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"THE VIDEO" - It's coming, it's coming...

Western Saddle Fit - The Basics. A one hour video about western saddle fit by people who understand Western saddles. Not quite done, but getting close!!
Subscribe to RSS Feed It’s not like we haven’t been working on it. It is just that almost every conceivable issue that can come up with the video editing programs… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/video-its-coming-its-coming/

The downhill horse

How do you define it, and what do you do about it?
Subscribe to RSS Feed I’ve had a couple discussions in the past week about how to deal with downhill horses. (Yes, despite life changing, we still talk a lot about… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/downhill-horse/

The effect of the rider - Part two

How straight you sit makes a difference for the horse, but you have to realize you move anyway...
We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website. In part one about rider… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/effect-rider-part-two/

The effect of the rider - Part one

Yup, the rider affects what the horse feels too. It's not all just the saddle...
COMMENTS: Posted by Diane Kaser on Jul 24th, 2016 Good post. In dressage at least speaking from what I know well enough, we are taught the following seat. Your lower body… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/effect-rider-part-one/

Myth Busting - Cranial Nerve 11 and Saddle Fit

Supposedly, saddles putting pressure on Cranial Nerve 11 is a major problem. Actually, you don't have to worry about it...
The Facts that are right There is a Cranial Nerve 11 and it is called the Accessory Nerve. And it does, indeed, innervate the trapezius muscle, part of which is in the area… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/myth-busting-cranial-nerve-11-and-saddle-fit/

You're not hurting his kidneys! Don't worry about it!

The kidneys are well protected.
We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website. One of the biggest things… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/youre-not-hurting-his-kidneys/

Behind the scenes of "the video"...

Filming a video on western saddle fit takes time, effort, and ingenuity...
We spent a lot of time last summer filming, and a pile of time over the winter processing what we had filmed. And then we confirmed what we had wondered about - the first… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/behind-scenes-video/

Cinches - what more I have learned

It seems there is a lot of discrepancy on where people say the cinch ring should lie. But I found one research article that answers at least one piece of the puzzle.
Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/myth-busting-external-abdominal-vein/cinches-what-more-i-have-learned/

You're saddling your horse wrong...

Something we'd like to tell a lot of people...
The first thing the rider does that affects saddle fit is to put the saddle on their horse. Where they position it is so very important. Comments:   Posted… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/youre-saddling-your-horse-wrong/

Center of pressure under a saddle

Where is the rider's weight really centered under a saddle? Maybe not where you think...
So last fall we had a chance with our pressure mat to test and see where the center of pressure under the saddle really falls. One of the neat things that the software with… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/center-pressure-under-saddle/

How do I measure my horse for bar angles?

You can't give a single angle to a complex shape like a curve, let alone the complex shape of a horse's back. Some people still try. Here's why it doesn't work.
Basically, you cannot measure a single angle off a curved surface. Each of these angles is real, and they all come from the same surface. Same… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/how-do-i-measure-my-horse-bar-angles/

Bridging

What does it mean when a saddle bridges? And how do you know if it does?
This is a badly bridging saddle tree. It contacts on both ends and has lots of empty space underneath it as well. This is the effect of a bridging saddle. You can see… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/bridging/

Flat on round and round on flat - a paradox

We don't make bars the reverse shape of the horse, and there's reason for this. Here's an example of what we do instead, and why...
An example of this the crown shape we put on the back bar pads, which go over the last few ribs and the front part of the loin. For a horse that is flat, we use a round shape,… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/flat-round-and-round-flat-paradox/

Angles - it just isn't that simple

90 degrees. It is a set angle, so all trees that are called 90 degrees have to fit the same - right? Wrong...
We have written about this before, explaining why the numbers of bar angles are meaningless between makers, but let’s try another way. When we talk 90 degrees, all we are… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/angles-it-just-isnt-simple/

Rethinking saddle fit and shoulder blade movement

The traditional teaching about saddles needing to avoid the shoulder blade as it rotates back when the horse extends its leg forward is just, plain wrong. Here's proof, plus proof that you need to have your saddle behind the shoulder blade anyway...
Subscribe to RSS Feed Remember that anatomically, there is no bony connection between the foreleg of the horse and the horse’s body, so the scapula doesn’t rotate… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/rethinking-saddle-fit-and-shoulder-blade-movement/

Position - Why it is so important

Pressure testing shows that changing saddle position from on to behind the shoulder blade means going from high pressure to low or no pressure. Position makes a difference!
Almost a year ago we gave some riders the opportunity to have their saddles pressure tested with our system – English, Western and side saddles of both types. We had three… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/position-why-it-so-important/

Position - Seeing the shoulder blade under saddle Part one

Figuring out where the shoulder blade of the horse is relative to the bar of a saddle is more difficult than seeing it on a bare horse, because you not only have to figure out the bone under the skin, but also the bar under the leather.
Key points to remember in seeing the shoulder blade – the spine of the scapula is pretty much always visible unless covered by blankets, etc. and it is parallel to the muscle… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/position-seeing-shoulder-blade-under-saddle-part-one/

The effects of “flare” - and it's not pretty...

The best way to know how a theory works is to see the results over time in real life. We now have an example of the damage that occurs when the "flare" theory is put into practice, thanks to an owner willing to share her story.
A couple of months ago we were discussing this horse with his owner. The history is that this is a 2006 mustang which the owner has had since he was 2 ½ years old. She… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/effects-flare-and-its-not-pretty/

Wither conformation - seeing the damage

There's normal and then there's abnormal, and abnormal doesn't mean uncommon...
In our blog post about normal wither conformation, I kept stressing that the transition between the shoulder blade and the wither pocket area is smooth, even on horses who… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/wither-conformation-seeing-damage/

Wither conformation - variations on "normal"

Horses come on all sizes and shapes. Here's the range we have seen so far in the wither pocket area, plus what we think about when fitting them.
Subscribe to RSS Feed We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two videos about how Western saddles fit horses available on our westernsaddlefit.com website.… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/wither-conformation-variations-normal/

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