Saddle Fit & Assessment

As I am not equipped to do full saddle fits, I will assess your current saddle for fit and symmetry on your stationary horse instead. As the horse cannot be ridden after a JENT session, a ridden assessment is also not possible. Unfortunately it is not uncommon for a saddle, which appears fine on the stationary horse, to be unsuitable once the horse is moving. I will recommend a saddle fitter if needed.

For further information:

www.saddlefitinfo.com (Dr Joyce Harman, author of ‘The Horse’s Pain-Free Back & Saddle-Fit’. This is an excellent book.)

I often see saddles placed to far forward which will cause even more problems. Most saddles are meant to be placed 1" behind the shoulder blade.

To make things worse, if they were fitted that way, placing them suddenly on to the shoulder blade will completely change your balance point and saddle fit in general.

I often see saddles that "rock" on the horse's back, which means that if you put one hand on the pommel and one hand on the cantle of the saddle you can literally "rock" it on the horse's back.
Rider's are often told that a pad, shim or similar will eliminate the problem. This is not the case. If a saddle "rocks" on your horse's back it usually means that the tree of the saddle and the shape of the horse's spine do not match.

If you look closely you can see that the panels are not symmetrical. When you consider purchasing a saddle always check the symmetry of the whole saddle. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions and watch for more saddle fit tips.

This is an excellent article. Please read as it explains the biomechanics of a horse under saddle really well.

And remember the "natural crookedness" of a horse is much improved with JENT as it addresses subclinical fascial distortions that are, at least in part, the reason for this crookedness.

Addressing these fascial distortions will also make every day training so much easier.