TIBO Equestrian: saddle/ bit/ bridle fitting, Spain

19/06/2024

Super excited 👏👏💖

18/06/2024

The What, Why, How of Dressage. A systematic, logical, and comprehensive approach to Dressage training that places the horse’s well-being and happiness as the top priority.

16/05/2024

15/05/2024

One of the very misunderstood things we often run into is the ‘opinion’ of the audience watching their fellow riders that saddles aren’t fitting because they may seem to be too curved in the back (i.e., not lying flat on the horse’s back). There is actually method to the madness of making saddles this way and making them fit this way. Let me try to explain…

A saddle’s supporting surface on top of the horse’s ribcage is generally almost always flat from front to back. The majority of all saddle trees made have a slight arc so that the shoulder (which moves 6-8” upwards and backwards) has room to engage. The back, which we like to see with a “swinging” motion, should be able to come up without too much interference from the rear of the tree. The panel stuffing is mainly at the pommel and at the cantle, in an effort to provide extra cushioning at these areas.
Every effort should have been made during saddle construction to increase the weight-bearing surface from front to back in order to stabilize the saddle. Some saddle companies even go to the extreme of straightening the tree even further in an attempt to prevent “rocking”.

However, research using thermography, computerized saddle pads, fibre-optic photography, and other state-of-the-art technology has indicated that in contrast to this belief, a saddle sitting “perfectly flat” can actually inhibit the horse’s movement and cause heat, friction, etc. – resulting in a sore back.

So yes, we want to see some movement under the cantle of the saddle, to ensure the horse has the ability to lift the back. What we do not want is rocking side to side or even daylight between the horse’s back and the panels during movement. The challenge to your saddle fitter is to fit the saddle so it does indeed have a slight ability to rock without becoming a teeter totter.

16/04/2024

Perfect time of the year to enjoy this wonderful tool!! In stock at TIBO equestrian!!

27/03/2024

💯🔝

🤲🏻 Teamwork makes the dream work 🐎

🐴Trabajar en equipo significa muchas cosas…

📎 Que 1️⃣➕1️⃣ ya no sea dos si no ♾️.

📎 Que en la Variedad de habilidades 🤲🏻 y Diversidad de conocimientos 📚surja una Comunicación abierta y efectiva bajo la Colaboración y respeto mutuo.

📎 y así, un largo etc…

✋🏻 Que no significaría nada si no fuera porque al final, la obsesión de todos los que salimos en una foto así es el bienestar equino y su respeto, y eso se traduce en conseguir caballos 🐴 felices con temporadas 🏇🏻 de éxito y preveniendo lesiones.

🙌🏻 Un lujo y un privilegio trabajar con compañeros veterinarios, jinetes y amazonas así.

29/02/2024

Has “flashy” become more important than correct in the dressage ring? It’s a heated 'classical or competition' argument among dressage fans.

24/01/2024

About this weekend our rider and partner Diego Medina!!! Was on top all the weekend!! Every day on the top 3!!! Well-done

23/01/2024

23/01/2024

The curse of low hands

In the conversation of hyperflexion and riding behind vertical, I would be remiss, as a biomechanics coach, if I didn’t address the curse of low hands. I see this so often in riders and it is one of the easiest fixes. Just raise your hands!

Low hands will not get you the round, soft horse you’re attempting to create. Low hands are often pulling hands and equally creates a pulling, and resistant horse. If we think of the horse’s mouth anatomy, it is easy to see that low hands put direct bit pressure on the highly innervated lower bars of the horse’s mouth. Some horses will submit and tuck their heads away from this pressure. Some will head toss, bolt, buck and generally show conflict behaviors in an attempt to escape the pressure.

We should strive to keep the bit up in the fleshy corners of the horse’s mouth. We should not attempt to lower the horse’s nose from low reins. As riders we need to learn how to develop the horse systematically to use their bodies to the best of their individual ability. If I asked most riders to do the splits, right now, they wouldn’t even get close. But with gentle daily training it is possible. It is no different for the horse. Be prepared for years of work, not hours or days. To take shortcuts, such as seen with low hands, is to create false collection and this will only serve to damage your horses body. None of us want that.

I promise you, if you raise your hands above the wither and gently bring the bit into the fleshy corners of your horses mouth, they will thank you by softening their bodies and their minds.

We need to stop equating our self worth with the position of our horse’s head. We cannot force collection. I will not think less of you as a rider or a person if your horse’s head is ahead of vertical - no one should think less of you…including yourself ❤️

Note: Thank you to everyone who took the time to write comments. It was a lively discussion but it’s gotten so long (and sometimes off topic) so I’ve decided to turn comments off. I usually try to respond to each and every comment on my posts - yes, even those of you who aren’t so kind. Unfortunately this post got far more traction than I could have imagined and I wasn’t able to keep up. So I apologize if I didn’t respond directly to your comment. Most of the comments/questions are asked more than once so feel free to scroll through the comments to see if your question was addressed. Clearly, this is a very passionate topic for many and one that I will revisit in more detail down the road. Thank you for visiting my page.❤️

02/01/2024

👏👏👏👍👍👍

Empezamos el año aprendiendo con vosotros!!

El próximo 3 de Febrero podemos redescubrir a nuestro caballo, aprendiendo sobre como ofrecerle los mejores cuidados.

Todo esto desde diferentes puntos de vista: la biomecánica, el herraje, la odontología y el ajuste del bocado y la montura.

No tardéis en apuntaros!!

20/12/2023

👏👏👏

☕️ Pedazo de tarde ayer hablando de caballos 🐎 con Joaquín Tinao 🙋🏻‍♂️

📲 En stories he dejado algún extracto

🤲🏻 Tan fácil y rápido de decir como complejo de interiorizar…esto es para tatuárselo:

👉🏻 Honestidad con uno mismo 🙋🏻‍♂️

👉🏻 Honestidad con el caballo 🐎

👉🏻 Trátalo como un amigo y dale una vida de caballo 🐴: montarlo es un privilegio

🔝 Gracias Joaquín!!!!!

14/12/2023

01/12/2023

To pad or not to pad, that is the question..

There are so many different saddle- and half pads available – each of which serving a myriad of purposes – beyond simply being an interface between your saddle and the horse’s back. Saddle pads can be heat-deflecting, sweat-absorbing, pressure-distributing, saddle-balancing, rider-cushioning, you name it. They generate an astonishing amount of revenue within the equine industry, and when it comes to overall unit sales, are probably among the top sellers in any tack shop.

One of the reasons for their growing popularity – aside from being used to accessorize – is simply that there are so many poorly fitting saddles.

Saddle pads or half pads more specifically, are still widely seen as a low-expense band-aid solution for poor fit. However, fixing fit problems with saddle pads and shims should always be an interim solution, and only when their use doesn’t impact the gullet angle and width, or impact the gullet channel width for the spine.

But why do we use saddle pads in the first place?

The original use of the saddle pad was as a thin interface between saddle and horse to keep the sweat off the leather, that’s it!

The function of a saddle pad is based partly on the style of the saddle it was made for.
To explain this further, we will categorize between two types of saddles:

The first includes those saddles such as military, pack, and Western saddles, where the saddle tree is in direct contact with the horse’s back. For these types of saddles, a saddle pad is absolutely necessary as padding to keep the tree from directly contacting the horse’s back. Originally, it was a rolled wool blanket folded and used under a saddle, or a pad made of felt was called into service to keep the horse’s back comfortable. Nowadays there are other materials to pad these types of saddles.

The second type of saddle has a fairly flat saddle tree with attached panels containing flocking made of wool, felt, rubber, air, or a synthetic wool mix. These saddles really do not need any type of pad to ensure the horse’s comfort, that is, if they fit properly!
Saddle pads for these saddles are really only supposed to be protection from rub marks arising from dirt or sweat, and also to protect the saddle’s leather from the horse’s sweat.

Often pads are used as a temporary expedient to assist in proper fit, but the important word here is temporary. Even the best saddle pad in the world is not a good substitute for regular saddle-fit adjustments.

It is important to make sure that the saddle pad does not impact the positive designs of the saddle. It shouldn’t interfere with the width of the gullet channel (thus pinching the spinal vertebrae and dorsal-ligament system), nor should it “pull” or pinch over the wither. It should lie flat and without folds under the saddle. Therefore, it is important that the saddle- or half pad follows the shape of the horse’s back, we call this “wither-relief”. Unfortunately oftentimes saddle pads are too straight and even when pulled up into the gullet channel during tacking up, they will migrate down against the horse’s withers and spine during riding, creating pressure points.

Many saddle pads are thick and cushiony and therefore change the three-dimensional, saddle-support area of the horse: In effect, they negate any saddle-fitting work that has been done or reduce the gullet channel clearance.

When the saddle fits the horse, only one pad is needed: A thin cotton wither-relief pad.

What saddle- or half pad do you use and why?

29/11/2023

👍‼️👍

27/11/2023

‼️♥️‼️

30/10/2023

29/10/2023

‼️‼️‼️

13/09/2023

Estaremos aquí, ¿nos veremos allí?

¡Estamos preparando grandes rebajas y descuentos en muchos de nuestros productos!

¡Así que pasa y echa un vistazo!

TIBO Equestrian estará presente con la tienda TACK YOUR HORSE.

07/09/2023

Available for horses as well as dogs!

31/05/2023

🌟Out of office notification 🌟
My summer break will start earlier this year.

From 7th June onwards I won't be able to attent clients for saddle / bit or bridle fittings for approximately 2 months.

Last January I've twisted my knee badly and will get operated that day, hopefully have speedy recovery, so I can be up an running soon 💪

My agenda stays open to keep planning 🤞