| By :
Andrea Hicks
Copyright (c) 2012 Native Pony & Cob Saddles Wider breeds such as Dartmoor ponies and draught horses have grown to be more and more popular to ride due to their agreeable calmer nature together with them being easy to care for. Neverthless, a lot of saddleries do not carry the range of saddles that fit these breeds as they have not yet caught up with this fashion in riding practice, this is because previously thoroughbred type horses were much more favoured and this change in riding practice is relatively recent. Unfortunately, this has caused some regular problems with saddle fitting the wider horse and pony. The following provides help on often asked queries regarding saddle fitting the wider horse and pony: 1. Should my saddle slide forwards? A saddle should not slip forwards. If you have a cob or native breed such as a section A it is likely to have very low withers and high sprung ribs combined with forward girth groove. It is not just native breeds that can have this shape; it can also be found in draught horses and some Arabian horses. When this horse or pony contour is combined with a saddle that has a curve in the panel and standard girthing the result is that the saddle slides directly over the horse's shoulders when it moves. To remedy this problem you need a wide horse or pony saddle with a low pommel, flatter tree, close contact flocking and a flatter panel along with a point strap (so that when the saddle is girthed up the girth sits on the vertical rather than on the diagonal), this should result in a stable saddle when the horse moves. 2. Why are saddles frequently not wide enough for Fjord ponies? This is because even some of the wider saddles have a very triangular headed tree in them which is a bad fit for these breeds (and those in question 1); these horses work better with a rounder head to the top of the tree as they have rounder (or flatter withers) in contrast to other types of horses. 3. My saddle fits my coloured cob but when I ride it slips from side- to-side, why? This can be because the girthing is wrong for the shape of the pony, or that the panel is too curved (these breeds work better regarding stability in a close contact saddle). 4. How can I identify the shape of my horse or pony? There are a variety of ways to work out the contour of your horse or pony, one way is to use a 'flexible curve' product that provides the ability to mould the horse or pony's shape as you measure it. These should be easy to find and should be available from a good stationers or art shop. Before you measure your pony's shape make sure it is standing straight and square on level ground. You will then need to locate the horse or pony's scapula (shoulder blade). This is because the flexible curve needs to be placed on your horse or pony's withers about 1" behind the scapula. The idea is you need to get the shape of where the saddle tree would be seated on your horse or pony's back. Gently mould the flexible curve as close as possible to the shape of your horse or pony's withers without applying too much pressure. The flexible curve requires careful moulding as if you press too hard into the horse or pony's muscle it will result in an imprecise measurement. When you have moulded the flexi curve you can use it to make a template by putting the curve horizontally on a piece of paper and tracing around the inside of the curve.
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