Final Exams
After almost a week of nonstop classes and hands-on work, we were ready for the five-part testing process. To begin, each student was presented with a horse and his saddle. Jan Cross, the owner of Justy, a 17-year-old Arabian gelding who was my test horse, brought him out for me to assess. Over the winter, Cross explained, Justy had suffered pituitary and ankle problems and was still in the process of gaining back the several hundred pounds he had lost while he was ill.
Right off the bat, I noticed that Justy was very asymmetrical: His left side was more steeply angled than his right. Because of this, Cross's dressage saddle shifted to the left on Justy's back when she rode. This interfered with the supraspinus ligament and the connective tissue on the gelding's right side. In addition, I noted that the deepest part of the saddle's seat was tipped back toward the cantle. Cross confirmed my observation when she mentioned that she was constantly fighting to keep her body position more forward whenever she rode.
To remedy Justy's saddle-fit problems, I began by adding some flocking throughout both panels. Then I put a bit more in the back. To fix the shifting, however, required some brainstorming. Cross and I discussed several options, then decided that the best solution would be to use a small additional pad, called a shim, just under the rear of the left panel. I also recommended that she send her saddle to a local saddler to have a balance strap sewn on the right side to help keep the saddle from shifting left whenever she rode Justy.
Cross searched me out early the next morning to say how much better she was able to hold her position in the saddle as a result of my efforts. For the first time in a long while, Justy had given her some good lateral work, she said, and he seemed happy about it.
I sighed with relief. That was one test down, four more to go. Friday was the big day. We had to demonstrate our ability to make templates--models--of a horse's back using a flexible architect's tool. Then we had to go through the nine points of saddle fitting, do a back examination that included naming the pertinent anatomical structures, and complete a 20-question essay.
In the end, I was one of five "campers" who made the grade by passing all of the tests. However, I'm not planning to hang out my saddle-fitter's shingle just yet. I'm at least a year of practice and apprenticing away from feeling comfortable enough to do that. Besides, I have too many stories to write. Even now, I can hear my editor calling.
The Master Saddlers Association
A new organization, the Master Saddlers Assocation (MSA) was started this year by Gene Freeze of County Saddlery in Woodbine, Maryland. Freeze is the only person in the United States registered as a saddle fitter by England's Society of Master Saddlers (SMS). He started the U.S. program because of what he sees as a lack of qualified professional saddle fitters.
The mission of MSA is to educate horse owners and riders about proper saddle fit, to protect the well-being of the horse, and to set professional standards for saddle fitters. MSA is based on the principles of SMS and includes a professional code of conduct and standardized guidelines for certified saddle fitters to follow. The organization plans to run certification courses for all levels several times a year.
According to Freeze, it is important for consumers to know the difference between saddle makers and saddle fitters. A saddle maker does not necessarily know how to properly fit a saddle, just as a saddle fitter may not know how to construct a saddle.
To locate a certified saddle fitter in your area or to find out about becoming certified, call MSA at (301) 570-3100.
Stacey Nedrow-Wigmore is a life-long horseperson and assistant editor for Dressage Today magazine. Her article won a first place award for service to the reader in the recent American Horse Publications contest.
This article first appeared in the October, 2000 issue of Dressage Today magazine
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