction fleece pad, or some kind of a thicker gel pad to actually build the horse's wither up to fit the saddle. Over time, those adjustments will not be necessary as the horse settles into their upper-level frame. Another question I receive that has to do with the saddle being too wide and falling on the wither, is that when the horse starts to come up so radically in the wither, it develops deep shoulder holes. There are a few different scenarios here; first would be the genetic trait of the thoroughbred and a lot of Warmbloods that have that breed infused into their bloodlines. Secondly, is that our saddles are constructed in such a way, that most horses have an ability to move bio-mechanically correct. The ability of the horse to move their shoulders freer, almost instantly allows them to develop the latissimus dorsa, or lattes. As described above, that freedom rotates the placement of the shoulders back, or in a narrower portion of the wither. I have found, that once a horse has correctly developed their latissimus dorsi, the horse having the ability to come off the fore ; will start using more reciprocal action of the pelvis. With that closing of the pelvis, the undulation of the abdominal and longissimus dorsi begins to develop the strength of those muscle groups; the rule pertaining to the full range of motion required to build a muscle group. However, as simple as this explanation is, for most trainers, the development of that muscle group seems to be a dark deep secret. Longissimus dorsi muscle group The correct development of the longissimus dorsi is the key to allow the horse to comfortably carry the weight of the rider, and accomplish the upper-level movements of dressage. This muscle group is very easy to develop by either correctly using long-lines or the lunge, but unfortunately is seldom used by trainers in the States. Connected to all of the cervical vertebra, it runs the entire length of the thoracic back and inserted in the pelvis. Two energies have to take place in order for the full range of motion required to build the strength of this important muscle group; reciprocal movement of the pelvis, sitting down, When a wild horse is walking, without the interference of a rider, the head is bobbing with the rhythm of the gait and the pelvis is also dropping with each step. This basic motion is always stretching that muscle group from both directions. Along with that constant lengthening and shortening, the horse's abdominals also have to move in that same rhythmical motion. That interaction of those two major muscles groups, allows the horse to balance their weight equally on all fours, creates the correct cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal functions, and allows the horse total relaxation from poll to hocks; thoroughness. 21

22 However, in dressage, riders/trainers have this preoccupation of 'contact' or putting the horse 'on the bit'. That simple action of 'control' or manipulation, before the horse has the physical strength of the longissimus dorsa to carry the additional weight of the rider, completely stops half of the motion required from developing the horse's most important muscle group. Without that ability to bob their head with the motion of any gait, the horse has to start making physical compensations to carry the weight of the rider - development of the under-muscle of the neck or brachiocephalicus, intercostals, ilocostalis, and other additional muscles that a wild horse would never develop. In addition, without the strength of the longissimus dorsa, the rider is often forced to sit behind the motion; where the cantle of the saddle is lower than the pommel. This feeling of sitting in a hole, places the weight of the rider against the cantle of the saddle, which represents 'dead weight'. This position on the horse's lower thoracic vertebra area and lumbar, or the weakest part oft of the back, is responsible for pulling the ilium closed, which causes the pelvis to flatten, forces the horse to work out behind, and in turn stops the reciprocal action of the pelvis, required to build longissimus dorsa. It gets worse - for some strange reason, trainers feel the need to have their students do the sitting trot, which further forces the horse to hollow their backs, which can cause even more development of compensating muscles groups. This is where the veterinarian, chiropractor and massage therapists enters the picture - injection of hocks, stifles, lumbar, adiograms, x-rays, different shoeing requirements, popped splints, torn suspensories, bowed tendons and on and on... Once the horse has the strength of the longissimus dorsi and latissimus dorsi, the horse can be ridden with contact in a frame that allows the two energies to take place; reciprocal movement of the pelvis, and the correct flexion of the neck at the poll, without hyperextension. The picture to the right is what the perfect position of the rider, with a horse that has correctly developed the two top-line muscles; longissimus and latissimus dorsi. The result is a second level horse ridden in a snaffle that looks more like the frame of a Grand- Prix horse. 22

23 The sketch bottom left on the previous page, is a horse in a compensating frame; manipulation. The downward force of the rider in the lower back, is putting the horse in a position where it would almost be impossible to use their abdominal muscles, and develop the top-line of the horse. In addition, because of that downward force in the lower back, this horse's supraspineous ligaments would force this horse to draw the neck back as in a lama, brace on the lower neck muscles, brachiocephalicus, which would prevent the use of the abdominal muscles, in turn would prevent the development of the longissimus dorsa - it gets worse; with the back middle hollow, neck drawn back, the pelvis would also have to be drawn forward, as shown by the red line, forcing this horse to work out behind. The picture to the right is the resultant movement of a horse being ridden in the lower back, or behind the motion. THE BREAK-IN PERIOD Unlike Tack Shop saddles that use cushy foam, are meant to feel comfortable immediately, because that is usually the only criteria required for a large percent of novice riders. The problem with those saddles is that over months, especially the plastic tree saddles thatt foam breaks down and those same saddles that once were comfortable, can become just the opposite. Our signature line of saddles are made differently; we use a combination foam and EPDM rubber that at first gives the rider a feeling of sitting on top of the saddle, and may also feel like the saddle has a wide twist. After the delivery and initial fitting to your new saddle, you can expect some changes to your position and the muscular development to your horse. First of all, we have designed a saddle that will allow you to ride in your "aerobic frame" - that is where you will notice more strain on your abdominal muscles than riding with a tight back. This position will at first feel insecure. However, with time, instead of bracing between the cantle of saddle and the thigh blocks, you will need to balance on your ischium (seat bones). Eventually, this position will allow your leg to hang straight, release the tension of your quadriceps, prevent you from riding off your knees, and then lower your center of gravity. This will represent a much more secure seat than if you were to brace your frame and perch on top of the saddle. You will be able to move with your mount, instead of against it - more importantly, you will have a much better position for a "half-halt", and epresent relaxation to your mount. For your horse, your body position will be more forward, and with your now vertical frame, communication of your aids, will be a lot better received by your horse. The tree/gullet plate, were designed to make your horse move a lot freer in the shoulders. Your relaxed forward position, will also allow your horse to move off their abdominals, which in turn will help develop the major back 23

24 muscles, latissimus and longissimus dorsi. With these muscular developments, your horse can move much better in a shorter frame, by articulating their pelvis and in a better position to use a natural stifle-hock action, the complex hamstrings will also develop for the engaged frame necessary for upper-level dressage. IMPORTANT To understand the importance of our saddles, we unfortunately have to compare it to other brands, one of which you may have been riding in. I'm doing this because the position you may be accustomed to riding, will now be completely different. For those that presently have what I call the banana tree saddles; a saddle that either has a concave tree, or horizontal panels that attached high into the pommel; Amerigo, Antares, County, Spirig, Verhan, and other saddles that if you take an architectural ruler and place it along the horizontal panel of the saddle, it will have a shape like this: I guess those manufactures believe that because the horse's back looks like this in a static frame, they decided to make the shape of their saddles reflect that shape. However, if you watch a horse on long-lines on their collected gaits, or a horse playing in pasture, you will soon see that a horses' back can arch much higher than the wither. For that reason, I never make a saddle for a horse in a static frame, but in a frame that represents that particular horse's aerobic ability; that can range from a flat tree to a convex tree. What this means, is that in those banana tree saddles, those horses most often have been working middle-hollow or what I call a long-frame. These are the leg-movers instead of back movers. Ironically, there are a lot of horses ridden in this frame in the U.S., winning classes, and even representing us in World competitions... What you will experience, is a horse that will have to start building the correct musculature of the top-line. The ability to reach for the saddle will at first make the horse back sore as those important muscles build. Take it slow, an extended walk on a free rein, encouraging articulation of the pelvis, and bobbing of the head, will build a strong top-line. For those saddles that have their panels attached high into the panel, below; which is basically all saddles that have short gullet plates, the panels will sit directly on the sensitive thoracic trapezes (wither muscle). With our saddles you will immediately feel a more forward gait, an almost goose step, which the horse may have a difficult time maneuvering with the increased opening of the humerus. This may cause tripping. Here again, go at it slowly. 24

25 For those saddles that have forward stirrup-bar locations, which again is almost all brands, or for those trainers that have encourged you to ride with short leathers, this position is going to feel very insecure. Within a few hours or days, you will soon realize the importance of not being able to ride off your knees and have the ability to lower your center of gravity; so what once seemed to be secure sitting on top of the horse, will soon feel very insecure after having the ability to sit deep into the horse. However, with a position where a rider has had to tighten their quadriceps and abductors for position, once those muscles can't be used, your hip flexors are going to burn due to the release and lenghting of those two muscle groups. I have also had riders that don't seem to adapt, and forceably try to grip with their thighs thinking that they still have to ride in that bracing frame...relax, riding should be natrual, not something you have to constanly remind yourself to do. Then there is all those saddles with the thigh rolls that were designed to support the position of your thighs. Again another atempt by the saddle industry to resolve a problem; a failed cause and result? For those riders that have had problems with their legs going over the thigh rolls because they have long femurs, the industry just made larger thigh rolls. Albion's response is simply sell you a larger saddle. I could go into great lengths why some women's legs do this, and why some trainers even require their students to ride like this, but all I will accomplish, is something that will be arguemental. So lets just say, in our saddles you can ride in the correct size saddle, and never have to worry about making contact with the thigh rolls. Again, it will take a few rides to feel comfortable, but for those riders that had complained about that insecurity in the beginning, often are the same people that request the thigh rolls be removed later on. Breaking in the Saddle I know this may seem an odd request, but because of all the changes you and your horse are going to experience, break the saddle in at the walk...a lot of walk. This is a hard one for anyone trying the saddle because they are hoping that the gaits or the movements that they were having trouble with, will now magically be cured. However, not only will you have to be accustomed to a different position to sit, you may have to learn to rely on balance instead of bracing. This may also apply to your horse. However, I find that horses adapt much faster than some of the riders. The importance here is, that once you find a balanced position in the saddle, you will find yourself sitting into the horse, instead of on top of it - this simple fact is responsible for the rider that had previously been dumped when their horse spooked, will soon find that the deeper into the horse they sit, the more secure their seat will become. More importantly, is that by allowing your horse to walk in a lengthened gait, the resultant sway of the pelvis, the rise of the back, the tightening of the abdominals, and the head and neck moving with the rhythm of the gait, will put you as the rider in the correct position of the saddle. The importance here is that your ischium will actually rock back and forth with your horse s movement, causing the correct indentations in the EPDM rubber seat. 25

26 Otherwise, if you try to do a sitting trot for an example, not only will you feel like you are sitting on a bouncy rubber ball, but your frame will most likely put you behind the motion, creating a false indentation of your ischium in the seat of the saddle, making it difficult in future rides to be sitting in the correct vertical frame. Fortunately, this may take only a few rides before you feel that close, secure feeling, that allows you to feel every muscle of the horse, and have the ability to sit into your horse, instead of on top of it - this is what our saddles are known for. We recommend that once the saddle has been correctly fitted, allow your horse to walk freely on a long rein; you will find the horse will immediately be more forward, and be willing to drop their head. Within 15 minutes, you will find your ischium settling into the EPDM rubber and the twist will become narrower due to the pressure of your inner-thigh muscles. The longer you ride at the walk, the closer you are going to feel to your horse. Concentrate on the rhythm, asking for a bigger stride, think about the rise of the back, the sway of the hip and the bobbing of the head, or a frame of the horse walking with purpose. The longer your horse is willing to move at this gate, the better. What you should be looking for, is the activity of the passive hock, and less stiffness in the active hock. It is this gait that is building the correct muscles, and will not place any excessive tension on ligaments and tendons as they were intended. It is also the gait in which the rider is less likely to brace which can cause bracing and the development of compensating muscles. You may notice your horse tripping on the strong side fore, due to the fact that your horse is working in a more forward gait this is to be expected. Next try the rising trot. Again use as little contact as possible to get your horse to move as forward and open as possible. I have found that some horses that have been trapped in their shoulders, will appear to do a goose-step with the freedom of movement they are allowed with these saddles; don t correct them, they will get over that. For the first few rides, limit yourself to a minutes; although your horse will feel a lot more forward and balanced, you have to remember that your horse may not be in the condition to carry itself on the weaker hock, and tendons and ligaments may be stressed with the bigger movement they will now be capable of moving in. Extremely important until the saddle is broke in (usually 2-3 rides) don t do any sitting trot. This may be an odd request, but there are two things you will feel if you try before the seat of the saddle is formed for your ischial contact; the saddle will feel bouncy, due to the rubber not being correctly compressed, and your horse which has had the ability to have a nice open free gait at the walk, may feel insecure with you bouncing around on their back. BUILDING AN ATHLETE I have added this section, mainly because I know when a client gets one of our saddles, they often want to see exactly what their horse is capable of doing with all the freedom of motion you can expect. However, this is a new saddle, which needs to be broke-in, and conform itself not only to your ischial contact in the seat of the saddle, but allow the panels equal pressure on the back of the horse. I have found that the major reason that a rider hasn t progressed in the discipline of dressage is not only a correctly designed saddle for them and their horse, is that the horse isn t physically capable of affectively carrying the weight of the rider. When we talk about the building blocks to making a dressage horse, always described with those famous adjectives; relaxation, collection etc., it can be best described by using Dr. Deb Bennett s 3 stages; coming off the fore, up in the back, and coming under from behind. Interestingly, all three of those stages are developed with the strength of two opposing muscle groups; the longissimus dorsi (the top-line) with the interaction of the abdominal muscle group. 26

27 Developing the strength of the longissimus dorsi - First of all, the only way a muscle can build strength and bulk, is by using a full range of motion. In the left picture above, the red muscle group, longissimus dorsa, is showing where the placement of this muscle is inserted, and connected on the back of the horse. It runs from cervical vertebra 3, 4, & 5, along the back connecting to all thoracic vertebras, and then connects to the ilium, or pelvis. When a wild horse is walking, without the interference of a rider, the head is bobbing with the rhythm of the gait and the pelvis is also dropping with each step. This basic motion, moving with purpose is always stretching that muscle group from both directions. Along with that constant lengthening and shortening, the horse's abdominals also have to move in that same rhythmical motion. That interaction of those two major muscles groups, allows the horse to balance their weight equally on all forces, creates the correct cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal functions, and allows the horse total relaxation from poll to hocks; thoroughness. However, in the discipline of dressage, riders/trainers have this preoccupation of 'contact' or putting the horse 'on the bit'. That simple action of 'control' or manipulation, before the horse has the physical strength of the longissimus dorsi to carry the additional weight of the rider, completely stops half of the motion required from developing the horse's most important muscle group. Without that ability to bob their head with the motion of any gait, the horse has to start making physical compensations to carry the weight of the rider over-development of the under-muscle of the neck or brachiocephalicus, ilocostalis and other additional muscles that a wild horse would never develop. In addition, without the strength of the longissimus dorsi, the horse often has to hollow their back which forces the rider behind the motion. That feeling of sitting in a hole, places the weight of the rider against the cantle of the saddle, which represents 'dead weight'. This position on the horse's lower thoracic vertebra area and lumbar, or the weakest part oft of the back, is responsible for pulling the ilium closed, which causes the pelvis to flatten, which forces the horse to work out behind, and in turn stops the articulation action of the pelvis, required to build longissimus dorsi. It gets worse - for some strange reason, trainers feel the need to have their students do the sitting trot, which further forces the horse to hollow their backs, which will cause even more development of compensating muscles groups. This is where the veterinarian, chiropractor and massage therapists enters the picture - injection of hocks, stifles, lumbar, cervical, radiograms, x-rays, different shoeing requirements, popped splints, torn suspensory, bowed tendons and on and on... CHANGES YOU WILL ENCOUNTER WITH YOUR SADDLE. Often times our saddles are sold to advanced riders to get the "edge" - a more balanced piaffe/passage, easier changes, or just a better leg position. I often hear comments that refer to 27

28 "natural", "close to the horse", or other positive statements that allow them to immediately have a more comfortable position, and a horse that can move a lot freer. However, then there are the riders that have always been struggling with position, or have a horse that has been hard to correctly muscle. With those riders, the transition to our saddles will radically change your position, and often times allow your horse to move completely different. Those two positive conditions would seem to be a welcome change, but for a few people, there may be some problems. The following are some of the questions that I have heard, and my recommendations until the rider finds their balanced position, and/or the horse starts to muscle correctly. AFTER RIDING FOR A FEW WEEKS, WHY DOES THE SADDLE SEEM TO BE TOO WIDE? A couple of reasons: Hopefully you were able to ride in the saddle when it was delivered, so that some of the wool could compress, allowing us to re-flock it once more before we left. Secondly, and most importantly, your horse is going to make some radical muscular/skeletal changes. Coming up in the wither. Dr. Deb Bennett came up with that expression a long time ago, to describe the development of a dressage horse. Although this is a basic change a horse goes through as it becomes stronger, it is very complex to explain and harder to understand, even by experienced trainers and veterinarians, Let's start by saying that you have a horse that was very comfortable riding bare-back. You would soon find that the most comfortable place to sit that horse, and a position the horse would put you on their back, would be very far forward or right behind the shoulders - the narrowest part of the back. Because there is not a saddle to resist the natural movement of the shoulders, the horse could almost be ridden in their natural frame. However, as the horse became stronger, the back muscles, longissimus and latissimus dorsi, would strengthen, or bulk up - development of the top-line. As this occurs, the latissimus dorsi, which is attached to the entire thoracic vertebra and connected to the humerus, would actually reposition the humerus to a more vertical position. Because the shoulders are attached to the humerus, the shoulders will be drawn back and up, placing them in a narrower position of the wither. The stronger that muscle group becomes, the more vertical the humerus will be positioned, and the further back the shoulders will sit. So, instead of sitting on a nice comfortable round back, the wither will actually narrow and become almost boney and extremely difficult to sit. Example: Tom Noone, one of the better riders in the U.S., presently has a horse named Inky in training. About 6 years ago, I sold and fitted that horse a very wide tree saddle, As the months went by, that gelding became more athletic and narrower in the wither, so much now, that I have had to narrow the tree many times, and add air panels because that horse has actually developed deep shoulder holes. In other words, that horse has gone from needing a wide tree, to now requiring an extra narrow tree as he has developed into one of the best upper-level horses in the U.S. The saddles we sell are equipped with a very strong gullet plates that have to be narrowed over time. In fact, we have never had to widen one of our saddles, which is a testament to Dr. Deb's saying, "coming up in the wither" - it just happens. Until we can return to readjust the saddle, you may have to ride in either the now popular fleece pad, or some kind of a thicker gel pad to actually build the horse's wither up to fit the saddle. Over time, those adjustments will not be necessary as the horse settles into their upper-level frame. WHY DOES MY HORSE SEEM TO BE SORE? Let's start with an analogy. The mailman, who carries his bag over his left shoulder, if they even do that anymore, will eventually have compensating musculature and perhaps even scoliosis, as he has performs his duties. As time goes by, his frame will actually conform to that compensating posture. Now suppose later in life, he is told to push a cart instead of shouldering his mail bag - most likely, even though this position is more ergonomically correct, he will probably become very 28

29 sore. This also holds true for women who carry their children on one hip - When measuring women for a saddle, quite often I will see the position of the left side of their pelvis positioned outward and the right side of the pelvis turned to the left - this tells me that she was carrying her child on her left hip, while she went about doing her household chores - that lady would then be right-handed. This also tells me that most often their frame forces them to sit in the saddle to the left, collapse their upper body to the right. Depending on how much your horse has been forced to compensate in a bracing frame, will depend on how sore your horse will become having to work in the correct frame. Often times I find even supposedly upper-level horses that have developed so much compensating musculature of the brachiocephalicus, or under muscle of the neck, instead of using the top-line muscles of the longissimus dorsi, that when asked to use their abdominals in a movement like the pirouette, they simply can't get into a closed frame to accomplish that movement correctly. Also, we have adjusted your saddle to fit the asymmetry of your horse - by flocking the saddle opposite to the strength of your horse, allowing you to sit evenly in the saddle. In that case, the passive hock, which normally has not been in a position to work correctly, will now have to work and develop the needed musculature required for a "balanced" horse. In other words, you and even an experienced trainer at first may not see any noticeable improvement in your horse's gaits. However, once the horse becomes aware of your balanced position, and they feel the effects of a comfortable saddle, they will be able to use their abdominal muscles, articulate their pelvis, and develop a top line and cervical trapezes. The horse will also be able to move in a closed frame, thereby reducing the wear and tear on the stifles and hocks, and develop a lot more animation in the vertical frame. In working with a lot of accomplished upper-level riders, I often see tremendously muscular horses (athletes) that don't require veterinarian or chiropractic care, such as injecting hocks, or making skeletal adjustments due to a horse made to work in a compensating frame. This is not to say I don't believe those services are necessary, but I do know from experience, that when a horse is ridden in a relaxed frame, asked to work within their physical capabilities, they will develop a strong correct frame in a shorter period of time, than if they were pushed beyond their physical limitations. In short, at first you may want to work for a shorter period of time, ask less, work in a 20 meter circle and allow both you and your horse to become connected - that is when your center of gravity lowers to your horse's higher center of gravity - connection, that is when you and your horse move in unison, instead of fighting each other. Example - Molly Tatum, FEI rider Florida, was having trouble getting her 15 single tempes. With a saddle that allowed her to ride in a relaxed position, her horse almost immediately started to correctly muscle, and within a few days, the horse started doing 15's with little effort. WHY DOES THE SADDLE SEEM TO BE FALLING TO ONE SIDE? If that hadn't happened to your old saddle, it is now because the horse is moving more under themselves, with their hind legs. When I adjusted your saddle, I accounted for your horse's asymmetrical build, forcing you to sit more centered. This can be a "good thing/bad thing", in that with more active, balanced hind-quarters, the energy should be somewhat even right to left, and left to right, instead of you always sitting on one side of the saddle. However, even if I have made you sit centered, the horse is still going to be stronger on one side, and have less movement on the weaker side. Until the weaker side gains the strength to match the stronger side, you still have that sensation of falling into the weaker side of the horse. This uneven fish-tailing can be very discouraging, but as time goes by, will actually force you to place more weight on the weaker side and develop more musculature there. As that musculature develops, the saddle will need to be readjusted to take care of the different asymmetries during that transition. For a short-time fix, there are a number of saddle pads that have filler wedges to build up the weaker side of the saddle temporarily, until I can return to make that adjustment. Good news, this is usually a short time problem, and can almost always be corrected with one adjustment. 29

30 WHY DOES THE SADDLE FEEL BOUNCY? The seat of our saddles, have a 5/8 thickness of EPDM rubber that does not have a memory. At first it will be completely different from a saddle you may sit in at a tack shop - I have done this for two reasons; first, after taking a lot of saddles apart, I have found that women have a tendency to make a lot of contact with their ischial tuberosities, or sitting bones. After time, those indentions make their way through that once soft foam seat into the tree of the saddle making a once comfortable saddle, very uncomfortable. The second reason I use EPDM rubber instead of foam, is that pressure from your ischium is responsible for creating the depth and comfort of the seat of the saddle, and the pressure from your inner thighs creates the narrowness of the twist of the saddle - this process can take anywhere from 4-6 rides. This not only allows comfort for the rider now, but for many years to come. WHY DO I ACHE AFTER RIDING? With the increased mobility of the scapulas, your horse may have a completely different rhythm. This larger stride can be confusing for both of you, especially if you have been used to a shorter stride. For your horse, the ability to open their humerus can also cause them to stumble a bit until they get the hang of their new freedom of movement. In fact, in the trot work, they often times do a goose step, and if you had a medium trot, you may lose it. I once had a lady tell me, I get a side ache when I ride - Great! I ve done my job. A side ache indicates that you are riding off your abdominals instead of tightening your back - you are now riding in an aerobic frame. It is to be expected in some cases, especially when the rider s old saddle had prevented the horse from using their abdominal muscles and an inability to activate their top-line muscles. In some cases the horse has only been able to move in a hollow frame under saddle. For the rider, that can be comfortable, but it is not a frame where the horse can build the athleticism required to do any equine discipline. However, once a horse is not restricted by the shape of the tree, the narrowness of the channel, or too much pressure on the thoracic trapezes, the horse will start to use the interactive muscle groups of their abdominal and longissimus top-line muscles. At first they will be weak, but with time they will strengthen, and when they do, you will be able to feel your horse s back with every stride. However, until that happens, do a lot of walking on a free rein, allowing your horse to move his neck and head with the rhythm of the gait, while your legs are encouraging forward - this is absolutely the best gait to build the all-important top-line muscles. MY TRAINER DOESN T LIKE MY POSITION IN THIS SADDLE Tom Noone, Ila & me during a consultation 30