--------------------------begin quoted article-------------------------------
Article: 9676 of rec.equestrian
From: lindac@wv.mentorg.com (Linda Cowles @ PCB x5624)
Subject: NEAT - long - Saddle fitting trick!
Date: 24 Mar 1995 16:59:50 GMT
Message-ID: <3kutq6$f0q@oddball.sjc.MENTORG.COM>
Really Long..... but worth it :->
When I was having Steve Gonzales of SR saddlery custom-fit one of his saddles
to Shatirrs back, he taught me a how to make a plaster cast of the horses back.
This back-cast is made out of quick-dry 6 inch wide casting wrap,
and ends up being about the size of a western blanket. It's
easily shipped with a saddle (in a standard U-Haul box) and goes
to places that horses normally don't, like inside tack stores.
And because it's a "static" mold, you have an impression of what the horses
back is shaped like without the subtle shifts that many horses automatically
make when having a saddle placed on their back.
The cast takes 4+ rolls of 6 inch quick drying casting (available at medical
supply houses), a bucket of tepid water, a carpenters level, a felt-tip pen,
sponge, two humans and a horse. It's a good idea to *practice* the casting
technique with a polo or leg wrap before using the casting material, as the
casting needs to procede quickly; the materials stiffen in a minute or two.
Also, the warmer the water, the faster the cast will set. Use
barely warm (almost cool) water or you'll run out of time!
Stand the horse square (feet aligned) on a flat, level surface.
With the sponge, wipe the horses back in the area that would be covered by
a small western blanket. Make sure that the hair is really wet, not just
damp on the surface. This is necessary or the cast may stick to the hair.
With one person on either side of the horse, open the foil wrap on all of the
rolls, place a roll in the bucket, let the water seep into the roll for a
few seconds, raise the roll out of the bucket and squeeze out any extra water.
The cast will cover a saddle-blanket area of the back. The material is
unrolled to the approx width of a blanket, and starting at the shoulders,
placed over the horses back. The two partners should align this first length,
smoothing it down with damp hands, and then the person holding the roll
should unroll another length and hand the roll across the back to the other
person. The first edge should be two thicknesses, and then the roll gets
moved approx. 30% so that the next overlap is only about 4 inches (the roll
was moved down the back approx. 2 inches). This doesn't need to be real
precise, just wrinkle-free and consistant. Successive "wraps" should be
smoothed down to eliminate any wrinkles. Continue quickly untill the cast
covers the horse from the whithers to the loin, doubling up the thickness
on the end edge.
As soon as this step is complete, I have my partner raise the horses back
slightly by placing their hand in the navel area and pressing up, while I
gently smooth the cast to accomodate this rounded topline. If your horse
always travels with a flat or hollow back, you may not want to do this!
Ideally, we all want at least a little "round", but "cast the back you will
be riding, not the back of your dreams", is _my_ personal philosophy!
The rounded topline that I look for is just slightly lower than what I expect
the horse to do the bulk of his work at. Again, this is *my* little addition;
different people have different philosophies about what "back" they want the
saddle to fit. And I have a different "cast" for a dressage saddle than for
a distance trail saddle. That may be overkill, but it amuses me ;^)
For distance, I want the saddle to be most comfortable when there is a slight
lift to the back, but don't want the back so round that the saddle will
bridge between the whithers and the loin when the back relaxes down.
For Dressage, I want to accomodate a rounder lift to the back.
Once the cast is firm (not necessarily dry), take the marker and mark
the midline (at the spine) of the horses back at the whithers and loin.
Then, using the level, mark a leveled line parallel to the ground on each
side of the cast. Rotate the level and draw another line at the withers
(in front of the "saddle") perpendicular to the ground. I also mark the
ideal girth area. Lift the form and let it dry throughly.
This is **Wonderful** to take into tack stores! I also take a 24 inch length
of string with me. When the cast is placed on a saddle stand, it can be
"leveled" to your horses back by holding the string by an end and aligning
the perpendicular mark on the cast to the string. Use blankets or paper to
keep the cast level while saddles are placed on it. This way, you can see
if the saddle will sit you level on the horse, or if your weight will get
shifted and what adjustments would be required to attain the proper center.
Dr Kerry Ridgway has taught me so much about saddle fitting that I
can't begin to cover it here - and I only know a _little_ bit of what
he knows. This cast concept allows you to truely analyze the way
the saddle fits a horse. And any saddle fitter could use it to re-fit
or customize a saddle. A little common sence goes a LONG way!
Using a Cast, I was able to try over 50 saddles on "Shatirr" over
a long (90 minute) lunch... Sigh. With his wierd back, onlt two of
them fit, and I already owned one of each!
The cast can also be used to evaluate the wonderful changes that occur in
the back as correct muscle is developed (or lost)!! I make casts even when
I'm not saddle shopping. It "shows you" the horses back.
Happy Casting!
Since I've published Steve Gonzales's casting method, I'm gonna plug his
**wonderful** SR custom Western and Trail saddles. These saddles are
affordable and =are= works of art. I love mine! If you want info, email me
directly.
-- Linda Cowles --------------------------end quoted article-------------------------------