 |
[RC] Saddles that Move Forward/Backward - Lisa DouglassI was reading a post of a rider who had problems with several different saddles moving forward during riding. As I rep saddles and hence deal a lot with saddle fitting, I've heard this scenario many times. This is actually a fairly common occurrence if your horse has a certain structure combined with a specific way of moving . . . A 'normal' shaped horse has a girth groove behind the front legs with the trunk of the horse deepening under the front legs and behind the girth groove. This type of body structure will typically hold the saddle in it's proper place. Of course, the girthing of the saddle needs to come straight down (or angle towards) the girth groove. Horses that typically have issues with saddles moving forward are ones where the trunk slopes down from the front legs. Physics says the girth cannot possibly stay where it is, so the girth/saddle will begin to work its way forward. The forward movement can be even worse if you have a horse that really drives from the rear. A crupper is an excellent way to keep your saddle from moving forward. Don't automatically assume because your saddle is moving forward that it isn't fitting properly. In fact, some saddles that don't seem to be moving forward may actually be, but are being stopped by your horses shoulders -- Anyone ever seen hollows behind your horses shoulders or have a horse who isn't willing to fully stride out? Horses that typically have issues with saddles moving backward are ones where their trunk rises steadily from the front legs. Physics says with the trunk narrowing behind the girth in this manner how could the saddle not work backwards? Backward movement can be made worse by a horse that 'pulls' from the front along with having large shoulder movement. A breast collar is the easiest fix here. Again, just because your saddle isn't moving backward may not mean it's not being hung up somewhere. If your horse is consistently coming up with a sore back (typically a sore loin), you might want to try a breast collar to make sure your saddle stays in its proper place. Since there is such a small area of a horses back that can best support our weight, I like to keep my saddle in that spot by using both a breast collar and a crupper. JMO. Lisa Douglass Moss Rock Endurance US Distributor, Free 'n' Easy Saddles www.mossrockendurance.com (719)439-2472 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|