Saddles: Jimmy Choo or Louboutin?

Need a new saddle, not sure which one..?

At a recent show I overhead two ladies talking serious business aka "saddle talk!"  You know the kind of conversation  - one person confidently espouses all his or her knowledge about saddles in a way that lesser beings dare not challenge but must absorb, and pass on, to other lesser beings in the future without question. 

I've found that you can discover all sorts of interesting (but not always true) facts about  how "all saddles have trees like this, or like that", if you tune in as you wander by! 

Later in conversation with the wood-bee saddle shopper she told me she really "didn't know that much about saddles" but the current saddle was making her horse back sore"  "What saddle should I have that won't cause her issues?"  Right question from an honest hearted lady who wants to do the best for her horse. The answer lies in women's shoes!

An image tripped across my mind of two women shopping for a new pair of shoes - and pondering "which ones are good for you?" The answer: none! Even if you ask yourself 'which ones won't hurt?' the answer is still "none"!  Sooner or later women's shoes crush toes, wrinkle skin, blister heels, wreck your arch or bring on bunions! (A prudent reader will of course go check out those 'facts' for themselves and will resign themselves to a life wearing Clarks)!

Fact or fiction, we can agree that we aren't designed to walk on the balls of our feet, for hours on end, on hard surfaces occasionally having to run, or carry heavy stuff in our arms.   When saddle shopping it's good to remember that horses weren't actually designed to be ridden or wear saddles for hours on end, at speed, carrying a 10 stone human - hence the analogy!

If you are after 'cause no pain' then bare back has to be your best bet.  If we want to avoid corns and hard skin, don't wear high heels!

But, if we are to ride with a saddle (and I confess I do) then we must accept that we are compromising our horses' backs.  Therefore, the better question is...

How can I best preserve my horse's back?  Here are some approaches

1. What is the actual shape of your horses back so you know what shape of tree to insist on?
2. Compare it to the shape of others horse's backs so you can describe it in your own words and don't have to accept what a saddle fitter is telling you he /she sees.
3. Which horses around you look like their backs are in good shape?  Find out why and how? 
4. Demand a saddler who comes with trees not saddles.  We often fall in love with the look of the finished product (sequins on our shoes) without regard for the shape of the tree whose function is to evenly distribute weight.
5. Does the tree match the shape of your horses back?  Perfectly? 
6. What is the saddler's own criteria for the longevity of a horse's back?  
7. Gullet width - check it - don't just believe the fitter's word.
8. If you hear things like 'flexible trees bend and warp' ask for the evidence, the data and source of that fact - it may be misquoted mythology or B.S!
9. Can you limit your riding e.g. ride every other day?
10. Do you have to school for an hour when 30 minutes may be sufficient?
11. Do you observe the lay of the horses hair,  and sweat patterns when the saddle is removed to notice in balance?
12. Do you massage your horse's back once the saddle is removed to stimulate circulation?
13. Does your horse have regular physio to help you catch issues or physical changes early on?
14. Under no circumstances use the same saddle on two or more horses.  
15. Don't fix poor saddle fitting with pads and gadgets - doesn't make our high heels fit better and won't help your saddle fit either.

I am sure there is more we can do.  This is my own personal list as back preservation has been an obsession of mine for both my horses and myself.  Grace's back is looking good but then I would think that wouldn't I?

So if I haven't made my point clearly enough it is this: whether it's Jimmy Choo or Louboutin is not the point as neither will have a positive impact on the health of your feet.  Spending more doesn't in this case mean pain free! Custom made shoes would surely be a step in the right direction with every part that contacts your foot fitted to that area. So, be obsessive about stripping back potential saddles to the bare tree.  Work up from there and you should have a good chance of minimising back issues.

Finally, under the definition of "Saddle" on Wikipedia it offers this useful advise:

 "Proper saddle care can extend the useful life of a saddle, 

often for decades" 

If only saddle makers dangled the same carrot that their  "saddle can extend the life of a horse's back" - if  you find a saddler who makes such a claim - please spread the word! 

If that fails, then you could always resort to selecting the saddle that you found the most comfortable to sit on, and forget all about the function of a saddle and the physiology of the horse.  Sit back, kick on and watch the physio and vets bills roll in!