Re: ReactorPanel Saddle

[Reactorpanel@aol.com]

Hi Cel,

Regarding badly designed saddles, I can only speak from my personal 
experience.  

I own and operate a riding school, and bought two saddles in my own dark days 
of ignorance that I've since tried on 20-30 horses.  Arabs, Thoroughbreds, 
Morgans, Ponies, Quarter Horses, a mustang, and all different body types 
among these breeds.  I can't get either saddle to fit a single horse.   Maybe 
there's a Zebra or a Unicorn out there somewhere that could wear these 
saddles easily.  I would suggest that these saddles were not designed to fit 
horses.

(Luckily, I noticed how terrible one was right away, and donated it to a 
friend to hang on the wall as a decoration.  The other I used for a few years 
before I gained knowledge about fit...it's now in my garage.)

Then there's the other side of the coin; saddles that may have been designed 
for a horse, but don't fit the horse they are on.  I go out and fit lots of 
horses these days.  The purpose of the fitting session is to give someone a 
chance to test a ReactorPanel, but we often spend time checking the rider's 
own saddle.  I've seen some terrible things out there; wouldn't say that 
these were necessarily saddles that couldn't fit ANY horse, but certainly 
didn't fit the horse who is spending many hours each week underneath them.  
There's the rider who got off after a 50 to find her horse's withers were 
bloody.  Or the rider who's saddle pinched so incredibly in the shoulder that 
with the saddle on the horse's back, no rider aboard and the cinch undone, it 
was almost impossible to slide a finger between the saddle and the horse's 
shoulder.  Or the saddle that bridged so badly, there was nearly AN INCH of 
daylight between the center of the saddle and the horse's back.  And the 
owner of that horse thought I was part gypsy when I said, "Want to see your 
horse flinch?" and then ran my finger lightly over the area where the panel 
dug into his back -- and , of course, the horse dropped six inches.

I could go on and on...but won't.  Will only encourage all riders to spend a 
little time learning the basics of saddle fit, and then take a good look at 
your saddle, on your horse, without any pads underneath.  Do your partner a 
favor.

Carmi


In a message dated 7/17/00 8:09:21 PM Mountain Daylight Time, celiak@pcrs.net 
writes:

> Carmi,
>  
>  
>  "There are also some 
>  dangerous attempts at saddle making that lack scientific basis or even 
>  rudimentary consideration of the horse's anatomy in their design, and will 
>  attract business from well-meaning people, much to their horse's
>  detriment."
>  
>  Such as?
>  
>  I'm not trying to start any trouble, just want information.
>  
>  Thanks.
>  
>  Cel