It wouldn’t be a misstatement to say that a well made saddle benefits the pony more than the rider. An acceptable fit, size and weight of saddle can make the most important difference between a content, secure and comfy horse and one that is cranky and hazardous. A horrid saddle fit carries risk of serious injury to the pony. Sadly, there are all too many riders who ignore the value of the right saddle and the hazards associated with the wrong one.

If you are a mum, you have probably gone out numerous times to buy clothing and footwear for your kid. If you are a dad you almost certainly have accompanied your wife on one or two such shopping expeditions. Either way, the mother makes a giant fuss over every aspect of each item: the size, the material, the fitting, the color you name it. That is just the sort of care you ought to be taking over your horse’s saddle. A poorly fitting saddle can hurt your pony no less than poorly fitting attire can hurt your child. You would like your saddle to sit on the horse such that he hardly notices it. It should not chafe or irritate him. Ever seen a child suffer the negative effects of an ill-fitting pair of shoes? You’ve seen the equivalent of a horse suffering the negative effects of an ill-fitting saddle.

Humans change physical shape throughout their lives, and so do horses. The reasons are varied: age, lack of exercise, fattening diets, metabolic anomalies, even annual seasonal factors. Given the circumstances, it is as unlikely one saddle will serve one pony through its life as it that one pair of pants will serve a person all though his life.

Having said that, I never stop being astonished that so many horse owners never bother to do regular checks of the saddles used on their horses for continued appropriateness.

When an ill-fitting saddle leads to injury to the pony, it is going to stop performance. When a tight saddle pinches the horse’s back, its most usual effect is to cause bruises and tenderness in the area of the withers and along the spinal column. If the condition is permitted to continue, it results in permanent backbone and back muscle damage. On the other hand, saddles that are too large bring rider weight to bear on the wrong areas of the horse’s back. This implies overload at delicate points, and that implies lasting spine and nerve damage. In extraordinary cases, the horse’s performance can be unfavorable affected forever.

The saddle length is also crucial. The saddle should not carry back to the sensitive loin area, which isn’t able to bear weight. Saddles that abrade the loins cause the pony to suffer pain and agony. They can further result in damage to muscles, retarded muscular development. In extraordinary cases, they can harm the kidneys and tissues and nerves in the vicinity of the kidneys.

The pony functions best when he is comfy, content and in a position to move naturally and without unwarranted pressure, limitation or hitch. When a pony is made to suffer bruises, muscle strain and different kinds of agony over extended periods of time, he’s undoubtedly going to try to offset the factor that causes him this pain. He may take the incorrect sort of stride, hold the wrong sort of body posture, and continually twitch around attempting to ease the affected body areas. His performance is going to suffer. If his pain is incessant, he’ll at some point develop a dislike to the saddle and to being ridden. This hatred could carry on to become a behavioural issue. Pretty frequently, the consequences of an ill-fitting saddle that is causing pain to the horse aren’t immediately visible, and when they’re visible, a large amount of damage, some irrevocable, may have been done. If you really care about the condition of your horse and his riders, you must make it a custom to steadily monitor the fit of the saddle he is made to wear.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about prestige saddles