We horse people often joke about anything under 14.2hh being the devil. There are few people who haven’t encountered a hellish little pony at some point in their riding life. Bucking off unsuspecting children, running around the ring like a bat out of hell, yet how often do these ponies get a proper saddle fitting?

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There are numerous ways to tell if the saddle you’re riding in is a male or female saddle. The first tip is the easiest for riders to see and feel.Sit in your saddle with your feet out of the stirrups and allow your legs to hang freely. Do your knees and toes point out? If

We previously discussed the different areas that must be considered for a rider to be balanced in the saddle. With a focus on the skeletal structures of men vs women, we’re able to determine the different needs of either and how ignoring these components can have a negative impact on your own and your horses’

Balance in the saddle is more than the ability to stay upright, it is the ability to move with your horse, to be in a position that is not forced or strained, that allows your body to absorb the movement beneath you and to be soft in the saddle. It is a pliable seat, a

Stirrup Bar. The stirrup bar is attached by the saddle manufacturer in a way so that the stirrup leather neither slides off while riding, or gets stuck in the event of a fall and the riders foot is stuck in the stirrup. With the stirrup bar parallel with the ground, you can determine where the

It is a common myth that has been circulating that a saddle must bridge to allow the horse to lift the back. Imagine someone was standing on your back, but instead of distributing their weight evenly, they were digging in with their elbow and knees. Would you be willing to curl upwards and “lift” or

We hear this often and it is used to describe how a horse “goes”. How they move, how they ride in a general sense. But how many people know what “going well” actually entails? Just because your horse moves when you give the proper aid, doesn’t mean it is going well or moving well. Just

With the majority of saddles manufactured for the male physique, it’s no wonder that many riders are so used to the discomfort that it’s become the norm. Riders think it’s normal when….Their hip joints hurt after each rider.Their knees ache.Their back is sore.They have rub marks and bruises along the upper inner thigh.They need to

“Bring your leg back!!” Whether you’re a rider or coach, you’ve probably heard this being yelled across a riding ring (or have been the one yelling it). But, did you know that this ‘leg-forward’/chair seat phenomenon is not caused by lack of skill or poor posture on behalf of the rider? Chair seat, leg forward

Just because something is common, standard or widely accepted does not make it correct. When looking at the equine athlete, we often see anomalies or physical abnormalities that are considered normal, with little regard or understanding of how severe the malformation or injury actually is. For example, when we look at the neck of a

Contact. What is it? Why is it important? Contact is an ambiguous term for many riders. Some believe they must carry the horse and hold them, others believe there should be no contact. Let us first define contact to better understand it. Contact is the line in which you communicate hand aids to the horse,

As with the break in the cervical vertebrae, the injury of the lumbosacral junction is extremely common and many owners/riders don’t think twice about it. The equine athlete has 18 thoracic vertebrae which lead into the 6 lumbar vertebrae, which lead into the sacrum. Unlike the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum consists of 5

We all understand the importance of maintaining good health, and the same applies to our equine partners. With the availability of alternative therapies and treatments, our horses are receiving better care than some of their owners/riders. But, are you undoing the work of your equine body workers? We often call out chiropractors or massage therapists as a

Why every rider should pay attention as soon as they’re mounted.  When our CSE’s or CEE’s (Certified Equine Ergonomists) conduct a saddle fit evaluation, they always assess the horse and rider in movement to get the full picture. Oftentimes, the rider will state that they need about 20 min to warm up the horse for