All In Balance

01/10/2024

Saddle fitting courses, with a qualification to fit and adjust in less than 3 weeks!! Wow.....just wow!! Scary, and half of that is online!!

10/02/2023

Sometimes the answer to helping horses is getting the right help and a starting point! Dont be afraid to not commit to riding if the horse needs groundwork support first. Farrier, vet, bodyworker, saddler, nutritionist can all work together for a positive outcome when the horse has issues. Like the comments say- it takes a village 😜

Saddles cannot create soundness.
Saddles can however, create unsoundness.

Equestrians tend to have an odd tendency to hyper focus on a single facet of care when a problem arises, thinking that throwing all of their time and money at this one particular problem that everything else will fall into place. While the saddle is an integral part of maintaining soundness in your horse, it's also not a magic pill that will overcome thoracic outlet syndrome, poor trimming, poor diet, cruel/forceful/coercive/improper riding, lack of turnout, poor blanket fit, little/no dentistry, etc.

While not overly common, there are times when we go out to evaluate saddle fit only to see a horse in complete and utter dysfunction, to the point where we cannot ethically condone any type of riding. In these instances, we can provide the most perfect saddle for the horse in front of us, but we'd only become part of the problem in basically encouraging the owner that riding this unsound (not lame) animal is OK. This is when we provide the owner with resources on equine professionals we know and trust to help bring this horse to a place where riding will not cause direct discomfort and damage to an already stressed body stuck in compensation.

We also understand that not all owners will be happy with hearing that they shouldn't be riding, nor will all of them take our recommendations to heart. There will definitely continue to be instances where they simply call out another fitter who may not see, or choses to ignore, the very clear physical indications of unsoundness. Luckily, we run into many owners who are willing to take the time it needs working with whatever other professionals such as vets, bodyworkers, farriers to help their horses overcome whatever ails them.

The image gives an example of dysfunctional posture/hoof angles.

14/11/2022

Observing the Horse

When a saddle fit evaluation (CEE or CSE) is completed, the evaluator will actively observe the horse through all interactions with the handler/rider, including natural posture and movement patterns in the cross-ties and to/from the stall or paddock. Compensatory postures such as being canted in are indicative of a horse who is already in dysfunction without ever having to see the horse in motion or under saddle. The reason for the heavy focus on symptoms of pain, abnormal postures and deficiencies in the gaits is that they are signs of problems within the body that may present under saddle, but may not necessarily stem from saddle fit or riding style.

No single part of the horse works in isolation from all other parts, and like with any body, a weakness or issue in one part or if the care for one aspect is lacking, it will show up in other parts of the body without fail. This is why having a team of equine professionals working together is the only way to ensure your horse is truly physically sound. A horse whose hooves are out of balance will not be comfortable under saddle no matter how well the saddle fits.
Did you know that improper angles in the hooves can be seen as far up as the teeth?

Stay tuned for our next webinar with Jessica as we will go over how to map your horses feet and determine if a second opinion, or a new farrier, is needed.

16/09/2022

No Foot, No Horse. Often quoted, sadly too often overlooked.

No hoof, no horse.

No part of a horse is unimportant and no part of its care should be neglected, and not even in the criminal sense but for example going a bit too long between trims, skipping floating, not having their feed audited when the workload changes or they transition to what is considered senior.

For the feet of the horse, without proper trimming that takes the conformation of the whole horse, its workload and diet into consideration, you will put your horse on a slippery slope to increased risk of injury, and the inability/increased difficulty of doing what is asked as they're having to fight against poor or infrequent trims.

Imagine yourself wearing shoes that have the heel lower than the toe, and then having to complete a walking marathon or go over a few hurdles. It would not only be extremely awkward and uncomfortable, but also put a lot of strain on your body, force you into an unnatural posture to compensate and leave you unbalanced and well beyond sore the next day (if you're lucky enough to not injure yourself, as well).

Now imagine a horse whose feet have been left for too long. All toe, no heel, flaring out, or even the opposite with chipped off toes and an overgrown and now contracted heel. Horses also don't have the luxury of telling their rider they need a quick breather or that they're not able to complete the task at hand because of unbalance and discomfort. They are pushed on to complete the round, finish the pattern, etc despite the man-made handicap they're forced to deal with and compensate for.

Not only in posture, but muscular development, strain on tendons, joint and ligament health are all affected by hoof care, or the lack of. The saying cannot be truer - no hoof, no horse.

14/07/2022

Lovely 😍

𝗘𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗱 ✨

Er is op social media veel beeldmateriaal van paarden die gereden of getraind worden, waar ik niet vrolijk van word. Dit is voor veel mensen misschien wel herkenbaar.

Ik vind dat het belangrijk is om daarover te praten, om mensen te leren hoe de biomechanica van het paard werkt en waarom het belangrijk is om correct te trainen.
Helaas voel ik wel steeds meer negativiteit/verdriet als ik weer eens beelden voorbij zie komen van paarden die duidelijk pijn en/of stress hebben. En waarop dan allemaal reacties komen van mensen die het mooi vinden...

Daarom wilde ik vandaag eens een heel positief plaatje voor jullie analyseren. Ik gebruikt daarvoor deze foto van een pagina die ik met veel plezier volg: OneHorseLife

Ik zal je de lijnen die ik bij de foto heb gezet toelichten:

𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗱 - de neus van het paard op deze foto is net voor de loodlijn, hiermee voorkom je grote druk op de halswervels en het achterhoofd.

𝗚𝗲𝗲𝗹 - de afstand van kin tot borst is mooi groot. Hierdoor an het paard vrij ademen en slikken.

𝗚𝗿𝗼𝗲𝗻 - de mond, neus, oren en ogen zijn ontspannen. Ik zie geen tekenen van een painface en daar wordt ik uiteraard erg blij van.

𝗪𝗶𝘁 - je kunt precies een lijn trekken vanaf de elleboog van de ruiter naar de mond van het paard. De onderarm van de ruiter volgt deze lijn precies, hetgeen zorgt voor een fijn contact van de ruiterhand naar de mond van het paard.

𝗣𝗮𝗮𝗿𝘀 - het paard kantelt het be**en wat achterover, door aanspanning van de buikspieren en het juist gebruiken van de rug.

𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗷𝗲 - het paard begint mooi in balans te komen onder de ruiter. De sc**ft wordt gelift, het be**en achterover gekanteld en het gewicht van de voorhand en achterhand word op deze foto zo'n 50/50 verdeeld en gebruikt de achterhand hierbij goed.

𝗕𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘄 - de passen van de voorbenen en achterbenen zijn even groot. Ook dit betekent dat het paard in balans loopt. Hetgeen dit paard kan doen omdat hij zijn rug goed kan ontspannen, en de onderlijn kan aanspannen.

Kortom, je ziet op dit plaatje een paard dat de ruiter goed weet te dragen en zijn lichaam effectief en gezond kan gebruiken.
Daar wordt ik blij van, jij ook? 🐴 ❤️

28/06/2022

15/06/2022

Saddles that are too long ( frequent issue) saddles that bridge, rock badly or make contact with spinous processes and ligaments ( too narrow central channel) will all make the horse hollow theough his back and compensate his way of going. Physio treatment can help to alleviate some tightmess and re- educate the horse and owner how to move and carry their body bettwr but if the saddle is not addressed then the body will deform again and again until breakdown occurs.
Both Helen and Karen are trained by Saddlefit4life to evaluate saddle support area and total panel contact so can show you exactly where your saddle should fit and when it does not fit.
( We can even supply the chalk so you can share this knowledge with your yard friends! ) 😝

Saddle fit and Understanding the importance of Full Panel Contact.

There are still a lot of ‘opinions’ on what constitutes a properly fitting saddle, but essentially a large part of proper saddle fit is simple common sense! On the other hand, if it were truly such ‘common sense’ you would think many more people would understand and buy into the facts.

Full Panel Contact
Once you’ve established that your saddle’s gullet/channel is the correct width for your horse, with the panels resting on your horse’s longissimus dorsi muscles, and not on his spine or ligaments, you need to ensure that your saddle’s panels make even contact with your horse’s back. We want the saddle to sit on the optimal weight-bearing surface of the horse’s back, and to distribute the rider’s weight over an area that equals approximately 220 square inches and ends at the last rib.

How to Check for Full Panel Contact

Put your saddle on the horse, put your right hand under the stirrup bar area, gently hold the saddle in position with your left hand, and with your right-hand palm facing up slowly move your hand from front to back – you will feel a lot of contact on top of your hand . Put your hand flat on the horse’s back (you have greater sensitivity on the top of your hand, and feel if there is nice even panel contact from front to back. Check this on both sides. If the saddle sits flush at the front and back and loosely or no contact in the middle, this results in excess pressure at the front and back (bridging). If the saddle is tight in the middle and loose in the front and back (rocking) there is excess pressure in the middle of the saddle.
Some people find it easier to test for even contact by sliding a pen or pencil in between the panel and their horse’s back. Use whichever method (pen or hand) works best for you..

When a saddle rocks, the panels at the front and/or back of the saddle do not make even contact with the horse’s back. Think of the motion of a rocking horse. In this case, there is excessive pressure in the middle of the saddle, and the rider’s entire weight is concentrated in this one area. To determine if your saddle rocks, place the saddle on your horse’s back without a saddle pad. Push down on the pommel. If the cantle lifts up off the horse’s back, your saddle rocks.

Note that sometimes your saddle may be made with panels that deliberately flare up at the very back, so the last inch or so of the panels don’t make contact with your horse’s back. This is done in specialized cases: for instance, when there is a need to accommodate a tall or large rider on a horse with a short saddle-support area. If fitted correctly, this saddle will not rock. This extra room is also important for the back to come up when the horse engages during movement.

Sometimes we hear that a saddle that bridges slightly is actually a good thing, because when the horse lifts his back as he is being ridden, his back will come up into and fill in the space left by the bridge. While this may seem logical at first, in reality, it doesn’t work. The reasoning here is faulty. To demonstrate this, the next time your saddlefitter fits your saddle, ask her/him to put the Arc device or Saddletech ( a metal tool used to measure the curvature and width of your horse’s back) on your horse with the middle two wings lifted so that they do not make contact with your horse’s back. This will simulate a saddle that bridges. Then scratch your horse’s stomach along his midline, so that he raises his back. You will see that the middle 2 wings of the Arc device still do not make contact with your horse’s back. This shows that even when your horse lifts his back while being ridden, his saddle will still bridge. Not to mention that the back is not raised for all stages of movement in any gait, and as we all know, what goes up must come down and a bridging saddle will come down with additional force on only the front and rear - typically on the shoulders and lumbar with saddles that are routinely too long.

The goal of saddle fitting is to have the saddle distribute the riders’ weight evenly over the saddle support area, and it is important that the saddle neither bridge nor rock (excessively). Most riders would prefer a saddle that doesn’t move at all, however, to maintain the ability for loose, harmonious, and supple movement of the horse’s back and t ensure the rider’s body is in positive tension, the saddle should actually be able to ‘rock’ (very slightly) front to back. Saddles that don’t move at all on the back may actually put too much pressure on the floating ribs and on the sensitive part of the horse’s back outside of the saddle support area behind the 18th lumbar vertebrae. In a future article I will discuss exactly how to determine your horse’s saddle support area.

30/05/2022

Back to basics and at the Horses’s individual level……

It’s not so much about WHAT you do, but HOW you do it that matters…

If I had a pound for every time I’ve been asked to recommend an exercise to help with… *insert issue here*

The thing is, most exercises can be good for most horses at some point in their career. WHEN you do the exercise, HOW you do the exercise, HOW OFTEN you do the exercise, ON WHAT SURFACE you do the exercise, are all huge factors in determining the degree of usefulness of the exercise.

Not to mention your horse’s current capabilities. His MINDSET, his STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES, his current FITNESS LEVEL, his BODY POSTURE, and equally if not more importantly, his PHYSICAL ISSUES and PREVIOUS INJURIES.

Take a simple rein back for example. The exercise could work great for rounding the back and engaging the horse, but only if the current posture of the horse allows it too. If, for example, the horse flings his head up and back every time he begins the rein back then you are missing something vital. At the very least the horse will get no benefit from the exercise, at the worst, the exercise could be damaging.

You could apply this thought to any exercise you ever do.

My generic advice would be this;

When you ask for something from your horse, use only as much strength as a small child could use. Then, if the horse wants to tell you that what you’re doing is difficult, he can.

Remember, you don’t make the horse stronger in the right way by getting him to do complicated patterns and exercises in the wrong way. You make him stronger by completing simple, appropriate patterns and exercises in the right way, and build up the duration and frequency. Then, in time you can elaborate.

Teach him his ABC’s first. When he knows his ABC’s he can make words. String those words together to make sentences. Put sentences together to make a story. Then you’ve got a recipe for success.

21/05/2022

This book is an absolute must have read for anyone who owns / rides/ loves Horses, there is a lifetime of knowledge in it from professionals all over the world ( plus things are explained clearly with pictures 😝)
Bonus is for the library averse - its now on digital download!! 😀

Our best-selling book "Suffering in Silence: The Saddle Fit Link to Physical and Psychological Trauma in Horses" is now an ebook! ⁠

https://schleese.com/product/suffering-in-silence-3rd-edition-2017-softcover/

19/05/2022

Flocking vs. Adjusting.

In order to have a saddle fitted to your horse, the structure of the saddle itself (tree, gullet plates, billet alignment, seat balance, saddle balance, etc.) must all fit.

When you have a saddle that no longer fits in the tree angle, or the width is too narrow, reflocking the panels will NOT make the saddle fit.

It's the same premise as taking a shoe from when you were 5, and only changing the top portion of it in hopes it will fit your foot.
The sole of the shoe is not suited to your foot size, so no matter how much you tinker with the rest of it, it simply won't fit.

The only time reflocking will help is if the flocking itself has been compressed and/or has shifted, or there is a minor issue with saddle balance.

Flocking is only one of the many aspects of refitting a saddle, and unless you have the rest of your boxes checked, it will be a pointless exercise and just money down the drain.

Also, don't be fooled by fluffy panels! A panel that is very soft and easy to compress will not properly distribute rider weight, impact or the rails/points of the tree. A panel should be flat and firm, not fluffy and soft. If you drive, would you prefer a properly inflated tire or one that is half inflated, soft and squishy? How about a pillow? A super soft pillow provides no support whatsoever and allows your head to sink all the way in, with the stuffing just moving around willy-nilly when pressure is applied. It lacks form and therefore lacks structure and support.

Image provided by Karen Lewis (Thank you!).