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Re: [RC] downhill back - Laney HumphreyI'll jump in here. I'm sure you'll get lots of other opinions too.1. downhill conformation, i.e., front is lower than hind. Not uncommon but not a deal breaker unless it's severe. It means that the horse will naturally be "heavy on the forehand," in other words, will naturally put more than usual weight and pressure on its front end. With good training and riding a horse can be taught to move how it carries its weight back onto its hind but it's conformation won't change. 2. saddle fit on a downhill horse. Since the horse's back is tilted forward towards the shoulders, any saddle will naturally slide forward and end up sitting against the withers and shoulders. This can cause pinching of the shoulders leading to short, choppy gaits. 3. treeless vs. treed saddles. Treeless saddles, by definition have no rigid parts (except sometimes pommel and cantle). So they have no part that will put or keep them in a specific place on a horse's back. They require special padding to keep them from putting pressure on the spine. Since treeless saddles are, treeless, they can allow good shoulder movement even when sitting too far forward. Traditional, treed, saddles, have a rigid structure, the tree. A tree is a marvel of curves. Like a treeless saddle, a saddle with a tree will not necessarily stay put in a specific place on a horse's back, especially when the horse is moving. A tree that is correctly matched to the horse's back will mirror the curves of the horse's back allowing enough width in the gullet for the shoulders, enough arc from the front to underneath the rider's bottom to match the arc of the horse's back, and will also match the contour of the back of the horse's back - sharp drop-off or more rounded. An advantage of a saddle tree is that the saddle can be built both the match horse's back shape but also keep the seat for the rider level which it won't be naturally on a downhill horse. A tree built for a downhill horse must accomodate resting against the shoulders and withers so it should have good flare to allow shoulder movement. 4. saddle placement. Here are two experiments you can try with whatever saddle you have now. First, use a crupper and make it tight enough to actually hold the saddle off the shoulders at least when you are going downhill. Even more important: try moving the saddle back. Most people put their saddles too far forward - up on top of the withers and shoulders. The saddle should actually sit further back than that. If you allow the saddle to sit in the pocket behind the shoulders, where it wants to be, you may find you have less bridging. If your saddle has enough flare to allow good shoulder movement, you've got good saddle fit. If you are trying to place, and keep, your treed saddle, up too high/forward on the withers so the front is over the shoulder blade, you are fighting gravity and physics. Treed and treeless saddles both have advantages and disadvantages. Finding the best fit for you and your horse is probably going to take time and experimentation. Don't give up on saddles with trees until you have played around with where you let the saddle sit. Email me privately if you want. Cheers, Laney Ridecamp Guest wrote: Please Reply to: Kim Black blacks@xxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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