[haunani]

Balance Saddle Clinic Notes... LONG!
Here's a basic summary of my notes from the clinic. I know there's more, but I couldn't find it all in my crammed noggin!

'www.balanceinternational.com'

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4 Main things to keep in mind when fitting a saddle:

-They naturally follow the line of least resistance

ie- a bad fitting saddle. They can either put of a fuss to let you know how uncomfortable or painful it is, or they can adjust how their body moves to compensate for the ill fit. Unless the pain or discomfort is extreme (high tolerance), they will naturally choose the latter.

-They have the ability to compensate their movements to appear "normal".

This is a survival mechanism. If something hurts or doesn't work right, they will compensate for that pain and use muscles and joints in ways they weren't meant to so predators won't be able to tell they're "weak".

-Black skin... no visible bruising!

In studies done on necropsied horses, over 90% of those ridden regularly had black (long-term) bruising on their backs.

-No vocalization of pain.

Most other animals have some sort of sound they'll make when in pain, such as a whimper, yelp, meow, etc. Horses don't do this, another survival mechanism. They suffer in silence.

When observing a horse's movement under saddle, look at it in 4 sections:

Levers- hind legs, rump.

The rear legs act as a lever in a horse's movement. They are responsible for the lifting, moving, and shock absorption.

Bridge- back, stomach.

Connects the rear and the front, transfers energy.

Pillars- shoulder, front legs

Supporting a stationary, heavy weight

Counterbalance- head and neck

Neutralizes the weight in the rear

A horse has 2 general postures- static and movement
Static Posture

-Hind legs are offloaded, often resting one or the other. They do the work when moving, so they are at rest when standing.

-Massive weight of horse is propped up on the pillars.

-Bridge is neutral. The more relaxed a horse is, the more his back will drop.

Movement

-Bridge is lifted.

-Rear legs are closer to the central weight of the horse.

-An example of how posture affects movement:

Stand behind a semi-light chair.
Lean forward, holding the back of the chair in your front hands, putting most of your weight on your hands. Have your back arched.
Try to pick up the chair.
Hard, isn't it?
Now stand behind the chair, round your back, and bring your feet closer.
Try to pick up the chair.
Much easier, right?
The same applies to a horse. With a rounded back and bringing his hind legs underneath, it becomes easier to "lift" his front end.

Effect of saddle fit on body parts:

Shoulder Blade

-Held in place by soft tissue, since horse's don't have a collarbone.
For the front leg to move forward, the top of the shoulder blade moves backward, like a pendulum.

-Since it does act like a pendulum, a tiny constriction of movement at the top can have a big effect on amount of movement at bottom.

-If the restriction remains, they will begin using their neck muscles to pull the shoulder blade forward instead of rotating back like it should (compensation)

"Junction Box"

-area behind the shoulder blade, near spine. Most of the main body muscles have a connection in this area.

-2 muscles are directly affected by the "jb"

Trapezious (sic)- responsible for lifting the shoulder and taking the leg forward

-Signs your horse has a problem in this area: stumblind, tipping, doesn't like downhill, sunken appearance next to wither.

(Didn't get the name of it)-long chain of connective muscles along the back, radiating down.

-The muscles that should carry/support a rider when they (muscles) are healthy.

-The distance of muscling along the spine will show you where the "problem" is.

Example of problems: pressure on surface shuts down local blood supply.

-You can take a finger, push down on your skin, and see the white spot when you remove it. A saddle creating pressure will do the same to your horse.

-Long term- local muscles under pressure aren't getting the blood supply they need, and begin to atrophy. Common examples are sunken behind the withers- switching to a narrower saddle, horse becomes more "narrow", so you switch again. The tightness of the gullet is blocking blood flow and causing atrophy. With a tighter (smaller) gullet, the muscle can't recover.

-There is a reflex point around the junction box. When pressure is applied to this point, the horse's back drops.

-It's not a choice for them to drop their back to avoid the pressure, just as it's not your choice to kick out your leg when the doctor tests your reflexes.
In a poorly fitting saddle, pressure can be continuously applied to this area. Every time the horse tries to bring its back up, pressure on the spot, drops back again. After this happening enough (not as much as you would think), the horse will begin holding it's back in the dropped position. A common cause of sway back. Back drops, people add more pads, more pressure, back drops more. Muscles not meant to support weight in that posture. A downward spiral.

-Riders who put most of their weight on their stirrups can lead to faster muscle wastage and dropped backs. The stirrup bars are often located directly on top of the "JB".

-When the back drops, it's natural for the counter balance to go "UP". People then add tie downs, martingales and such to hold their horses' heads down.

Hip Joint
-easier to open/close this joint with a rounded back.

-Stand up again... yeah, you!
stand naturally, pick up one leg.
stand with your back arched, try again.
stand with your back rounded, try again.
Which one was easier, easiest?
Rounded Back?
Leg feels lighter
Lifts higher and easier
Foot lands softer

-If they can't move with their backs rounded, they start to compensate for this with unnatural movement in their hock and stifle.

-When we start to ask joints to move unnaturally, the body will grow more bone to try an stabilize it
Arthritis
Ringbone
Etc.

3 misconceptions in saddle fitting:

No pads are needed if the saddle fits correctly
Come on, would you wear hiking/walking/running shoes without socks if they fit correctly? You like the padding, right? And a little bit of extra room?
So does your horse!!

No pads are needed when fitting a saddle
If you're planning on riding with pads, you need to fit your saddle WITH pads! If your saddle "fits" without any pads, it will be too small/tight when you do add them.

Saddle fitting a horse in its static posture
The back is lower, shoulder narrower and back narrower when relaxed.

-A horse in motion will have a wider shoulder, raised back, and a broader back when moving.

-A saddle fit perfectly when a horse is standing still will be too tight when he begins to move.

Ideal saddle characteristics

-a gullet at least 2.5" wide

-flatter panels from front to back

-flatter panels from side to side

-wide open gullet (u shaped, not v shaped)

-when on horse, wider than the shoulder when static

-padding-more at withers than at back

-saddle should not rock on the horse's back

-push down on cantle/pommel- saddle should not move
in static position, you should be able to slide your hand (whole hand) along shoulder blade and 1 1/2" behind it
front of saddle should be placed 1 1/2" behind shoulder blade (to allow for rotation of shoulder blade)

-when horse is standing still, do not sit on him for more than about 2 minutes. They aren't meant to bear weight in that posture!

Other saddle types
Western- Not flexible in the right way and don't offer the freedom of movement the horse needs. They've tried to develop one, but have been unable to do so, so far.

Treeless- It's better to be in a treeless than an ill-fitting treed saddle. Best for lighter riders on a horse with a well-muscled healthy back. Not good if the rider relies on the stirrups and places a lot of weight in them. Not good for long hours of riding.

note
They are very friendly people and are very willing to help you out. If you can't afford one of their saddles now, they will recommend you one that you can use for now, while not causing "damage" to your horse. (Lucky for me, it's the one I already have!!)