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Passt der Sattel für mich und mein Pferd?

Wenn man ernsthaft mit dem Training beginnt, gehoert ein gut sitzender Sattel fuer Pferd und Reiter dazu! Was man ueber einen gut angepassten Sattel wissen muss wird hier im Detail beschrieben. Anatomie und biomechanik von Pferd und Reiter ergaenzen die Rechnung bei der Gestaltung und Passform des Sattels – lernen Sie hier wie!

Saddle Fit and the Heavier Rider – Revised Edition

At the risk of offending any of our readers, this is a topic which does need to be addressed again in all honesty. The issue of proper saddle fit is not by any means limited to heavier riders – all riders and all horses can and will benefit from a correctly fitted saddle! However, heavier riders bring with them a whole different set of challenges. Before anyone gets their knickers in a knot about possibly ‘arbitrary’ designations of weight – I absolutely recognize that someone who weighs 180 pounds and is sitting in a gender appropriate saddle may ride more lightly and more balanced than a 120-pound beginner rider who is sitting in a saddle that doesn’t fit her properly. Supporting documentation from an independent source: Sue Dyson et al. The Influence of Rider: Horse Bodyweight Ratio and the rider-horse-saddle fit on equine gait and behaviour: a Pilot Study. 2019 Equine Veterinary Education Https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eve.13085

Muscle Atrophy and the Saddle Fit Connection

Muscle atrophy is usually something we see happening in old people—and old horses. Muscles waste away from simple aging and lack of use. Sadly, rescue horses who have suffered starvation usually show signs of muscle atrophy, regardless of their age. In short, muscle atrophy is a decrease in muscle strength because of a decrease in muscle mass or the amount/number of muscle fibers. Atrophy can be partial or complete, causing varying levels of weakness. When atrophy occurs in the aging process, it’s referred to as sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is defined as an age-related loss of skeletal muscle, resulting in frailty. It is often partnered with osteoporosis, a loss of bone density that is similarly associated with aging. But age isn’t the only cause. If your horse is laid up due to injury and his regular exercise comes to a grinding halt, you can expect his muscles to atrophy to a degree. But what if your horse isn’t old, hasn’t been on stall rest and you are exercising him diligently on a regular basis, yet you notice his muscles diminishing?

Aufgesattelt (Tacked Up) alles rund um den Sattel (All Around the Saddle)

Aufgesattelt – alles rund um den Sattel Der Sattel – die direkte Verbindung zwischen Reiter und Pferd. Wer beim Sattel aufs falsche Pferd setzt, der macht einen folgenschweren Fehler. Denn ein Sattel ist nicht nur eine hochwertige Anschaffung für lange Zeit, er ist auch ein entscheidendes Verbindungsglied zwischen Reiter und Pferd. In dieser Eigenschaft muss er zwei großen Ansprüchen Genüge leisten: Er muss zum einen dem Pferd optimal passen und zum anderen auch dem Reiter ein gutes Gefühl vermitteln. PSJ-Fachautorin Jessica Kaup hat sich mit dem Thema auseinandergesetzt und einige Experten dazu befragt. English: Saddled up – everything around the saddle The saddle – the direct connection between rider and horse.

Saddle Fit and Industry Education

A recent article in the Journal of Veterinary Science concerning the repeatability of 20 Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) Qualified Saddle Fitters observations of static saddle fit outlines the lack of cohesiveness in the methodology of assessing saddle fit. The SMS has committed to overhauling their entire saddle fitting curriculum within the next year or two – recognizing the fact that a) saddle making does not equal saddle fitting and b) their saddle fitting training is somewhat remedial in its ramifications. Further work is definitely necessary to standardize the criteria of what is saddle fit and how should saddles be fitted – and perhaps to develop a common language that is accepted throughout the industry…

Many Horses But Not So Many Saddles – Saddle Solutions?

I am a trainer with lots of horses to ride but I cannot afford a saddle for each horse. I start a lot of young horses – some of which will presumably leave within a year or two. How do I manage to do right by all these animals (and for myself) by ensuring I have and use a saddle which works for me and works for all of them? Obviously, ideally, it would be great to have a saddle that has been made and fi?ed for each horse’s conformation, but the reality is that this will seldom be the case. So, you get a saddle that fits you absolutely wonderfully, is comfortable, works with your anatomical requirements (male or female), and makes sure that at the very least you won’t let any discomfort from the rider’s end translate down to the horse. That’s the first step. Then, you have it fitted to the largest horse you have because it’s always easier to fill in the gaps and make it fit for horses with narrower shoulders, lower withers, etc. (just like it’s easier to fit shoes that are too large with insoles and extra socks; the other way really doesn’t work that well.)

Bad Horse! Really? How About "Bad Rider!" or "Bad Saddle!" or maybe even "Bad Genes!"

Most people will agree with the statement “horses do not make conscious decisions to behave badly.” Horses react to outside stimuli—either a poorly fitting saddle or an incompetent or untrained rider can cause all kinds of unwanted behaviors. How and where a rider’s weight is carried can make a huge difference, and dangerous horses can quickly be created when aids are misunderstood or mishandled. Sometimes horses will develop resistant or evasive behaviors because the handler does not know how to get what he is asking for, but remember that this does not make a “bad horse”—it’s simply a horse behaving badly. Some of the strategic behavior horses have adopted could be interpreted as stereotypical, but these behaviors are not vices, as vices would infer that the horse is somehow at fault….

Saddle Fit and Girth Choices – the two go hand in hand!

The girth is the most important saddle accessory because it directly affects saddle fit and how it feels to your horse. There are many different types, lengths and versions of girths available. In this article, we look at the factors to consider when finding and fitting a girth that will work for your horse…

Why Don’t More Boys Ride Dressage? A Delicate Subject (No Pun Intended)

Why Don’t We See More Boys Riding Dressage?

It’s always interesting to take a few moments when I’m working at a horse show to check out the competition. I mean the real competition- the riders who have trained long and hard and are now showing off their skills in the ring. Especially in dressage shows, but also at the lower level hunter/jumper shows – it is almost painfully obvious how few boys there are riding and competing!…But let’s examine the question a little closer concerning why boys specifically generally don’t ride. Beyond the ‘peer pressure’ issue of it not necessarily being a ‘macho’ sport, perhaps there are other reasons at play; issues that have to do with my favorite subject: saddle fit!

Saddle Fit: English vs. Western – What are the Differences?

When mankind began riding horses, and saddles were developed to help keep riders astride their mounts, the original purpose of the saddle was to support the horse in his job. Saddles were designed to accommodate the demands placed on horses during activities such as combat, transportation, and sport. And since riding in long skirts was not practical and it was unbecoming for women to straddle a horse, side-saddles were created to allow women to ride. Recent years have seen a change in saddles from mainly functional to often fashionable (featuring bling, silver, etc.). More recently, as the general demographic of riders changed to primarily women, gender considerations have been incorporated into the mix of saddle design for both English and Western disciplines…

Saddle Fit and Technology – How Technological Advances are Changing the Way Saddles are Fitted

Many tools have been developed over the years to assist in the diagnosis of saddle fit, however, as ‘sexy’ as they are, they are just that – tools – providing information that exemplifies the situation at a given moment. Unless you have someone that actually knows what to do with this information to provide you a solution to your issue, it’s pretty much without value. Many people can tell you what’s visually wrong with your saddle but there are very few who can analyze the data to actually tell you why you are having the issue you are.

Do you have any hints to avoid ‘saddle fitting hell’ of buying a saddle?

rt and a science to fitting a saddle to both horse and rider. Human and Equine anatomy are a key determinant in choosing the correct saddle. In a nutshell it has to work for both of you. A badly fitting saddle not only causes discomfort to the horse and rider, but can actually stop a horse from moving properly. The tree and panels of a saddle should be chosen for the horse; the seat and flap length for the rider – at minimum. The proper way to measure the seat size of an English saddle is …

Top 10 Signs of Poor Saddle Fit

It is apparently a psychological truth that people have an affinity to lists consisting of 10 points; maybe because we have 10 fingers, 10 toes, there are 10 commandments, etc. 10 is just a nice round number to work with and easy to count off. David Letterman adopted an interesting institution with his “top 10” lists on his late show. I don’t know why I actually came up with 9 signs of poor saddle fit that you can self-diagnose, but those are what they are and I couldn’t artificially inflate that number. You will see 7 or 8 points in the literature as well, but I think these lists combine some of the points of reference…

Saddle Fit & Technology: Saddle Fit and Western Saddles

Over the years I have been asked many times to address the subject of fitting western saddles and have subsequently done some presentations on this at both the Certified Horsemanship Association Conference and Western States Horse Expo in California. At each of these events i am constantly surprised at the number of people who attend my lectures and are extremely interested in the information I have to offer. Our specialty at Schleese over the past 30+ years is English saddles – and mainly dressage – but with the launch of our Devin Western Saddle with its many benefits and features it’s perhaps time to put some of these thoughts down on paper…

Saddle Fit and Western Saddles

My principle on saddle fitting – any model – is to fit the saddle to both the horse and rider and ensure he/she is sitting correctly, balanced, and comfortably. Regardless which saddle – dressage, jumping, racing, endurance, specialty saddle, or western saddle – it has to fit along the lines of these commonly accepted principles. The saddle is not to impact or deform the horse’s back and fit into the saddle support area, sit over the shoulder and damage the cartilage, impinge the spinal processes or ligaments, nor pinch and numb the nerves permanently. This is the philosophy of Saddlefit4life® – to protect horse and rider from longterm damage – regardless of the saddle. For the rider, the basics are that the back shouldn’t ache, the hips shouldn’t hurt and feel pulled apart, the knees shouldn’t bruise, and the rider should sit in proper balance to achieve riding in harmony…

What Should I look for When Purchasing a Used Saddle?

Generally used saddles are on the market for a number of reasons, some of which could be: • they no longer or never fit either horse or rider and are non-adjustable (which unfortunately is the case with many English saddles that have been built on a traditional English spring tree with a traditional English gullet plate); • Or they have been put aside for the next latest greatest fad or model; • Or the rider no longer rides or has changed disciplines. In any case, with a used saddle, it is usually a case of caveat emptor, especially if buying privately. If you purchase a used saddle from a reputable dealer, generally it will have been tested for soundness

Saddle Fit for Children – Why Do So Few Boys Ride Horses?

When we think about children and riding, we usually picture little girls and their ponies. Popular equestrian magazines with the target market of younger riders are usually focused on girls — it’s really rare to see photos in these magazines featuring boys. Later in this article I’ll discuss some of the possible reasons why boys do not usually get involved with horses from a young age, but first I want to address the importance of getting the right saddle from the get-go. Most young riders are girls, and unless they have the wonderful luxury of well-off parents who can buy them their own pony, they start riding at a riding school — hopefully an accredited one. Unfortunately, most of these riding schools are extremely limited in their funding and will use donated horses and ponies with probably donated saddles and tack…

Saddle Fit and Saddle Trees

I often get asked about my opinion on the latest and newest saddle designs appearing on the market. I have to, of course, be very careful about what I say, lest my comments are taken ‘on the record’ and possibly get back to the manufacturer to be misconstrued as slander or defamation. This is not ever my intent, but with my 35+ years of experience and continuing relentlessness in pursuing constant professional development, I think that my opinions do hold significant merit. So without specifically mentioning any particular brand, model, or saddle design, I think one of the best ways to discuss the pros and cons of the various saddles on the market is to dig deep into the saddle – to the tree, (or lack thereof) which is the basis is for all saddles. Saddle making history shows us that…

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