This is a story about a couple of very special clients. The first young lady was recently seen by Natalie, one of our top saddle ergonomists and fit technicians in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Aly Keay is a very inspirational and wonderful young lady (perhaps around 20 years old) who has cerebral palsy. She rides a […]

This is pretty much a regurgitation of an insert to an article which appeared in Horse Sport early in 2015 concerning the very troubling occurrence of kissing spine in horses. I was prompted to repost this as I have recently come across an inordinate amount of horses where this issue occurred and was, of course, […]

I think the question of twist of the saddle is one of the most poorly understood parts of the saddle. It goes along with the idea that if you have a very wide-backed horse you will naturally get a saddle that has a wide twist – with the result that (especially as a woman), you […]

I have often been asked by clients why our saddles aren’t always flat on the horse’s back all the way from front to back – which makes them look like they don’t actually fit and will probably rock. Ideally the saddle needs to slightly ‘rock’ at the cantle as the horse’s back engages. A slightly […]

In mid-February I had the chance to spend a week skiing in Utah at four of the most beautiful ski resorts I have ever experienced. This was a welcome change in pace and scenery after a gruelling (but always fun) two-week Saddlefit 4 Life training course. We were lucky enough to enjoy fantastic (almost too […]

We’re down to the last two tips in my series of 9 Points of Saddle Fit. I have consolidated them because they work very much together. You really can’t have one without the other, which is something that many saddle manufacturers (especially those with ‘self-adjusting’ or DIY gullet plates really don’t seem to understand). These […]

Saddle length is an issue I have been noticing more and more in the past few years, as breeding seems to have really concentrated on making somewhat more ‘compact’ (i.e., ‘shorter’) horses. So – other than the obvious visual “short-backedness” of a horse, ask yourself… Does your horse have a “4-beat” canter? Does your horse […]

One of the things I see often – even with professional riders – is that the rider is not sitting straight on the horse (especially obvious when you see the rider from behind!). You will find good examples of this in almost any equestrian publication. Do you often have to step into one stirrup while […]

Does your saddle slide forward no matter what kind of girth or saddle pad you use? This is one of the most common problems my clients approach me with, and I know how frustrating this can be. I know there are a number of ‘anatomically correct’ girths now available on the market – they can […]

Continuing on with the detailed discussion on each of the nine points of saddle fit, this week we will examine, specifically, that part of the saddle that is closest to your horse – the panel. I have had many clients with saddles that, at first glance, look like they’re fitting really well, but when I […]