Saddle Fit

In the mid 1990′s when my horse began having some back soreness, I started educating myself about saddle fit.  From that time until 2005, I made sure that my saddles were properly fitted by an experienced saddle fitter and had the flocking adjusted and checked at least twice a year to accommodate any changes in the horse’s back muscles.  In 2004 I learned of Balance International.  I contacted Carol and Lesley at Balance International in England and to my surprise they spent quite bit of time with me on the phone helping me learn how to better fit my saddle to my horse.  Even through phone conversations it was obvious that they were passionate about helping horses.

“Animals…hide their pain.  In the wild, any animal who is injured is likely to be finished off by a predator, so probably animals evolved a natural tendancy to act as if nothing is wrong.” Temple Grandin, Animals in Translation

In February of 2005, I attended my first Balance International clinic which was given by Carol, less than an hour from my home (how lucky is that!!).  Her in-depth talk on equine biomechanics and saddle fit absolutely amazed me.    It was the first time I heard how horses actually hide their pain and compensate for poor saddle fit by adjusting their posture.  As the day progressed, participants were allowed to watch others’ consultations with Carol.  The changes that occurred in the horses, when they were ridden in a Balance saddle as compared to their current saddle, were at times dramatic.

When it came my turn for my consultation with Carol, I first rode around in my saddle at the walk and trot so Carol could assess George’s movement and bio mechanics, then we placed a Balance saddle on him and I rode him at the walk.  I immediately felt tension in George’s body dissipate and his stride seemed to open up.  When I was done riding, he immediately began to yawn. And yawn, and yawn.  Huge yawns!  I thought he would never stop yawning.  Carol explained to me that the yawning is a sign that the horse is releasing tension.  This was the first time I had ever seen George yawn in the 6 years that he had been with me.

During the summer of 2005, I purchased my Balance saddle.  When Carol returned to the U.S. that December, I had a riding lesson with her and then started having lessons with her friend Terry Wright, with the goal of improving George’s biomechanics.  Thanks to the Balance saddle he is now able to use his body in a much healthier manner, something that conventional saddles would not allow.

The primary difference that I find between my Balance International saddle and conventional saddles, is that it is much, much wider.  It is wider because it is designed to fit a healthy engaged back which is much wider than an unhealthy disengaged back.  In my prior experience with saddle fitters, they would flock my saddle to fit my static horse and leave a little room for the horse’s back to lift.  What I now know is that they never realized how much a horse’s back is able to lift and widen when allowed to do so through proper saddle fit and riding!

For more information, visit the Balance International website.  There is loads of information there and their newsletters are very informative.  As they conduct clinics all over the world, check their calendar for dates when they might be coming to your area.  Even if you have no interest in purchasing a new saddle, the educational information that they provide on equine biomechanics is not to be missed!