KEN'S COLUMN
MORE KNOWLEDGE – GREATER DISCRETION!
I was recently asked by an affiliated riding club to attend a rally to carry out a tack inspection and make a note of anything that concerned me. I first of all have to say the standard of turnout of the horses was excellent and they were all immaculately groomed with nicely pulled manes and tails. The cleanliness of the tack, too, was exemplary – but I was surprised how many inadequacies I found in regard to size and fitting.
The most common problem – and I found this really surprising – related to the size of stirrup irons. Quite a few horses were shared – either by family or friends. There were three combinations of mother and daughter and in two instances there was obviously a considerable disparity in foot size. The same problem cropped up in relation to a horse shared by a husband and wife. In three cases the stirrups accommodated the larger feet very well but were too wide for the daintier feet of the smaller riders to the extent that their feet were capable of sliding right through the irons. In the case of the fourth combination, the stirrups were fine for the wife – but far too small for her husband to the extent there was a real risk of a foot being jammed in the iron in an emergency.
Bridles were generally correctly sized and fitted well – although one horse was equipped with a bit that was far too large and the cavesson on another was fitted too low. Most saddles fitted well - or at least adequately - with two notable exceptions. Firstly, a saddle fitted to a rather broad cob was unbalanced and was pressing down at the front – badly. When we removed the saddle the symptoms of the problem were revealed: a lot of white hairs – and the horse flinching and putting his ears flat back when finger pressure was applied to the area.
Another problem related to a saddle that was far too long – in this case a particularly close-coupled, cob-type gelding. I could understand how the problem had occurred: the rider was tall and quite heavily built and needed a capacious saddle to accommodate him comfortably. The horse exhibited extreme tenderness under the back of the saddle with some associated heat - in other words, nasty pressure points. What makes this sort of situation difficult for the saddle fitter is that there is only one real answer: sell the horse and buy something larger and more able to accommodate the rider’s height and weight. Not something that is easy to communicate to an owner who loves their horse.
During discussions with the riders it became clear that very few understood the wide range of GP saddles available today. Whereas some years back most manufacturers used to produce one or two general purpose-type saddles, today’s riders have far more choice. Some saddles are designed for the combination mostly involved in flatwork but jump ‘occasionally’. Other designs benefit the combination that does a lot of jumping. The total range of what are fundamentally GP saddles is now very extensive and this makes it all the more important to discuss the options with the saddle fitter who will then suggest choices that will best fulfil specific needs.
I also found some riders didn’t really appreciate the extent to which the general purpose saddle is a compromise. By this I mean that no one saddle can fulfil the functions of a saddle designed to meet the needs of an individual discipline. Most riders who event at affiliated level opt for a dressage saddle and one or more specialist saddles to use in the show jumping and cross country phases.
Riders who take part in working hunter classes need to consider their choice of saddle type carefully. Some riders opt for a show saddle because it is designed to show off the horse’s conformation - but it is very difficult to jump in a straight cut, flat-seated saddle – hence the really inelegant rounds in the jumping phase! It is surely preferable to opt for a general purpose saddle with a little definition in the seat - and a flap that is slightly more forward cut to accommodate the rider’s leg in the jumping phase?
Terms such as ‘event’ and ‘all-purpose’ are sometimes applied to general purpose saddles but, however they are defined, it should be recognised that these are still compromises that attempt to be all things to all riders.
Girths exhibited further problems. Prior to the tack inspection, the club ran some discussion groups – one of which concerned girths. I was interested to note how passionate members were about their preferred type of girth and wondered if they took conformation and the type of saddle into consideration when they were selecting a girth for a particular horse. It seemed to me that, in general, there was a failure to understand that a particular type of girth that is perfect for one horse/saddle combination can be seriously inadequate for another!
Today’s riders are much more aware of the careful consideration that must be given to the choice - and use of – numnahs, pads and anything else under the saddle. In fact, I didn’t isolate any big problems during the tack check – but that might relate to the fact that the club had rather smart – and very well cut - saddle cloths as part of their ‘livery’. I was absolutely delighted to note that the positioning of the retaining tapes had obviously all been adapted to comply with individual saddles. Tapes left in the wrong position misalign the saddlecloth and can cause it to ruck up and create very nasty pressure points.
I recall, years ago being very disappointed by the fact that horse owners paid more attention to the fashion and colour and style of the equipment they used than to the way it fitted their horse. Today’s riders are more informed -and use far greater discretion!
KEN LYNDON DYKES is an ex-international level three day event rider. A qualified Society of Master Saddlers’ saddle fitter, his specialities include competition horses and ‘difficult’ fittings. KEN can be contacted at head office (01622 844440) or on his mobile (07973 501873).
