RE: (Fwd) Placement of Sport Saddle

["Snodgrass, Bonnie" <snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil>]

Yes, the forward placement may not work for your horse. I would venture to
say that all horses would be better off with saddles placed about 2" behind
the shoulders. However, western style saddles (and western style endurance
saddles" evolved from a design that sat up over the shoulders. Look at a
well designed stock saddle and you will see that the front of the saddle
flares outward to give more room to the muscles. I don't care for all the
"saddle" that is in front of you in a western style saddle. A horse's back
can support the riders weight best when it is placed right behind the
withers. A well designed english saddle enables the rider to sit fairly
close to the withers while the bars of the saddle are small and placed just
back of the shoulders. Some english saddle have bars that point somewhat
forward and these can cause shoulder problems as they tend to poke the
muscles as the front legs move back. 

By the way, I sold my SS after it wouldn't work on two horses in a row
because of their conformation and because of the placement of the cinch
rigging. So this type of saddle may not work for your horse. The rigging
change to further back may help but I'd rather not constrict the ribs/lungs
by binding them with a cinch. JMHO.

Bonnie Snodgrass

-----Original Message-----
From: Beth Glace [mailto:lb@nismat.org]
Sent: Monday, March 20, 2000 8:08 AM
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: (Fwd) Placement of Sport Saddle



Hi Jeri,
well, you could be right about where I am placing it.  I have been 
placing it just behind her shoulder blades.  You are supposed to 
place it over the shoulder blades??  This might be an even worse 
problem for her.  She is half Standarbred, with big shoulders and a 
big stride.  Wouldn't placing the saddle on the shoulder blades 
result in tenderness, or limit their way of going?
Thanks for your help, everyone!
Beth
.  The sport saddles I've seen fit like a western 
> saddle, with the front of the saddle going over the horse's shoulder
blade.  
> Maybe you are trying to position it like an english saddle, and placing it

> too far back.  Good luck, jeri
 
Beth Glace, MS, CDN
Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma
Lenox Hill Hospital
New York, NY


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