Saddle Company Fitter - Laura Watson - S Co Saddle Fitting

05/05/2022

Highlight of the week, getting tipped with a giant tub of sweets! 😋

07/08/2021

Today I had the pleasure of observing
KL Equine Sports Massage & Rehabilitation in action when she came to treat a client's horse and my own. Kelly and I have worked collaboratively for a number of clients now and have seen some amazing results! I can not recommend her enough! Seeing our four legged clients become happier and healthier horses has been extremely rewarding! 🥰
Being able to work in combination with an equine physio/ESMT can be extremely invaluable, especially when your horse has anatomical challenges and/or injury rehabilitation requirements. I am always happy to work together with other equine practitioners to reach the best outcomes for you and your horse 🤝🐴

11/07/2021

⚠️Weight management alert⚠️
Its that time of year when our 4 legged beasts are gaining weight, particularly horses that have been predominantly stabled over winter and then turned out on good summer grass. It is vital that we ensure careful weight management for the sake of their health, mobility and their saddle fit.

Do you know a horse's weight can vary up to 5kg in a week? That's 5 bags of sugar ⚖️ This can understandably change the shape of your horse's saddle area and therefore affect your saddle fit. Failure to respond to these changes and saddle imbalance can lead to pain and/or discomfort for your horse and you as the rider.

To put this into perspective, an increase of takeaways, sweets and desserts with a lack of exercise to balance your excess calories would lead to you gaining pounds. Understandably your clothes would then likely fit differently as a result of this, you might have trouble squeezing into those favourite jeans 👖
🍫🍬🍭🥧🧁🍰🍦🍩🍪🍡🍟🍕🍔

The majority of my clients are requiring their saddles widening and adjusting to reflect the above at this time. However, a minority, particularly competition horses have lost weight/toned muscle due to an increase in work load and therefore have required the opposite adjustments.

Saddle Company saddles are an excellent choice to accommodate your horse's ever changing shape/weight across the year, due to their machine adjustable gullets.

If your saddle is due a check please get in touch ☎️

Check out this helpful resource shared by Blue Cross for some helpful advice regarding weight management

12/06/2021

This is an excellent article that highlights the importance of seeing the whole horse. Tension/pain in one area may not actually be the site of the problem but a compensatory response. This is why it is so important to keep up a regular physio routine as well as saddle fitting appointments to ensure any problems can be investigated and supported as soon as possible ⭐

“The horse just has a little arthritis in his left hock, it doesn’t seem to bother him too much.”

Horses are great compensators, and they will create alternative locomotive patterns to continue movement.

So, say this little bit of osteoarthritis causes a reduced range of motion of the tarsal joint. In an attempt to maintain stride length and hide this dysfunction to potential predators (because you never know when a lion could be waiting around the corner... or a flapping plastic bag!) the tarsal joint is rotated medially (inwards) during the swing phase of the stride. This results in asymmetrical & medial weight bearing through the digit. This places additional stress through medial hamstring muscles, resulting in muscle tension and trigger points. And this is all something that is potentially going on in just the affected hindlimb.

A hip hike/drop can occur at corresponding phases of the stride, placing the sacroiliac joint under stress, resulting in paraspinal and asymmetrical gluteal tone/pain.

Decreased impulsion from the left hindlimb leads to increased weight bearing through the right forelimb diagonal. This can create tension and hypertrophy to the right pectoral muscles and related fascial planes.

The spiral of compensation could continue on further, affecting cervical muscles that become hypertonic as a result of weight shifting, digit shape and size, TMJ pain, head tiling, hyoid dysfunction, asymmetric tail holding...

Often it can be the case where I see a horse that is a chronic stage of compensation and it can be difficult to find the true cause especially when the horse may appear just overall “stiff”.

I liken the rehabilitation of chronic cases to peeling the layers off an onion; one layer at a time and piece by piece to unravel and rewind the compensation spiral. 🐴

** Note after recieving a lot of messages, if you feel you require help with anything I have mentioned in this post, please drop me a message and I will try to get back to you but it may take me a while as I receive multiple a day! I am based in Surrey and cover most of the South East, so if you’d like a treatment & plan for your horse I would be more than happy. ♥️

25/05/2021

Now this is going to be a controversial post, but I think the time is overdue for a reality check for the horsey world on this. I also apologise for the length of the post.

Being a saddle fitter isn’t easy. Most people start out with a career change in later life, taking a big risk to their finances, not only while they’re training, but while they’re growing the business, and ultimately affecting their financial future. But we do it anyway because we’re passionate about helping horses and riders, and having a fulfilling job. Arguably there are some who don’t care, but you can find them easily online if you just Google and look for long term feedback on the equine forums. Very few of the rest of us are getting anywhere near rich and most of us work LONG hours. The money you pay us has to cover so much more than the time we spend with you (not insignificant overheads and admin time, pensions, holidays…).

So, the skill set required? Saddle fitting is only a small part of the job, and while it’s not rocket science, it takes a certain combination of scientific theory and artistic application. Most people can train to do a basic job, but it takes commitment and a certain flair to be a great fitter.

On top of that you need to be happy to drive miles and miles, hours and hours every week and to jump out of the van and work at full capacity every time for an hour or two. You need to be able to plan one of the most complicated diaries known to man, trying to work around people’s spare time, never as easy as working in a business to business environment. You need to be pretty hot at admin, systems, managing stock, and ultimately at running a small business; activities such as financial planning, marketing, and now things like understanding GDPR.

What I have only briefly mentioned is customer communication, and customer service. This is the toughest part of the job. We are not, as I often say, Network Rail. I’ve already explained that we are pretty much all passionate about what we do, but there is a fundamental misunderstanding of what a fitter does, leading to upset customers, and complaints.

There is no magic answer to the perfect saddle for a horse. And even if there was, it’s the perfect saddle only on that day, with the horse moving that way. Horses change, more than most owners can ever believe possible. And not always reflected well in the tracings we take.

We have osteopathic vets explaining that rubs at the back of the saddle can be caused by tightness in the SI joint, we know that low level lameness, and certainly an asymmetrical movement pattern, is a massive contributor to saddle slip. We know that using a pad other than that agreed with the fitter will change the fit of your saddle and potentially cause problems. We know that large competitive yards, often with a saddle sponsor, will have fitter out every 6 weeks to cast a quick eye over all saddle fits and attend to those that need adjustment (anyone ever told you 6 weekly checks would be ideal?!). And surely we know that if 99-odd saddles haven’t fitted, you’ve tried umpteen fitters and brands, and finally when you found one that did fit, that if it took at least a couple of tweaks to get your saddle to fit, then if your horse changes shape by just a millimetre it’s highly likely to affect your saddle fit?

So we need to come to a new place where we work WITH you as an ongoing part of your trusted team, and not be the first person to be blamed when your horse is sore. To really listen to your back person when they say the saddle’s not the issue. It’s too easy a target, it’s a big cost and we DO understand why you might be worried. BUT…a wonderful saddle fitter has just quit fitting today and I am gutted, for her, and for her customers. She’s not the first, I also know someone who was approaching the end of her training who decided she didn’t have a thick enough skin for this job. She would have been a fabulous asset to the saddle fitting world.

We are but flesh, please remember that we always do our best, and that sometimes you need to look elsewhere, and perhaps to yourself, for the cause of your problems with your horse. Because if you stomp all over your saddle fitter, in these days of social media and instant communication, you're probably going to cause them a sleepless night or two, and you might just cause someone to quit something they were really fabulous at, and all of us are the losers.

22/05/2021

Favourite yard visit today. Thank you lovely ladies and ponies. You've collectively got quite a collection of Saddle Company Saddles
😁🐎⭐

19/05/2021

CENTAUR BIOMECHANICS - BLOGS

**DOES SADDLE FIT MATTER FOR YOUNG HORSES?**



Generally, when starting the horse’s education (backing) there is little regard for the fit of the saddle. In most cases (not all), a saddle which appears to “reasonably” fit the young horses back is used – these saddles tend to be well used, and when not required, are placed at the back of the tack room, out of sight. It is important to appreciate that the unbacked horses back and soft tissues have never been exposed to the weight and dynamic forces created by the rider (and saddle). Therefore, if a saddle, which does not fit or distribute forces appropriately is used, the experience that the horse gets when first ridden, will vary considerably to the experience a horse has when ridden in a saddle which is fitted.

Although this may seem overzealous, we must not underestimate the compensatory strategies horses take. We and others have demonstrated the effect that incorrect saddle fit/design can have on saddle pressure distribution, back function, and locomotion. In the case of the young horse, who has not been exposed to the dynamic forces of the rider/saddle and the vertical load applied to its back, when ridden for the first time in a saddle which doesn’t fit, will create high pressures/restrict locomotion. It seems logical to expect, that the horse will develop a locomotor strategy to compensate to alleviate any discomfort caused.

In the case of the young horse, this strategy will be learnt immediately. It remains to be seen how this manifests itself over time. Our understanding on the effect that incorrect saddle fit has increased exponentially, therefore, applying the same principles, the young horse will develop a locomotor strategy (caused here by incorrect saddle fit), which may have been able to be prevented had a correctly fitted saddle been fitted.


Often people say, “I will invest in a saddle once the horse has fully matured”. The financial implications of buying a saddle for a young horse are fully appreciated, especially when horses mature and alter their body shape. Generally it is not viable to have a “made to measure” saddle for a young horse and then replace it as the horse matures and alters body shape.

With the advances of saddle design and technology, there are multiple options for horse owners for example, interchangeable gullet systems. Although the saddle must be professionally fitted, this type of system means that saddles can be fitted to young horses and then altered throughout the horse’s career.

Back related conditions in the horse are increasing which lead to a loss of athletic performance, injury, and lameness etc. Research is underway looking at saddle fitting in relation to young horses however, the question which remains to be answered (which will be in time to come), is does the locomotor compensatory strategy that the horse adopts at the beginning of its riding career cause locomotor asymmetries which can then lead to back / gait related conditions?

In summary – correct saddle fit for young horses is equally as important as correct saddle fit for the mature horse.

Please like / follow our page for more blogs and please share to raise awareness 😃

Dr. Russell MacKechnie-Guire
Centaur Biomechanics
www.centaurbiomechanics.co.uk

28/04/2021

Local tack cleaning service available from
Leather Me Up
Highly recommend
These transformations speak for themselves
🤩
https://www.facebook.com/groups/315633562957380/?ref=share

25/04/2021

Why we should ride young horses forward and down...

It is a commonly accepted training principle that we should encourage young horses to have a low head carriage. But why is this?

The muscles of the horses back are still immature at 3,4 and even at 5 years old. This is a combination of being developmentally (age related), and physically immature, in the sense that they lack the muscle condition which comes from years of training-induced exercise. Of course the maturity of their muscles will come naturally with time, and as we work them through groundwork and under saddle. But how can we get to this point, while protecting these fundamentally weak muscles and avoiding musculoskeletal injuries further down the line?

By utilising the passive ligament mechanism, we can allow the horse to support the back and carry the weight of the rider with very little muscular effort. This allows the epaxial muscles of the back to be free to perform their primary functions in movement, rather than acting as weight lifters.

The passive ligament system of the back is primarily composed of, well ligaments, the nuchal and supraspinous ligament to be exact.

The nuchal ligament is a strong, collagenous structure, originating at the extensor process of the occiput (the back of the skull), forming attachments to the cervical vertebrae, before inserting on the spinous process of the fourth thoracic vertebrae. Here the nuchal ligament broadens in the region of the withers, before continuing as the supraspinous ligament running along the top of the spinous processes of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae and terminating in the sacral region of the spine.

This creates an inverse relationship between the position of the head and neck and the balance between flexion and extension of the spine.

Generally speaking, lowering the head induces flexion in the thoracic region (the back is lifted) and conversely, raising the head creates extension in the thoracic region (the back hollows/drops). This is because the elongation of the strong and elastic nuchal ligament created when the head is lowered, creates a forward traction on the high spinous processes of the withers, and travels through the supraspinous ligament to lift the thoracic region of the spine. Comparatively, shortening of the ligament raises the head.

This system has provided an evolutionary advantage to the horse, as while they are grazing, the weight of the thorax and abdomen is supported passively by the ligament with very little muscular effort over long periods of time (up to the 16-19 hours per day they can spend grazing in the wild). Equally, because of the stored elastic potential energy in the liagement when it is stretched for the head to be at ground level, the horse can quickly raise its head to gallop away at the first sign of a predator.

Furthermore, lowering of the head and neck, stretching downwards and forwards, straightens out the natural S curve of the horse's spine. This lifts the bottom of the S curve, the cervico-thoracic junction and the ribcage, which creates lightness in the forequarters when the horse is moving. Further back, flexion in the thoracic region, increases the spacing between the dorsal spinous processes as the most dorsal aspect of the spine is stretched out. This posture is particularly therapeutic for horses with kissing spines.

In fact, the degree of flexion of the back is most marked between the 5th and 9th thoracic vertebrae, but is also significant between the 9th and 14th. Consequently, the arching and lifting of the back takes place directly under the saddle and therefore works to support the rider.

This is particularly useful in young horses; it allows the young horse, whose muscles are not mature enough to carry the rider, the chance to support its back and lift the weight of the rider by moving the head-neck axis rather than using active muscle contraction.

This means that the horse can use its muscles solely for movement; creating a loose, swinging back, free of tension, and suppleness in the gait.

Here we have the opportunity for us to slowly develop and condition the epaxial musculature of the young horse. Which will create a foundation of strength and suppleness of the back and the core to support more advanced movements later in their career.

Comparatively, if this system is not used, and the young horse is pulled into a shortened outline, it is the Longissimus Dorsi muscle which takes up the role of supporting the weight of the rider. But theLongissimus Dorsi is not designed for weight carrying, it is primarily a movement muscle.

Muscles act in the direction through which their fibres flow; the Longissimus Dorsi works in the horizontal plane, originating in the sacral and lumbar region of the spine and inserting through the lumbar, thoracic and ending in the cervical region. The Longissimus Dorsi primarily acts to extend and stabilise the entire spine, while also acting unilaterally to induce lateral flexion of the back. You can see the Longissimus Dorsi in action when watching a horse moving from above; the large muscle contracts alternately on each side of the back in the rhythm of the gait to stabilise the movement.

Once the Longissimus Dorsi is required to lift the weight of the rider, the muscle becomes blocked and stiff. Muscles are designed to work through a process of contraction and relaxation; held too long in contraction (to carry the weight of a rider, or support a shortened outline) and the Longissimus Dorsi will fatigue. This will lead to muscle spasm and pain within the muscle. Not only will the horse lose the strength to carry the rider, but they will also lose the natural elasticity of the back which will reduce the fluidity of their gaits.

Over time with greater overuse and fatigue, the Longissimus Dorsi muscle will atrophy, requiring the recruitment of other muscles, such as the Iliocostalis, to take up the role of stabilising the back and supporting the weight of the rider. Other muscles which are equally not designed for weight lifting. And so the cycle continues and the performance of the horse suffers.

With this knowledge in mind, we can understand why it is so essential to make use of the passive ligament system, by striving for that forward and down head carriage. Furthermore, that we also allow our young horses regular breaks, working on a loose rein to allow our horse to come out of the outline, stretch out, and reduce the risk of fatigue.

I always marvel at the intricately designed systems of energy conservation to create efficiency in the horse's way of going. It is our role as a rider to have an awareness of and make use of these systems; to allow our horses to go in the most efficient and beneficial way for them possible, upholding their standard of welfare.

Image credit: Tug of War, Gerd Heuschmann

03/04/2021

I think I know which of my four legged customers wins the matchy matchy competition! Complimented by her red front and back trim Saddle Company saddle. Thanks for sending over NJR Endurance 😊
Do any of my other customers have any matchy matchy photos? Would love to see!
📸📸🐴❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍🐴📸📸

13/03/2021

Visit from the saddle fitter today.
Prinny's saddle needed a little flocking and a tiny adjustment as she has lost weight and is toning up 😁
Thank you to Saddle Company Fitter - Laura Watson - S Co Saddle Fitting ❤

13/03/2021

When your lovely client makes an awesome tiktok video featuring her lovely bespoke matchy-matchy red piping Saddle Company saddle. Tiktok debut! 😁🐴 Brilliant Nicola! NJR Endurance ⭐

Tacking up 🐴❤

26/01/2021

21/01/2021

More evidence to show that your girth is just as important as your saddle

GIRTH PRESSURES AND ITS EFFECT ON EQUINE LOCOMOTION


Previously it has been assumed that the highest pressures beneath the girth are localised to the sternum. From a study we did before the London 2012 Olympics, using an electronic pressure mat positioned beneath the girth combined with motion capture, we quantified the effect that girth fit and design has on grith pressures and locomotion (1). In that study we demonstrated that, contrary to popular belief, areas of high pressures were localised behind the elbow and not on the sternum.

We observed areas of high pressure beneath girths in dressage, jumping and event horses, across all gaits (walk, trot & canter) (1) and more recently we have demonstrated the areas of high pressures in racehorses galloping occurs in the same region as previously described, behind the elbows. When girth pressures were reduced with girth modifications, the horses gait altered across all disciplines, highlighting the effect that girth pressures can have on locomotion.

We must not underestimate the effect that girth fit and design can have on locomotion. A girth that causes high pressures will cause the horse to seek a compensatory strategy to alleviate the discomfort caused, in this case by the girth. It should be noted that the areas of high pressure occurred every stride, therefore in a schooling session, in a girth which is poorly designed and or doesn’t fit, the horse is experiencing areas of high pressure behind the elbows every stride.

Some of the take home messages:

🟢Ensure the girth buckles are up as high as possible - away from the sensitive areas behind the elbows
🟢If using a martingale or training aid, which goes around the girth, caution should be taken as you will create a ridge of pressure on the sternum. Consider using a girth which has the girth attachment on the outside of the girth.
🟢Anatomically shaped girths with medical grade closed cell foam are preferred as they do not deform and help to reduce girth pressures
🟢Make sure the inside of the grith does not have cracks
🟢Ensure that girth buckles (left and right) are equal +- one hole
🟢Make sure that the girth is fitted in relation to the horse’s anatomy

Since this study, there are a lot of girths on the market which claim to be pressure relieving and or allow “freedom”. Whilst I am supportive of new designs for the good of the horse, users must be cautious over such claims which are not supported by evidence and particularly look at the fit and design of the girth, as from this study, girth fit and design must not be underestimated.

Please share to raise awareness of girth fit.

Hope the above is of interest.

Kind Regards

Dr Russell MacKechnie-Guire
Www.centaurbiomechanics.co.uk


1) Murray R, Guire R, Fisher M, Fairfax V. Girth pressure measurements reveal high peak pressures that can be avoided using an alternative girth design that also results in increased limb protraction and flexion in the swing phase. Vet J. 2013;198(1):92-7.

11/12/2020

Nice article in Horse & Hound featuring our latest research project - the use of a half pad beneath a correctly fitting saddle.

Paper titled “Effect of a Half Pad on Pressure Distribution in Sitting Trot and Canter Beneath a Saddle Fitted to Industry Guidelines”, published in Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 2020.

As always this is a team effort, massive thanks to the co-authors and riders, owners, horses and research assistants - these projects would not be possible with out them - so massive thanks to everyone 😃