Finn came for a saddle fit today...

Finn was out to see us today. He developed a white patch on his right shoulder during his trail riding season last fall. Upon assessment we noticed a few things; Finn's right shoulder is built up more than the left, and his back goes downhill. Unfortunately we were unable to fit Finn with a new saddle this visit. We had none here that had enough rock in the bars to accommodate his downhill back in his owners budget. So.... instead we help the owners to the best they can with pads to alleviate the increased pressure due to his dowhillness (is that a word? I don't think so :P). and a built up shoulder. How do we do this do you ask?

The first thing most people think in this situation is they need to shim up the front of the saddle by the shoulders to lift the pressure up. But really did you know that in most cases you're just increasing the pressure more because you're making the front of the saddle tighter? In Finn's case, his saddle was not making contact in the middle causing the saddle to settle more on his shoulders, increasing pressure on the right shoulder that already had an issue of it's own. So to alleviate the pressure we add an extra layer to the were there was a gap in contact. (With this you would add another pad with no build up in it over it).

AND..... viola! Contact made!

Now our goal is to have a saddle that fits properly and that makes even contact all around. But in come situations and in some horses we just can't make that work. So we do the best we can with what we have to make our customers and their horses comfortable, save, and happy!

Do you want to arrange a saddle fitting? Call Nick to set up an appointment 612-685-5858