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[RC] Bucking & Saddles - Marv WalkerI have sit and read many answers to bucking problems. Over the years we have found POOR FITTING SADDLES to be the biggest problems. When you purchase a saddle, remember a fixed tree (a standard bar type saddle) only fits the day you correctly fit it to your horse. Horses like us change shapes and their backs change as well. Can you imagine yourself going around with two 2x4's nailed together strapped to your back? Wake up and smell the roses. The day of the FLEX PANEL SADDLES is here. All of our horses are FLEX PANEL SADDLE GIRLS. Interesting that this should come up. I have just returned from doing a clinic in Indiana and I had a couple of bucking horses brought to me. I was able to quickly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt their bucking was from very sore back muscles, mere finger pressure caused them to dramatically sink. One was mostly because she was a 2yr who was carrying a large rider. The other was older with a visual sacroiliac strain. I was working with a participant and his Missouri Foxtrotter mare, a very nice pretty good sized mare, on enhancing their connection when I sensed a back condition. I suggested that he might want to consider a saddle evaluation from my saddle fitter who happened to be working the clinic with me. He had two Flex Panel saddles. In order for a saddle to fit correctly it has to contact roughly 4 inches around the curve from the center of the spine with the saddle pocket fitting in the horse's point of pocket as well as conform to the curve of the horse's back. The main muscles involved here are the latissimus dorsi and longissimus dorsi, the main muscles that connect the front and back of the horse. When matched to the male templates neither saddle came close to fitting. The main culprit in both saddles seemed to be the fulcrum location of the flex points. The panels also were fairly flat from end to end and the rocker template showed extensive bridging. Tightening the saddle would bend the panels closer to fitting but that still would leave excessive pressure at the front and back. In my opinion, flex panel saddles sound good in theory but fall short in practice. While they do not have "two 2x4s strapped together," they do have two 8" pieces of flat plywood pivoting from a single point on the barrel curve. The "2x4s" actually produce more bearing surface around the barrel arc than the "plywood." And yes, horse's backs do change. Hopefully it is because of conditioning and is consistent and uniform. In this kind of change the arc of the back remains somewhat consistent. Having a saddle fitter do regular templates allows you to keep track of changes and helps you judge your present saddle fit. Marv "Horses travel on their backs as well as their hooves." Walker Wis. State Fair Park 7/10/04: http://MarvWalker.com/2004.htm ============================================================ There are few places where the horse does not fit in; at least in my world, as delusional as that one may be. ~ Howard Bramhall ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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