The Alternative Horse

Pressure Testing: There is a system on the market specifically designed for pressure testing saddles. It is called Port Lewis. It gives you a definitive answer to whether or not your saddle is causing excess pressure anywhere - it can be used for treeless and treed saddles.

A big thankyou to Galadriel for letting me link to her website, giving the results of fittings she has done with a Barefoot Treeless. Her site also has a review of the Cashel Soft Saddle which may be of interest to some of you  and is a wealth of knowledge as far as saddles go. 

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A Fitform Fitting

This fitting shows my New Forest pony Dolly modelling her 16" Fitform Treeless Saddle. I've recently been asked how a treeless such as the Fitform is measured. They are measured from the middle of the cantle to the middle of the pommel (see photo below).

These three photos are conformation shots. Photo one shows her side on. She has a large shoulder, short back and not much wither. Photo two shows just how wide she is (an XXW in a treed saddle). Photo 3 shows just how flat-backed she is.

Getting the balance right. The easiest way to tell whether a Fitform saddle (or similar type ie Barefoot/Trekker/Torsion etc) is balanced is to check that the seat is flat on the horse's back (ie you can draw a straight line from the top of the pommel block to the top of the cantle block). Photo one shows the saddle well balanced and sitting on the weight bearing part of her back. Photo two shows it placed too far forward - the pommel is higher than the cantle and the saddle is sitting on her shoulders instead of her back.Photo three shows the saddle placed too far back - the cantle is higher than the pommel and this is causing the saddle to sit down on her withers and it's also putting the saddle on her loins (the grey line shows approximately where her last rib is and the red line is where the saddle actually is).

Now the balance issue is sorted, we need to tackle padding. I wouldn't want to use the saddle without a pad, as there is a seam in the middle of the saddle which could rub her spine. Also, the underside of the saddle is wool fleece and it's not the easiest thing in the world to clean. I have 3 saddle pads that I use with this saddle - a half wool pad that came with it (made by Goldfinch Endurance), an NEW non slip pad, and the one she's showing off in the following photos - a Western anti slip pad.

This pad provides excellent wither and spine clearance (as shown in the last two photos). The first two photos show how the pad doesn't affect the balance of the saddle. The pad extends out in front and behind the saddle which means that no seams are being pushed onto her back.

I no longer recommend the use of this pad under treeless saddles - I took Dolly for a longer ride in it and wound up with raised marks on her back - the pad was promptly disposed of.

As seen above, I use a humane girth wrapped in a Prolite girth sleeve. The humane girth allows me to do it up in half stages which keeps Dolly happy. The Prolite girth sleeve has two uses - one, it cushions and spreads the pressure of the girth; and two, it adds a bit more non-slip to the equation.

I hope you have found this article useful. Any questions or comments, please email me via the top form on the Contact Me page.

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A Diddi Pad fitting

Here are some photos of the saddle when I first recevied it. The first two photos show the photo without a pad. The last two show it with the pad I've chosen to use with it - a Nuumed high wither half pad. 

And here it is on the horse! Note how the seat is level, and the saddle is not impinging Dolly's shoulders.

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Here's an anomaly! A Freeform Fitting

I recently purchased a Freeform SB with Forward Girth. Now that I have it sussed, it is the best saddle I've ever used on her and I have no plans to buy another saddle for her. However, the fitting tricked me so I'm going to show you why in case this ever crops up for you! :)

When I first put the saddle on her, I made sure it was level, however this meant it was right over her shoulders and the girth was in front of the girth groove...

I pulled the girth back, did it up and went for a ride. The saddle slipped backwards and when I got off, it was unlevel - the cantle was higher than the pommel. I pondered this a while, then realised that as soon as weight was put on the seat, the whole thing became totally level! So I tried again - put the saddle where it wanted to be, rode, and had no movement at all! No ruffled hairs, and Dolly gave me the best, biggest movement ever! Who said she's only 13.2hh?! She certainly rides like a 15.2hh!

The moral of the story is, sometimes the saddle just isn't level until you get on!

Accessory wise, I'm using a Griffin Nuumed Hi Wither Full Wool Endurance Numnah and a Stubben neoprene girth.

Nowadays I use the Freeform with a Haf Airnet pad underneath rather than the Nuumed. The reason for this is that the Haf has shimmable pockets either side of the spine so that you can create a gullet. It is also more contoured than the Nuumed so provides more wither clearance. The photograph below shows the sweat pattern on Dolly's back after a 3.5 hour ride in the Freeform with the Haf pad underneath.

This photograph was taken on a camera phone so lacks quality, however it does demonstrate that Dolly sweated evenly everywhere under the saddle; however the dry, smooth hair down the spine shows that the pad and therefore the saddle and rider never contacted her spine.