A
question asked by many horse owners is whether saddle fitting is a myth or a necessity,
however, the more people who have a professional saddle fitter fit their saddles, the less
think of it as a myth.
A conversation many years ago with a respected horse trainer highlighted the diverse opinions held
by many horse owners. She aired the thoughts that saddle fitting was a fallacy and not necessary.
"When I was younger we would put any saddle on any horse and they never complained," she
said. This is a phrase that is repeated often, but thinking horsemen and women also understand
that many years ago there were horse drawn carriages too, which doesn't mean we don't now buy
state-of-the-art motor vehicles!
Technology is always advancing in all fields to better one's quality of life, so why should horse
comfort be excluded from such advancements?
Interestingly, 12 months after this conversation with the trainer she was back in touch and distraught
that one of her well bred Arabians had, over a period of eight months since being broken in, lost
much of its elasticity and suspension in movement. No longer did this mare cover the ground
effortlessly, she became agitated when working and was difficult to handle, both on the ground
and under saddle, exhibiting muscle soreness and a resistance to relax under saddle. Her posture
had deteriorated and her topline was not developing as it should with the amount of work she was
getting. After having a veterinary chiropractic practitioner treat the mare she was referred to have
her saddle assessed. After correcting the saddle issues and working side by side with the veterinary
chiropractic practitioner the result was a lovely, responsive mare that is comfortable under saddle
and has had her posture and topline issues resolved. This trainer has now become the biggest
advocate for promoting the importance of saddle fitting and responsible horse management in this
regard.