Author: Jochen Schleese

The horse’s biology does not change from discipline to discipline in riding, even though the ‘head-restraining devices’ do – all of which are designed to control and communicate to the horse what the rider wants.

When you are sitting in your saddle you should never feel uncomfortable or out of balance because you are fighting the position the saddle puts you in.

There are considerations for all body types, male or female, which unfortunately too many saddle manufacturers do not look at in their saddle designs. Too many saddles are still very much ‘cookie-cutter’ models.

Saddle-making history shows us that saddle trees looked almost the same for 4300 years.

Atrophy will occur under severe instances of constant pressure which will first damage the hair follicles (resulting in hair loss and/or white hair).

Jochen Schleese outlines his nine points for ensuring a correct saddle fit.

No other part of the anatomy has as many sensitive areas as the head. There are many nerves in the horse’s head. Some of them originate at exactly those areas where the noseband or flash lie.

It is surprising to us that there are still saddle companies and fitters out there who claim that they can fix asymmetry in a horse in a matter of minutes.

One of the most misunderstood indicators of saddle fit – good or bad – are the sweat marks left behind when the pad has been removed.

Do you invest in a saddle if you’re not sure about a horse’s future – and how can you measure a horse’s true potential without a fitted saddle?

If your generous benefactor got you a saddle for Christmas I hope they involved both you and your horse and didn’t just choose a ‘pretty saddle’.

The saddle (as interface between horse and rider) has the potential to inflict the most anatomical and physiological damage when it no longer fits.

There are solid reasons behind choosing a saddle which is specific to the discipline you are riding – both for you and the horse.

The rider actually has quite some influence on how “straight” the horse is. And even some top riders are not straight.