Are You Fitting Comfortably? | All You Need To Know About Saddles

 

The interaction between horse, tack and rider is complex. Research has shown that rider position and stability in the saddle are vital for good performance, which is why it’s so important to have the saddle fitted for you as well as your horse. This sounds obvious but if your saddle is too small you will tend to find yourself sat on the back of the saddle rather than in the middle. And that’s important because with the addition of the rider the average force on the horse’s back is equal to the rider’s weight. At trot it’s equivalent to twice the rider’s weight and at canter it can be 2.5-3 times the rider’s weight! Sitting on the back of the saddle increases the forces transmitted through the back of the saddle and studies have shown when this happens the back pain scores of horses increase. Reducing saddle pressure is associated with improved movement in both dressage and jumping and relieving saddle pressure at the base of the withers allows the long back muscles to transfer power from the hind limbs more effectively.

 

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