The Philosophy Saddlefit 4 Life® is committed to:
- Sharing information and educating riders, equine professionals and the industry on saddle fitting principles to achieve and maintain equine back health
- Protecting horse and rider from pain and long term damage through ongoing saddle fit analysis, and optimal saddle fit solutions
- Raise industry awareness on how proper saddle fitting improves equine freedom of movement, comfort, performance and vitality
Use the Saddlefit 4 Life® Guidelines for Optimal
Fit to Protect your Horse!
Balance
Centre of saddle (seat area) should be parallel to the floor on the horse‘s back.
Withers Clearance
Clearance at the withers should be 2-3 fingers for normal withers; mutton withers will have more clearance/ high withers will have less clearance. Clearance should be all around, not just at the top.
Gullet Width
Wide enough not to interfere with spinal processes or musculature of the horse‘s back (3-4 fingers).
Full Panel Contact
Should touch horse‘s back evenly all the way from front to back; some may be off the back end to allow the back to come up during engagement.
Tree Width
Wide enough for saddle to fit during movement.
Billet Alignment
Billets should hang perpendicular to ground so that the girth is not angled (positioned properly) – the girth will always find its position at the narrowest point behind the elbow.
Shoulder Angle
Panel points should be parallel to shoulder angle to position saddle properly.
Straightness
Saddle should not fall off to one side when viewed from back. Tree points should be behind both scapulae (shoulder blades)
Saddle Length
Shoulder and loin area should not carry any weight Rider weight should be on saddle support area only.
I have always wanted to work with horses. When I was at the point of deciding what to do with my life I did a co-op with an equine vet, and a co-op at a saddlery (Passier). While working with live animals really appealed to me, the thought of another 6-8 years of school did not, so I decided to become a saddler – which allowed me the time to continue riding, since I was training before and after work.
I had a beautiful 7 year old Hannoverian gelding (Pirat out of Perser XX) at the time, and was riding with the likes of Bettina Overesch-Hoy and other very talented German young riders. However, after placing in German nationals in 1982 Pirat began showing signs of lameness – which at the time I did not attribute to the saddle, since after all, I was surrounded by experts – vets, trainers, farriers who all had a job of keeping us fit for the team. When I think of the remedial applications we used in an attempt to ward off the lameness with, including blocking, blistering, re-shoeing and all sorts of pharmaceuticals, I could cry. Knowing what I know now, it was simply the fact that the construction of my saddle was not in keeping with the requirements of the horse – forward facing tree points which were hit by the shoulder during every step he took; a too narrow gullet which impacted his spinal processes, ligaments, and nerves along the back, and likely a gullet plate which pinched him and impeded his wither muscle as he tried to jump and move. Everything by the book – a textbook case of pure torture for my poor horse.
I wish I knew then what the past 22+ years of experience and working with equine professionals around the world have taught me; at the very least I know Pirat would have been sound a lot longer, at the very best perhaps my riding career would have gone much farther. I had to retire him for lameness after we made the qualifications for the European Championships in 1984, and that was basically the end of my riding career.
Having made my own horse suffer as he did, I am very aware of trying to alleviate this kind of consequences for other horses, and have made it my passion to make a difference. My saddles are designed to work with the biomechanics of the horse in motion; anyone can fit to a horse standing still, but does it work when he moves? I constantly work with other equine professionals in many disciplines to keep improving my knowledge to change my designs to make the horses more comfortable and to protect their backs. For me – the biggest thank you I can get from a client is when the horse begins to move freely, happily, and well! Often they throw their arms around me, crying, because the difference is that visible and they realize how much harm they had unknowingly done with their saddles. I know how they feel, because that’s how I felt! For me, it’s about helping the horse and the comfort of the horse and rider. “I made this my calling and that is why I teach (saddle fitting) worldwide.”
The worldwide network of Saddlefit 4 Life® professionals and adherents working together, are striving for products, systems, training methods that will protect the horse’s (and rider’s) back from long term damage. Never again should any horse have to suffer for the ignorance of his rider, nor will a once sound horse have to be farmed out, or put down because the damage is so severe that nothing more can be done to help or change the situation.
Saddlefit 4 Life® shares the expertise of top trainers, physiotherapists, veterinarians, chiropractors, massage therapists, farriers, and saddle fitters. Our Principles of Fit and correct saddle making are taught in Australia, North America, Asia, Germany, Holland and other parts of Europe. Saddlefit 4 Life® is currently being taught at the German National Riding School in Warendorf Germany as part of the certification program for trainers, bereiters and reitlehrers.
Saddlefit 4 Life®Professioals share information through lectures, seminars, demonstrations, symposiums as well as in one-on-one client sessions to evaluate and diagnose suspected saddle fit issues.