Last 3 nights the conversation has come back to saddles. Balance…in our case it’s riding the horse in thorough accord with the motion of the horse. Riding a balance is necessary in timing a horse. When a rider is on balance he can give the horse the signal for a stop or turn at the right fraction of a second, which helps the horse immensely in his performance. What a saddle needs to do more than anything is help us ride a balance then not interfere with our horse. Swells can help us ride. Giving us something to grip with top inside of the thigh. To what cost? The swells are connected to the bars. The bars can and do have an effect on the shoulders. Can we do away with swells? There by doing away with any impingement of the shoulder. Yes we can do away with swells. Do we want to? We don’t want the saddle skirt interfering with our horse’s hips. In the name of our horse’s health. Wider bars that lay flat, out of the way will help. A shorter saddle front to rear a help. One cinch only center fired a help. A flat seat on a tree with a little forward slope. Narrow in the front part of the seat behind the gullet. Stirrups hung form the forward part of the seat. His legs should be right where the fork of the saddle enters the bars of the tree. You’ll be seated heels will be down. Not because you are pressing but, because the stirrups are short enough and there’s a slight bend in the knee.This will also push your hips against the cantel. Just some thoughts from what I’ve been reading to go along with some good discussions. Enjoy everyone have a good weekend !

Posted by copelandk.gk1 at 2023-01-14 14:37:58 UTC