Views on Endurance Saddle Fitting

Fitting the horse
It is the rider's responsibility to properly fit the horse, so no pain or damage is caused to our enduring equine partners. The rider will indirectly benefit greatly from proper saddle fitting. It will enhance the horse performance, reduce injuries, and increase the rider's comfort. As an illustration, a poor saddle fit can cause a horse to carry himself in an inverted fashion, with poor balance resulting in frequent dangerous tripping, and a very bumpy and tiring ride for the rider. On the contrary, a saddle correctly designed and positioned, will favor proper horse collection for weight carriage, will leave the horse's focus on his task, and will result in a smooth and comfortable ride for the rider.

The incentives for saddle fitting are multiple; so why is it such a complex proposition? The first reason is that horses vary greatly in conformation: an Icelandic pony is greatly different from a Thoroughbred. The second reason is that there are dozens of commercially available off-the-shelf and custom saddles. Finally, there are maybe some misconceptions about what attributes of a saddle are specific to a sport and what should be generic. Thus making the match is difficult.

1) Maximize the surface area of support for weight distribution across the horse's back,
2) Bring the center of gravity of the rider as close as possible to that of the horse, maximizing the balance of the horse and rider,
3) Shift weight of the rider and tack off the front legs to the hind legs in order that the carriage of the horse achieves balance,
4) Free up the wither, shoulder and scapula while not interfering with the loins of the horse,
5) Fit the horse standing, as well as fit the horse in motion while keeping the saddle from shifting,
6) And of course, meet the functions, comfort, ease of maintenance, and aesthetics expectation of the rider.

This is a challenging prospect because these six goals are rarely met in the saddle and horse industry.

Treeless Saddles. For instance, one could think that treeless saddles are the answer, however, in our opinion, they fail grossly to meet the No. 1 goal of weight distribution across a maximum surface area of contact. Treeless saddles and even bareback pads or bareback riding, are great for teaching the rider about close contact, balance, and positioning. But, in our view, should be limited to short riding distances or duration, on the order of 10 miles or 1 hour, respectively.

Flexible Tree. Likewise, a flexible tree of some kind has been a reasonable compromise for a lot of horse owners, but the recurring problem lays in the saddle shifting backwards or forward, as soon as riding takes place in steep terrain. Thus, riders have recourse to tighter cinching or to more tack, including breast collars and croupers, to address those problems, all at the expense of the horse's comfort and performance.

Adjustable Tree. Adjustable tree width and angle at the pommel level, appeared as a breakthrough and a potential solution. However, experience shows that often going to a wider angle results in lowering the front of the saddle, which ends up tipping forward, or causes the saddle to set too low on the shoulder because the length of the gullet does not change. Using a narrow tree and/or a small angle results in lifting the front of the saddle, thus tipping the rider backwards. So ideally, only one gullet width and angle should be chosen for a particular horse.

After reviewing these three examples of approaches that yielded limited success in terms of saddle fitting needs, one may feel somewhat depressed about finding the right saddle for their horse and equine activity. It does not stop here:

Most saddles interfere with the front or the back of the horse, and sometimes with both. Parallel to that point, is the issue of where the weight of the rider is located on the back of the horse. Indeed, most English saddles, all-purpose saddles and dressage saddles, are sitting on the front part of the spine, starting around the 9th vertebrae, and back. The first issue with that saddle position is the interference with the scapula and shoulder movement. (typically, the interference with the wither is well addressed). This is particularly impacting the performance of dressage and gaited horses, which need to have a free shoulder to excel. The endurance horse is no exception.

Secondly, if the horse is required to carry most of the rider's weight on the forehand, he will be out of balance and while trying to regain balance, will go faster and then the rider will constantly discipline the horse to gain control. The hind legs of the horse are well muscled and designed for flexion and weight carriage.

There is the sport of racing where the horse is encouraged to have top speed in a straight line. But, when agility is needed for quick stops, starts, jumping, quick rotations, carriage on the back haunches is desired. The best example of this is seeing in the ancient war horses, trained and ridden for maximum maneuverability in combat, or in contemporary picador horses used in bull fighting. (Ann Hyland, The Horse in the Ancient World, 2003. Martin Dingle, Masters of Equitation, 2001. Klaus Ferdinand Hempling, Dancing with Horse, 2001)

For those reasons, we feel that no weight should be supported in front of the 12th or 13th vertebrae of horses., especially for long back horses, that have in essence a longer ÒbridgeÓ span, and thus are more fragile, relatively speaking.

At the other end of the spectrum, and if fact the other end of the back, it is essential that the horses loin are left free of interference, especially when the horse is in motion. This last point is often overlooked, resulting in horses exhibiting back problems and also refusing to pick up or maintain some gaits. Freeing up the shoulder as well as the loins leaves a limited area in the middle of the back for saddle contact and weight distribution. It is thus very important to do that part right in terms of saddle design. For the horse owner, saddle fitting can be accomplished either by trying multiple off the shelf saddles of varying sizes and shapes, or preferably, by custom building a saddle for the horse or type of horse. Several techniques are now available to design a custom saddle or to verify the fit of an off-the-shelf saddle. (John Lyons, The Perfect Horse, March 2004, Vol. 9, No. 3)

We discussed the horizontal positioning of the saddle, but the vertical positioning (how far the rider's seat is away from the horses back) of the saddle and rider is also important to consider. The ideal position will bring the center of gravity of the rider as close as possible to that of the horse, maximizing balance and synergy. Again bareback would meet this objective best, but, as discussed, this technique does not distribute the weight correctly. So it is important that the materials used for the tree, padding, and seat of the saddle result in a thin rigid layer of the correct shape. For instance, panels that are used for saddle fitting, tend to raise the seat sometimes in a very exaggerated fashion. Similarly, tree materials of lower strength can be very thick and again raise the overall position of the rider. In contrast, material such as carbon fiber, or even fiberglass, can be strong, yet very thin, on the order of a few millimeters. In addition, these materials can be shaped easily during manufacturing for a perfect custom fit, and are very light, a serious benefit.

These complex challenges have been met somehow by some old saddle designs, but failed our last criteria, meeting the horse and rider comfort, aesthetics, and ease of maintenance. Fortunately, we can now meet these criteria with the advancements in material development coupled with the refinement of traditional techniques.

A few examples of new materials are Sorbothaneâ Sympatexâ and open cell foams.

Sorbothaneâ is a synthetic shock absorber. A thin layer on the order of 1/8th inch can be inserted in a pad or as a separate pad to reduce the concussions in the horse's joints.

Sympatexâ is an aerated synthetic material that can be used for the pad in contact with the horse. This material is ventilated and helps extracting the heat and sweat away from the horse, thus helping the cooling process. It is also easy to wash and dries quickly.

Finally, open cell foam technology for the saddle padding means that the padding does not compact or migrate over time. As a result the proper insulation between the rigid tree and the horse's back or the rider seat is always maintained, as opposed to wool flocking which, over time, compacts and migrates thus revealing pressure points on the back of the horse.

The amount of material that will be in contact with the horse's back should be considered. While the surface area should be large enough to distribute the weight of the rider adequately, it should also allow for the horse's back to cool off. Too much material on the horses back will not allow for good heat exchange.

Fitting the rider
Riders vary greatly in attitude and perception. Some riders are willing to accept excruciating discomfort from a saddle as long as the horse is not affected. At the other end of the spectrum, some riders seem to only care about their comfort without consideration for the horse. Our view is that the educated and caring rider does not need to suffer and that all riders should realize that their performance and that of the horse would be enhanced if the saddle fits both the horse and rider. Indeed a poor saddle fit for the rider will cause unbalanced riding, poor positioning, early fatigue, use of reins for balance, and ultimately will translate to reduced performance of the horse, lack of control and responsiveness, and a higher chance of injury. The following discusses the variables to be considered when fitting a saddle to a rider.

Seat size. Very often the seat size is described by one dimension: the length. While the length is one of the main criteria for rider fitting, it should be noted that the seat surface area, the twist, and the height of the cantle are also variables. For long distance riding, a large seat surface area is needed, as opposed to a jumping saddle on which the rider hardly ever sits. Increasing the surface area of the seat may affect the twist. It is important that the twist be sufficiently narrow so that it does not adversely affect the riders, especially those with a narrow pelvis. A lower cantle can help the rider to easily make adjustments to a changing terrain slope, or a higher cantle will offer more stability for the rider.

Saddle flap length and knee roll location. Because riders vary greatly in height and in leg length, it is important to also fit the rider limbs. Indeed, it can be uncomfortable, not to mention funny looking, to have the knees past the knee rolls, outside the saddle. Unfortunately, it is common for tall riders because the off the shelf saddles only accommodate the majority of human sizes and not the extremes. Similarly, if the knee roll is far away from the knee of a shorter individual, the stabilizing function of the knee roll, and its role as pivot will not be fulfilled. When choosing a saddle or ordering a custom saddle the flap size in terms of surface area and knee roll location should be carefully adjusted to the rider. It is also noteworthy that serious long distance trail saddle makers usually offer a back roll option. This should be considered if ridding in steep terrain is common. The back roll acts as a leg stopper when the horse going uphill.

Leathers type and length. Similar to the flaps of a saddle, the leather type and length should be adapted to the rider's leg length and position. Strap leathers are common and inspired from English saddles. For long distance riding, they can cause discomfort over long periods of riding. As a result, many saddle and tack makers offer wider and more comfortable leathers. In that case, the length should match that of the rider's leg. Some saddle makers offer saddle designs with no flaps at all, and a fender now replaces the leathers. The fender can incorporate a front knee roll for ultimate comfort and stability. With this design the back roll cannot be efficiently incorporated, so riders contemplating very steep terrain should consider a different design.

Stirrup Type and Size. Stirrups fit into two categories: open or closed (Tapadero style). The closed stirrup is in fact required in endurance rides sanctioned by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). One can assume that this requirement is aiming at increase safety, as the rider's foot can not fall through the stirrup and branches can not get stuck in the stirrup. The closed configuration also offers the advantage of a larger sole, which increase the surface area for the foot to rest on. This concept has been extended to open stirrup configurations too, by many manufacturers. In addition, foams have been added to the design for maximum comfort of the rider. The long distance or trail rider should seriously consider these features.

As mentioned before, a comfortable and a happy rider, will fatigue less and ultimately will preserve his mount by staying in the proper balanced position. In addition to proper physical fit of the saddle, other aspects of comfort include the materials of saddle construction, as they impact weight, ventilation, ease of maintenance, and not to mention the overall aesthetics. As mentioned earlier, synthetic materials have greatly contributed to reducing the weight of saddles, in particular fiberglass, or carbon fiber trees. Closed cell foams benefit the horse directly, but also can positively affect the rider's comfort if used in the seat.

When it comes to the outside of the saddle, synthetic materials have made great strides but they do not equal the benefits of high quality leather. Indeed, leather is the only material to date that offers the breath-ability needed in long distance riding, especially if the saddle is used in combination with a breathable pad. The leather also offers some grip for the rider and helps the overall balance. In addition, leather stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter than any synthetic material. The recent advances in the tanning and treatment of leathers have translated in easy to clean and maintain all leather saddles. Riders should look for leather specifically treated for outdoor use, including water resistance and ultraviolet light protection treatment.

Conclusion
When selecting a saddle and focusing on the proper fit of the rider and the mount, many considerations come into play. The challenge is to optimize all the variables to maximize performance and comfort, which are intimately linked, especially for the demanding sport of endurance. Such challenges can be achieved with a customized saddle for a given horse/rider team with the selection of top quality materials.

Dr. Gil Crozes
Cynthia Brown
Tricia Richter

Hi-Tack, 4430 W. Quail Point Court, Boise, ID 83703
gil@hitack.com, cynthia@hitack.com, tricia@hitack.com