Leather Saddles – What do they do?

Proper fitting of a leather saddle is the most important aspect of riding in one.

And the most common saddle fit error is to place the saddle too far forward

• A saddle placed too far forward has the front of the panels sitting over the back of the shoulder blade.  This produces interference with shoulder extension, reducing the reach of the foreleg.  
  
"Often there is shortness and choppiness of stride which can mimic navicular disease.  Stumbling and mild co-ordination can also result." (Dr. Ian Bidstrup)

 A poorly fitting leather saddle causes painful muscles in the saddle seat area. Soreness in your horse has numerous causes including:-

:rider imbalance poor stuffing of panels poor contact of the panels with the horse in between the wither and saddle seat saddles angling uphill and more...

In short - too much pressure created by the weight and movement of the rider on a badly fitting leather saddle will cause pain in your horse. 

Another common and often neglected problem, of leather saddle fitting is girth placement. But placing the leather saddle in the correct place can have one significant cost.
It may cause the girth to go around the abdomen area where the abdomen is not the same diameter at the front and back of the girth.

This usually causes the girth to move forwards, which in turn brings the leather saddle forward and onto the shoulder blades.A three point girth strap will often be needed.  Many late model leather saddles have this built in or have allowance for this.

 ***The WorldWide Standard for saddle placement in a 16 hand horse is that the front of the panels, at the tree point of the saddle, be aligned 2-3 fingers width behind the top of the shoulder blade.(Referenced "spinalvet.com.au")

For more handy tips on horse care visit my website : ingridChester.com.au

Leather Saddles For Horses

Few people will tell you there is a right and a wrong leather saddle to buy for your horse.

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THAT IT'S OK TO BUY ANY LEATHER SADDLE AND PUT IT ON THEIR HORSE.

They couldn't be more wrong!

There is more to buying a leather saddle than you might have first thought.

• To be more precise, there's more to consider than just flicking through a brochure to see what is on sale or what bargains you can get.
  
• Did you know that some of the best leather saddles are made from hides from temperate climates such as Sweden and Switzerland etc. where the cows are better looked after and therefore grow bigger with less damage?
  
• A lot of hides from all over the world are shipped to Italy to be manufactured. Nowadays a lot of leather production is done in China, but if the leather is manufactured (tanned) by an Italian company then it is still regarded as Italian leather. Hence it would be extremely difficult to ascertain whether your beautiful Italian Leather Saddle is truly made from Italian leather.
  

This brings me to my first point:

• IF YOU PLAN TO SPEND EVEN ONE HOUR A DAY IN YOUR LEATHER SADDLE, THEN IT NEEDS TO BE OF GOOD QUALITY LEATHER
  
• So it's best to buy a reputable brand name such as –  "LUC CHILDERIC", "STUBEN", "SYD HILL", "BATES" etc. and coupled with proper care, can extend the useful life of a leather saddle, often for decades
  

And if you're like me, you love your horse then you also need to get it properly fitted because a badly fitting leather saddle can cause damage to your horse's back and possibly cripple him for life.

A badly fitting leather saddle will make your horse unhappy and sore which can lend to bad habits forming such as:

• 1. Ears laid back and attempting to bite or kick when saddled up
  
• 2. Wanting to buck or rear when being ridden
  
• 3. Avoiding to go forward and tail constantly swishing
  

And there are a variety of annoying and possibly dangerous mannerisms which can usually be brought on by pain and discomfort.

Of course there could be other causes of the above mentioned habits, but having a good, well fitting leather saddle will go a long way to making your horse's life a lot more pleasant.

Leather Saddles – Why do you need one?

The main reason for a good quality leather saddle is to support the rider in their seat when they ride.

With a correctly fitted leather saddle, you are more likely to ride in the correct position.

 Have you ever tried to ride a horse without a leather saddle?  This is called bareback riding and can be fun!
However, it is important to understand that you should first try this on the right horse.  Some horses have very uncomfortable gaits and are difficult to sit on, especially at the trot.

A smooth gaited horse is best to ride like a Peruvian Paso.  Also learning to ride bareback can be made a lot less painful by riding a horse with a broad back and low withers. 
Seek the guidance of an experienced rider or instructor to supervise your early days into bareback riding.

• It takes a lot of practice and patience to ride without a leather saddle, but a skill once learned will make you a much better rider and will let you appreciate how your horse moves without the hindrance of a bulky object between you and your horse.
• It can give you the skills to feel when a particular leg hits the ground - something we all need to know if we are to give aids for a correct canter strike-off, or to post on the correct diagonal and many other high school movements.
  
• The most important aspect of riding is balance, and riding without a leather saddle forces us to concentrate on balance more than ever.  If you're not balanced bareback - then you'll never stay on!
  

However.......


You've got to admit it.  We all like to ride in a nice comfortable leather saddle most of the time.  It gives us security and we can appear to ride much better than we would be bouncing around without one.

It's also compulsory to ride in a leather saddle if we want to:

• Compete in any of our chosen fields, e.g. Dressage, Showjumping, Cutting etc. 
  
• Join a club, e.g.Pony Club, Riding Club etc.
  
• Have formal riding lessons.
  

So... please for yours' and your horse's sake, investigate thoroughly the type of leather saddle you have in mind before you make that all important decision to buy!