KEN'S COLUMN
Looking back - in order to look forward
I was looking through old photographs the other day and it brought home to me just how many changes I have witnessed during the time – well over thirty years now – that I have been saddle fitting.
I actually became interested in saddles, and the effect they have in welfare and performance terms, thirty-four years ago when I began three-day eventing. I became aware that quite a lot of horses were suffering minor back problems. Sensitivity, and occasionally bruising, seemed to becoming more prevalent. I became increasingly interested in the reasons why this was happening.
I set about finding out. It was like opening up a can of worms! The fact that I was riding at international three-day-event level meant that I was already pretty knowledgeable about conformation, musculature and movement. This was an enormous plus – indeed, I would not have been able to train myself in regard to saddle fitting without this knowledge. I say ‘train myself’ advisedly because, at that time, there wasn’t any formal training in saddle fitting available.
I began to appreciate that huge numbers of horses had asymmetric musculature – and that asymmetry could have seriously adverse influences on the efficacy of the saddle fit. I also researched ways in which the rider’s position influenced the saddle and the knock-on effects on, in turn, the horse’s way of going.
I began learning then – all these years later, I continue to learn today. We humans still have much to learn about the mechanics of the horse and the ways in which we interfere (I use this term advisedly!).
All this may seem strange to today’s riders who are far more aware of how important the saddle is in terms of welfare and performance. At that time, I think most of us were really quite ignorant. It was commonplace to use a single saddle on several horses on the basis that doing so would reduce the amount of tack cleaning. Saddles, in huge numbers, were bought across the counter – and ‘trying’ them related to placing the saddle on top of a wooden horse – and sitting astride. The rider’s comfort was supremely important!
This is a generalisation and of course, there were those riders who asked for their horses to be ‘fitted’. But when ‘fitting’ was carried out, it was often inside a stable and the owner didn’t get chance to ride in the saddle – nor, very much more importantly, did the ‘fitter’ see the horse ridden in all three paces – and, if the saddle was to be used for jumping, perform over some fences.
I am, of course, alluding to a time long, long before the Society of Master Saddlers’ saddle fitting qualification came into being. The transaction often consisted of the horse owner going to his local saddlery armed with a (vague) description of his horse and what he, the horse owner, considered would be the ‘right size’ in terms of width and length. Needless to say, the information provided often related to guesswork. There also seemed to be little – if any – account taken of the way in which manufacturers’ measurements varied – one maker’s 18-inch saddle was another’s 17-inch type of thing! (This is still the case today - but it’s of relatively little importance when a Society-qualified saddle fitter is involved because all such things will be automatically checked out.)
Of course, few new saddles were ‘fitted’ in the way we think of it now – and even fewer were regularly checked – or even infrequently checked. The saddle that was purchased for, say, a four-year-old often went unchecked during the lifetime of the horse. Another common practice related to equipping a new horse. It was often simply assumed that the saddle that had belonged to the previous horse would be fine - account was only taken of very obvious differences in the horses’ sizes and structures.
I am speaking of a time well over thirty years ago – as far as the youngest generation of riders is concerned, a period in pre-history! Other things, too, were very different then. There wasn’t, for example, the huge choice of saddle makes and designs we enjoy today. Then, choices were much more related to GP (these days, the general purpose saddle itself is available in multiple designs), dressage, racing and jumping. Now, on the other hand, we have specialist saddles for virtually every equestrian discipline and sport. Designs continue to evolve - and innovations often result from the cooperation of a saddle-maker and an elite rider.
Colours have changed too. Back ‘in the olden times’ – as one young client described the early part of my career as a saddle fitter – brown was still the predominant colour (it remains first choice in the showring today). As I recall, black first made an appearance when saddles began to be imported from the Continent and, before long, it became established as first-choice. Innovative leathers put in an appearance, some for their cosmetic appeal and others - as in the case of those used for the saddle seat –related more to rider-comfort.
Round about fourteen years ago, the Society of Master Saddlers’ (SMS) introduced its saddle fitting qualification. I was one of the original lecturers and I was also, as a private individual, being asked to give saddle-fitting demonstrations for wide-ranging groups in various countries around the world. The SMS qualification has revolutionised saddle-fitting services in this country. But the SMS has done even more than that because it has been – and is – responsible for spreading knowledge. The production of various booklets and leaflets – plus the contribution of numerous advisory editorials for a broad section of the equestrian-related media - has resulted in British horse owners being among the most informed in the world in understanding the important part played by the saddle – and its fitting – in relation to equine welfare.
It is now possible for saddle fitters from other countries to come to Britain to undertake training and be assessed for the Society’s qualification. (A minimum of three years’ experience is required before undergoing assessment for the qualification – and saddle fitters in the UK must re-register annually and undertake a refresher course every two years.) Largely as a result of the SMS, saddle fitting is becoming a bigger and bigger priority for horse owners in all parts of the world. In this way the SMS is making a vitally important contribution in terms of equine wellbeing. May the Society’s influence extend and grow.
I cover a huge number of miles every year fitting saddles for horses and ponies of every type – including a large number of top competition animals. I also travel big distances to give talks, demonstrations and lectures for equestrian-related groups of all descriptions. Horses were central to my life years ago - they remain enormously important today. It is sometimes essential to look back in order to look forward!
KEN LYNDON DYKES - SMS Qualified Saddle Fitter - can be contacted at Saddleworld head office (01622 844440) or on his mobile (07973 501873).
