Page 1200 - Adams and Stashak's Lameness in Horses, 7th Edition

1166 Chapter 12

EVALUATION OF PROPER SADDLE FIT

VetBooks.ir Kevin K. hauSSler

INTRODUCTION exercise. Reduced protraction of the thoracic limb (i.e.
shortened stride), stumbling or tripping, or obvious
Proper saddle fit and use is a critical component of lameness can be produced by poorly fitting saddles.
optimum athletic performance and the prevention of Upper pelvic limb lameness and lack of impulsion also
back pain or discomfort in horses. Unfortunately, it is not may be exacerbated by increased saddle pressure. 4
always clear what is meant by “good saddle fit,” and
objective parameters for assessing saddle fit and function
during dynamic activities are lacking and often difficult. SADDLE EXAMINATION
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In an English study of sport horses, 18% had poor fitting
saddles defined to be in uneven panel contact, and 33% To evaluate proper saddle fit, the saddle is assessed
had unbalanced saddles with either cranial or caudal for manufacturer defects or signs of wear, and the rider–
angulation of the tree. Even for qualified saddle fitters, saddle and saddle–horse interfaces are evaluated during
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agreement has been reported to only be fair (kappa = 0.32) static and dynamic examinations. The ideal saddle pro­
for measures of overall saddle fit among members of the vides uniform contact and pressure across all regions of
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Society of Master Saddlers. Saddles are often fit for the the back during both static and dynamic assessments.
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seat of the rider; however, the correct width or length of There should be no elevated or depressed areas that pre­
the saddle for a particular horse, adequate padding, and dispose to increased pressure and no left‐to‐right or
stirrup attachment or positioning, which influence a rid­ craniocaudal asymmetries. The most common saddle
er’s leg positioning and balance on the horse, are often fitting faults include bridging, increased pressure over
overlooked. Considerable interactions between the the withers at the front of the saddle, high overall pres­
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rider, saddle, and horse’s back influence the rider’s com­ sure, and asymmetric or localized pressure points. 10
fort and effectiveness in the saddle and the movement Examination of the saddle begins with assessing sad­
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patterns of the horse’s back and saddle. Poorly fitting or dle construction and wear. The seat is evaluated for
improperly used saddles and saddle pads often contrib­ asymmetric wear, which often indicates that the rider is
ute to back pain and poor performance. It is imperative uneven in the saddle. Uneven flaps and stirrup bar place­
to understand the basic principles of assessing proper ment are manufacturing defects, and an affected saddle
saddle fit and the effects of proper vs. poorly fitting sad­ should be returned for replacement. Worn or dried out
dles on both the rider and the horse. leather straps must be replaced due to safety concerns.
Because the tree forms the foundation of the saddle,
any saddle with a broken or asymmetric tree must be
repaired or discarded. Saddles with broken trees have
CLINICAL SIGNS OF POOR SADDLE FIT reduced stability and support, allowing the saddle to
Signs of asymmetric rider positioning in the saddle deform and causing localized increased pressure. Broken
include uneven wear patterns on the seat from asymmet­ and twisted trees are evaluated visually by inspecting the
ric rider contact with the seat bones (tuber ischii) or symmetry. Excessive flexibility is assessed by applying
asymmetrical leather wear over the stirrup irons or craniocaudal forces to the bars or by applying lateral
stitching under the rider’s legs. Horses with back pain compressive forces to the head of the tree. The ventral
related to poor saddle fit may display adverse or abnor­ surface of the panels is inspected for adequate flocking,
mal behavioral signs such as ear pinning, teeth grinding, left‐to‐right angular symmetry, and craniocaudal sym­
head tossing, tail swishing, unwillingness to stand still metry in the flocking. Horses with asymmetric withers
during saddle or saddle pad placement, or biting or often affect the symmetry of the cranial portion of the
kicking while being saddled or while tightening the panels. The caudal edge of the panels should be wide
girth. Asymmetric sweat patterns on the horse or saddle and flat to maximize comfort for the horse, rather than
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pad, asymmetric dirt patterns on the saddle pad, regional narrow or pointed, which can cause localized pressure
hair loss in areas of saddle contact, local edema, and at the back edge of the saddle. In Western saddles, the
open sores are all acute signs of poor saddle fit. Chronic fleece along the ventral surface should be palpated care­
signs of poorly fitting saddles include white hairs or fully with a flat hand to identify any protruding screws,
granulomas and muscle atrophy in the saddle region. nails, or plant burrs that can produce localized pressure
Ill‐fitting saddles can cause horses to hollow their or wounds. The width of the gullet should be two to
backs (i.e. induced lordosis) and resent mounting. three fingers wide along the entire length to allow posi­
Affected horses often have reduced spinal mobility and tioning and movement of the dorsal spinous processes. 6
are slow to warm up or relax during initial riding but
may be completely normal during lunging or work in STATIC EXAMINATION OF SADDLE FIT
the round pen due to unweighted exercise. Regular
bucking or rearing, resistance to work that worsens with The static examination of saddle fit on the horse’s
time, difficulty with collection or maintaining impul­ back is accomplished by visual inspection and palpation
sion, and resentment or ignoring training aids also may of the saddle–horse interface in the standing horse. A use­
be indicative of poor saddle fit issues related to ridden ful analogy for assessing saddle fit and proper saddle pad