Fruitblog765

Choosing the Right Saddle

So you’re going to make the change. Going treeless! You’ll find it totally different to riding in a treed saddle. Let me see if I can help make it easy for you. I love to talk to all my clients. I want to know all about you and your horse. Then together we will look at and analyze your saddle choices. Also, the pad for the saddle has lots of options, too. We are able to replace the foam inside with thinner or thicker foam if needed. It is very easy to place shims in, too.

Fitting Your Horse(s) and Fitting You, the Rider

Alongside information for fitting you to the saddle, I need to have information about your horse, to find the right saddle for you both.

1. Give me a description of your horse’s size and type.

2. Send these photos with horse SQUARE on all 4 legs on LEVEL ground:

• Photo from each side of entire horse
• Photo from each side with neck half cut off and legs cut off - need to see a close-up from in front of the withers and shoulder to the tail
• Photo over the rump (TAKEN IN THE CENTER) down to the shoulder/wither area. HORSE NEEDS TO STAND SQUARE in order to get a good idea of what we are fitting.

3. Any fitting issues now or in the past with this horse?

4. Any health issues with your horse? Back issues we need to address?

5. Your weight and height.

6. Type of riding that you do.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT FITTING with Freeform saddles.

Perfect Fit with the Panel System

In the past few years Freeform with the help of Brita, owner of Dynamic Equine Saddle Fitting in NC came up with the panel system. This was developed for many different reasons. Fitting (shoulder and wither issues), weight distribution, long distance riding, to name a few. The panels have a Velcro opening along the top. This allows for easy access for fillers. The panel then will be placed through the gullet of the saddle. Please see photos for more panel placement help. You will need a tight 3 fingers in between your 2 panels in the gullet area. Adjustment to the panels from the stirrup area to the pommel of the saddle can vary for your horse’s needs. In other words most horses have two very different shoulders so with the panels you may place them where they are needed… Up or down, whatever works. You are able to use whatever material or materials you need inside the panel for fitting and comfort. Anything from foam to wool… even Poron. The panels come with 2 different materials in them. These are good starting points to play around with. Assess what your needs are. You may want to start with one of the filler materials in the panel, place the saddle with the panel on the horse with the pad and see how the fit goes. Remember your horse’s back changes as you ride. You may need to then add both fillers or remove the panel from your saddle pad. I have one horse with panels on his saddle and no panel in his pad for the right fit. I have another horse that needs both a panel in his pad and Poron in this panel. Each horse’s back is very different, and that is why these saddles and panels are so effective. They really DO work! You will need to take a few short rides to find the right fit. Then the magic begins. Patience practiced through the few adjustments in the beginning will pay off. Trust me on that. Call me if you need guidance. I’m always here to help.
Poron. This is the ticket, folks, for panel filler. I’m having great success in fitting saddles and weight distribution with Poron. Unbelievable computerized saddle scans show TOTALLY EVEN weight distribution! Yes even under the stirrup Velcro area. I’m currently competing 2 horses in endurance and Vetting through with all A’s … this mean my guys' backs are in great shape. Yippee. Finally I can say with no doubt that we can truly get a great fit with Freeform treeless saddles. NOTE: The Poron that I’m able to carry right now is pricy. I’m working hard on finding another source so it will be more affordable. This may take some time. Freeform panels Opening at top of panel for inserts. Placing the panel on the saddle. Start at the cantle end of the saddle and work forward. Start with a four finger gullet and adjust out from there. The panels will move slightly when you mount the horse. We want to create an air channel over the spine while keeping the saddle off the spine. The pen marks the approximate attachment point on the opposite side of the stirrup leather Velcro. This point is about 1/3 of the distance from the pommel to the cantle. Keep at least a 4 finger width separation behind this point. It can go as wide as 6 fingers. Forward of this point, it is possible to adjust the panel placement to accommodate the shoulder and wither area. You may have one side of the panels further down the saddle than the other, depending on the shape of the horse, but be careful not to unbalance the saddle.

New Girthing System

New girthing option (above) comes standard for all Freeform Classic (all purpose) and Enduro/Trail saddles from Saddle Up. This girthing was designed by Paulita Neff and Amy Sumrall because they wanted their saddles to have options to fit many different horses. With the three D rings will able you to find the position for the girth that is right for your horse.

Skito Pad

In working with Tom and Lee at Skito, we have come up with a wonderful Dryback Saddle Pad for the Freeform. Dryback is an Equalizer Saddle Pad by SKITO that is constructed to release heat and moisture from the large back muscle to the atmosphere. Air flows between the saddle and saddle pad thanks to the addition of the 3M Nomad matting to the top of the saddle pad. Simply put, the exclusive SKITO wool efficiently wicks the heat laden perspiration to the open cell foam inserts, which acts as a dense sponge pulling moisture and heat away from the horse to the surface of the pad. “Foam density is a key in regards to comfort, support and durability. Working with Skito we have developed a laminated foam with felt configuration to provide better support and comfort for you and your equine partner. For the treeless saddle advocate, all of our foam inserts are beveled to eliminate pressure points and allow your leg to lay closer to the animal. “We have a nice selection of shims to insure the correct fit. “We have designed a center pommel tie and cantle tie to attach your pad to your saddle securely and to create an air channel down the spine.”
Buy one now at the STORE.

Trying Out Your New Saddle

After the saddle has arrived and you’re ready to saddle up, take a few minutes to look at the saddle and the adjustments you can make. Your seat is movable and so are your stirrup leathers/fenders. To get started, place your saddle on your pad and place them both on the horse’s back so that you will be sitting where you would if you were riding bareback. It may be a little more forward than you are used to. The saddle may move slightly depending on horse conformation and movement, once you are mounted and riding, and that’s OK. Pull the pad up into the cutback part of the saddle to create an air channel over the spine. Girthing buckles should be about 1 inch higher than the elbow. See more about cinches and girths below. You do not want your leathers to be placed within 1” of the cutback of the saddle or on the withers of the horses if no cutback.
Then the adjustments begin. You will need to tweak your saddle seat and leathers in ¼” increments to find your best balance. This may take a few rides. When it all comes together you’ll be in balance and in tune with your horse and the horse’s movement. It’s way too cool. If you feel a bit forward in your seat you may need to move your stirrup leathers a bit forward and your seat a bit back. Or you may need a bigger size seat.
I may ask you for photos of you on your horse to help you out. Remember that I’m here to help. One of the great things about these saddles is all the wonderful adjustments we can make. When trying your new saddle out remember that this is a treeless saddle and you’ll likely be sitting totally differently than you are used too. You will be much more balanced and in tune with your horse. You will be using different muscles and may feel a little sore for your first few rides. This is normal. Once your body gets used to riding in a new position you’ll be fine. It is magical! When you are riding in your new saddle please take small 20 minute rides at first. Make sure it is adjusted to both you and your horse before you take off on a long ride. Please call me, Paulita Neff, with any question 540 830 2713

Is Your Cinch Too Long?

by Richard Sacks Can the length of your cinch/girth affect your horse’s performance, your saddle’s fit and your enjoyment of your ride? Absolutely! We have all seen cinchy horses where they turn to bite you when you saddle them up. We have also seen people adjusting their saddle when riding down the trail or in the arena, swinging the saddle back into position with their rear ends. Worse, we have all seen saddles slide when we put our foot in the stirrup to mount. All of these issues are caused by a cinch or girth that is too long. Wait, you say, I have always used this length cinch and I’ve got a horse that is 16 hands. He’s a big boy. Take a look at the horse in this picture. He has a heart girth of 88'. That means he measures 88' around his body at his girth groove. He is 15.3 hands and weighs 1200 pounds. HE IS A BIG BOY! Yet, he is ridden in a 24' cinch. How can this be! From the front all horses have the same basic shape, high withered or no withers. The widest part of their body is at the apex of the curve of their rib cage. If your cinch or girth ends are above this point, no matter how tight you pull the cinch/girth, you will never get enough grip. The body of the horse is sloping inwards towards the spine above this point. Your saddle will slide forward and back, your cinch/girth will slide down towards the widest portion of the horse (the apex of the curve of the rib cage) and your saddle will slide from side to side, if not under the belly of the horse. The worst thing is you are choking your horse as you pull tighter and tighter. All horses breathe. Yes they do, and when they breathe they expand their rib cage (chest) to allow their lungs to take in air. Imagine if you were going out for a run and someone tied a rope tightly around your chest. It would be difficult for you to breathe and you would most likely find this to be very annoying. I’ll bet you your horse feels the same way. In fact, he probably tells you he doesn’t like this when he turns his head and tries to bite you when you saddle him up. If you’re female and wear a bra (all you wild child’s from the sixties and men will have to imagine this) you have experienced the same feeling. When you breathe in, your chest expands and the wire foundation digs into your chest. That’s why they invented sports bras. If the cinch/girth is below the apex of the curve of the rib cage, you won’t have these problems. The body of the horse is sloping out towards the cinch. You don’t have to pull as hard to tighten the cinch/girth. You will get immediate grip so your saddle won’t slide back and forth. The cinch can’t slide from side to side either since you are already at a widening portion of the horse’s body. Most importantly, your horse can breathe. The cinch/girth won’t constrict the expansion of the rib cage when the horse breathes in air. The horse will be more comfortable and will be less likely to bite you. So how do you really know what size cinch/girth is right for your horse. We have all seen articles in some flashy magazine that says if your horse is 14 hands you need a small size and if you horse is 15 hands then you need this size. If you horse is 16 hands or more, you can’t go wrong with the biggest size available, they’ll say. Obviously, these folks have never seen my 4 foot tall grandmother who was 5 feet wide. There was no way a 20' belt was going to fit around that woman’s waist. Not a very scientific way to approach this subject. What is purported to be a more scientific approach fails to be accurate as well. The 'Golden Rule', where you measure the horse’s heart girth, divided by 2, and then subtract 3', is supposed to give you the correct cinch size for your horse. If we use the gray horse, in the photo at the top, we can see that this doesn’t work. This horse’s heart girth is 88'. Divide by 2 will result in 44' and then subtract 3' and you get a cinch size of 41'. I don’t think so! There is only one way to measure the size cinch/girth that is correct for your horse. The buckles of the cinch must be clear of the elbow and yet still be below the apex of the curve of the rib cage. Looking at this closer look of the horse’s front leg, we can see where the elbow is. We can also see where the shoulder and the point of the shoulder is. This is not where the cinch/girth should be. The lowest point it can be is about 3-4' above the elbow. This will allow for clearance when your horse brings his leg back. There will be no interference at this point. If you take a string and hold it on one side of the horse at a point 3-4' above the elbow, and then run it under your horse to the opposite side at the same point (3-4' above the elbow) you will have measured the length of the cinch/girth you horse needs. Simply place the string against a yard stick or tape measure and you will have the exact length. May people who use 30'-34' cinches/girths will be very surprised by what they find. The length for most horses will be between 24-26' no matter how tall, big, or type of confirmation. Some horses will be less. I know this sounds different, maybe even strange. But try it. Measure your horse or borrow a smaller cinch/girth from someone you know and give it a try. Your saddle will be more stable. It won’t move from side to side or front to back. Your horse will take a deep breath and a sigh of relief.

Demo Program Information

We are happy to have a demo program to help you choose your saddle. I know the issues out there with buying a new saddle, and I want everyone to be happy with their new saddle. So saying that, I’d like to go over Saddle Up’s guidelines for our Demo Program: From the date you receive your newly-purchased saddle: You have 7 calendar days to give it a try. Remember to adjust your seat and stirrups leathers. Sometimes it is a small adjustment of ¼” that makes all the difference. This can take several rides to find the right placement, then it’s magical. Please call me with any questions. I’m here for you! Keep the saddle’s tags in place. Keep the saddle in like-new condition, clean, free from hair and dirt. I do understand that riding can be a dirty venture, but if you do decide to return it the next person will want a new saddle, too. If we receive it and it’s not “like new” than we’ll have to discount it to the next person and this means we’ll have to discount the amount returned to you. Sorry. This also applies to pads. Please call before returning the saddle to get info on how we’d like it shipped and insured. If you return without phoning and getting approval then a 15% restocking fee will be charged to you. When returning the saddle you are responsible for the shipping both ways, plus there is a $59 fee for returning shipped saddles or $85 for returning saddles which required personal, on-site fitting. When the saddle is received and gone over, a credit will be issued to you right away, minus the above-mentioned fee.