Jochen’s Blog

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

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

Straightness 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