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/
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/
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/
Yup, the rider affects what the horse feels too. It's not all just the saddle... Subscribe to RSS Feed Daring to walk into a lion’s den here… When discussing “big picture saddle fit”, we have to look at more than just the tree and the saddle. There… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/effect-rider-part-one/
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/
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/
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/
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/cinches-what-more-i-have-learned/
Something we'd like to tell a lot of people... Subscribe to RSS Feed Comments: Posted by Gail on Apr 3rd, 2016 I have a 10 yr old Arabian cross with narrow shoulders. I had a saddle built for him and it seems… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/youre-saddling-your-horse-wrong/
Where is the rider's weight really centered under a saddle? Maybe not where you think... 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/center-pressure-under-saddle/
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/
What does it mean when a saddle bridges? And how do you know if it does? Subscribe to RSS Feed This is a bridge. It contacts at both ends and has lots of empty space underneath it. We are no longer building saddle trees, but we have two… https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/saddle-tree-blog-from-shop-and-desk/bridging/
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/
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/
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 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/rethinking-saddle-fit-and-shoulder-blade-movement/
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! 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/position-why-it-so-important/
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 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. 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/effects-flare-and-its-not-pretty/
There's normal and then there's abnormal, and abnormal doesn't mean uncommon... 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-seeing-damage/
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/
