SADDLE FITTINGS & CONSULTATIONS Are you having a saddle fit issue?  I do saddle fit evaluations on your saddle and horse and help you determine if you can work with what you are using or if you need something different.  Lots of reasons why a particular saddle is not fitting a certain horse.  Some have simple fixes and others need more attention.   Located in McLoud, Oklahoma, which is about 35 miles east of Oklahoma City.  If you need an evaluation of your current saddle but have questions, send me an email and I will answer your questions.   If you decide you want a fitting, we can schedule a time.  I can do fittings at my home or, if you want to meet me at one of the trailheads where I ride, we may also do that. SADDLE FIT EVALUATIONS:    I will evaluate your current saddle & horse combination to determine whether or not the saddle fits properly.  If there is a problem, I will be able to show you where the problem is and offer options to correct it--such as what type/size of saddle would work.  I will show you how to determine whether or not a saddle actually fits the horse.   Other options might include a special type of pad or shims which may help or alleviate your problem without going to a different saddle or working your horse to develop musculature.  Other times, a different saddle is needed.  Whatever it is, you will hear an honest evaluation.  You will not be pressured towards buying any particular product, only given information with which to make an informed decision.   If the saddle is not causing the problem, I can help you determine where the problem lies.  To schedule a consultation, send me an email and include a phone number where I can reach you.    The fee for the consultation is $75 at my home or a local trail head.  HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR HORSE HAS A POORLY FITTING SADDLE:  There are many different signs & symptoms of ill-fitting saddles:  The most obvious sign, seen from across the parking lot, are white marks on the back.  Note that these do not always occur, but when present are a dead give away that your saddle is hurting your horse.  These are most often seen below the withers on either side of the horse. However, they can be anywhere under the saddle or under the rigging from over-tightening a girth or cinch.   On a grey horse, they are more difficult to see, but if you look you can find them.   On colored horses, the marks are unmistakable.  They are the result of excess pressure over a period of time from the saddle.  Eventually, the hair follicles are damaged and the new hair grows in white.  In some cases, the horse will develop thickened skin under these areas and sometimes permanent hair loss.  If the skin becomes thick enough, these lumps will also cause problems with future saddle fitting and may require special padding around (not on top of) those areas. Note:  Not all horses will display the white marks from excess pressure, but many eventually will show them.   Don't assume that if there are no visible marks that means there is no problem. Another common finding is tenderness over a particular spot or even along the entire back.  If your horse flinches when you apply slight hand pressure, he is tender.  If he sags/sinks down when you sit the saddle on his back, he is tender.  If you find spots that are swollen immediately after removing the saddle, those are areas where pressure was excessive.  The swelling may appear to go away in just a matter of minutes, but damage has occured to that area and the horse will probably be tender at those sites.  Investigate and look for the cause of the swelling.  If not corrected quickly, he will develop more permanent issues.  This applies to the girth area, also.  Many horses develop girth sores that could have been prevented if their rider had been more observant. Back pain can also cause bucking under saddle, rearing,  refusal to go, stumbling on the trail, difficulty when taking turns..especially sharp turns, rough gaits and other seemingly unrelated behavior or movement problems, including lameness caused by the horse trying to avoid the back pain by moving incorrectly. SADDLE-FITTING MYTHS:  These bits of misinformation (in red type) have been around for a long time and many people, unfortunately, do not question their validity.  However, they are not true: "Oh, those white spots are just from not washing the salt off of him after I rode him."  Not even remotely possible! The salt may cause the horse to feel itchy, but will not damage the hair follicles. "Oh, all horses get white spots if they are ridden very much."    Endurance & Competitive Trail horses are ridden about as much as a horse can be ridden & do not have such problems, for the most part.  If they do develop a problem, their riders quickly address it rather than waiting until permanent damage has been done rather than continue with the same ill-fitting equipment. "All horses develop girth sores when they are in training."   Not if it is done properly and attention is paid to keeping equipment clean and using girths/cinches without rough spots and properly adjusted. If a sore develops, the horse needs to be allowed time to heal before training continues.  There is no reason for the horse to suffer with girth sores. "Um, my saddle fits him just fine.  It's a full QH bar, so it has to be the right size since he's a QH."  The average rider has no idea what those sizes mean.  Also, they vary a great deal from saddle brand to brand.  Contrary to popular belief, there is no standardization of bar or tree sizes.   "Ah....that saddle is made for a gaited horse and since he is a Walking Horse, it has to be right."  Again, most people have no idea what that means.  And, there are as great a variety in sizes & body types in gaited breeds as in any other.  Just because it is made for a "gaited horse" absolutely does not mean it will "free up the shoulders" of your gaited horse.  The saddle tree must fit the horse or he/she cannot reach full potential and could be put in a great deal of unnecessary pain. "But I ride in a flex-tree saddle, or a treeless saddle, so it could not possibly be a bad fit!"  Well, all of those used flex-tree and treeless saddles on the market say otherwise.  Why do you think they are selling their saddles if they fit their horse so well?  Treeless saddles are notorious for causing pressure problems on the horse's back, esp. if the rider is a heavy-weight.  Same thing for the "flex-tree" varieties.  Yes, the flexible trees can create "bridging", which is a problem where pressure is concentrated on the front and the rear of the saddle with little or no pressure in the center, i.e. it is a "bridge" front-to-rear over the back.  I know this is hard for many of you to believe, especially after you have spent anywhere from $2500 to $4500 on your magical saddle, but that is true.  Yes, they work GREAT on SOME horses, but not ALL horses.  I know this from first hand experience with my own horses (before I knew any better).  Fortunately for the horses, I did realize that a problem existed and eventually figured it out. "Well, it can't be my saddle because my horse doesn't have any white marks."  The rest of this sentence could be "yet" because many of these people's horses will eventually develop the dreaded white spots.  Just because you don't SEE the damage, doesn't mean that the horse is not having pain from his saddle. "My trainer/vet/boyfriend/neighbor says the problem is in his rear end, so it can't be his saddle."   Actually, the horse CAN have pain anywhere in his body, especially along his spine and adjoining areas, due to pain in his back from an ill-fitting saddle.  When the saddle hurts their back, they will compensate by moving in ways to lessen the pressure in the painful areas.  Like a person who develops neck pain or a headache because they are sitting/lying oddly to protect a sore back or maybe they have a sprained ankle, so hobble along and next thing you know their back is hurting, so also the horse develops pain in other areas.  They may use their rump muscles and/or neck muscles to try to take some of the load off of their back.  They may hollow their back.   Soon they may have pain all the way from their tail to their head...literally.  Once the horse has pain in one or more areas, they will begin to compensate in their movement.  Their once smooth and fluid trot becomes a jackhammer to ride.  Their lovely canter with flying changes becomes a disunited mess that is anything but fun to ride.   Their walk is slower or choppy or both.  The once sure footed athlete begins to stumble occasionally over minor obstacles.   The horse may no longer go out and roll and roll like he/she once did after a bath (their backs are too sore or stiff to do so).   The horse probably doesn't have ALL of these symptoms, but he/she may have some of them.  Fix just the rear end (or just the neck or whatever) and you still have the other problems and the observed problem will return quickly, because you are not addressing the cause of the problem...only the symptom(s). OK, not every problem is caused by a poor fitting saddle, but so very many are.  And so very many riders never see that is the problem.  Other common problems relate to poor hoof care, poor dental care, rough edges or lumps on rigging, pads, girths & cinches, etc, painful bits, breast collars that are not properly adjusted, hackamores that are not properly adjusted, bridles (especially throatlatch and browband) not properly adjusted, etc.   There are many more, but those listed above are just a few "myths" that I hear commonly.  Please think about your horse and check them before and after every ride to be sure your equipment is not hurting them.  If they are showing behavior problems or movement problems, take a close look at them.  The problem may be more obvious than you think.   Don't just attribute the problem to a "bad attitude", "training problem", "age", "leg injury", etc.  There is usually a physical reason for the problem and often that reason relates to their saddle or other tack or sometimes your riding technique...or maybe a combination.   Of course if the horse has hoof issues, that can certainly cause stumbling and other movement problems.  Heel pain is a very common problem that will cause the horse to land toe first.  This turns into stumbling.  (Don't let anyone convince that your horse has "navicular syndrome" and "fix" it with corrective shoes.  Please!  You will just be causing more damage.)   And don't overlook the bit and the horse's teeth.  When was he last seen by an equine dentist?  Look at the whole horse and you may see a whole new picture.  It took me a long time to understand this, but the problem is usually human in origin and it is the human who needs to learn what they are doing wrong and what to do that will actually help the horse return to it's normal/natural condition.  Don't just compound one problem by adding another one. FEES Fitting or Consultation done at my house.  (Either a fitting for a new Sharon Saare saddle or to evaluate your current saddle & horse.)    $75.   To schedule a fitting or just to ask questions, you can email me:   SAM@trailsopen.com       PLEASE include a phone number and a time of day when it is best to call if you would like to talk with me.   If I am not at a ride, I check email several times a day and you will receive a prompt reply.  If you do not, please send another email.  Occasionally, messages do seem to disappear!.