SB Equestrian Essentials

14/09/2025

Yes, yes, yes 🙌❤️

You can’t move quickly and erratically while tacking up, and get on and have a soft, smooth ride

Often folks move as if overly caffeinated around their horses. Their lead ropes are tangled up, they pet (or slap or scruffle) meaninglessly and erratically. They brush roughly, cinch up quickly, bang eyes and teeth and rumple ears in bridling. Their thoughts are racing, they aren’t organized in their approach and they are rushed.

This isn’t to say you should sneak around your horse, but moving thoughtfully and purposefully around them goes a long way. A horse has to deal with all this frantic and meaningless energy- some become nervous and antsy, some tune out. People go to describing their behavior as rude, nervous, evasive, whatever- when this same horse might be completely different with a calmer and more organized person.

Challenge yourself to have your thoughts and equipment organized before you step into the pasture or stall. Have your lead rope prepared and ready, take a few minutes to tune into your breath. Know what you’d like to accomplish, and then approach the horse. You’ll be amazed at the difference in them.

11/09/2025

Oh I’m loving the look of these! Vegan option available. So many options to find that perfect close ride feel. All the benefits of ba****ck pads in terms of developing your seat with extra comfort and weight distribution for your horse. Shimming options and different positions for the stirrup leathers. Listen with the sound on. Contact me if you are interested 🤩

10/09/2025

Oh I absolutely freaking LOVED hosting retreats. It was joyful. The horses and humans were a privilege to spend time with ❤️

One of my favourite weeks of the teaching year is the five day retreat. I'm going to share the story of this years as the magic unfolds...

05/09/2025

Loving connecting with new people via Hidalgo saddles. So great to hear about how horse women are putting the flexibility of Hidalgo saddles to great use in starting young horses. Plus that is some good looking saddle eye candy right there 🤣😎

Super excited to hit the ✈️ with Deanna Preis Horsemanship at Shade Tree Stables to visit our member Happy Hearts Horsemanship in the beautiful Pacific Northwest for a collaborative clinic !

Tia has all of her Hidalgo leather tree saddles cleaned up and ready for the weekend. Tia uses these saddles in her training program as they are so adaptable to all the different needs she faces.

She has a dressage model, and two Spanish saddles. She has a standard tree Spanish and a shire tree Spanish to accommodate the wider horses she gets in for training as these horses can be a true struggle and riding a learning horse in restrictive tack will create potentially life long bad memories for the horse.

Onwards and upwards! Praying for safe travels and lots of learning and memories made with fellow horse lovers this weekend! 🩷🩷🩷

02/09/2025

For anyone who needs to hear this today. The power of reframing is a wonderful thing and I’m leaning into it fully just now. If you are taking things to the next level with your horse, and feeling a little overwhelmed… take heart! It’s one of the ways to turn your wobbly feelings into your super power 🦸‍♀️

01/09/2025

Me and Temple smashing into Monday morning like we mean it! Miss riding this beautiful character and he was developing so many wonderful skills. Aided by an awesome Hidalgo Jerez saddle of course. Check out that square halt ❤️

29/08/2025

Okay so following on from yesterday, let’s look at how to reduce the effort of saddling on older (and younger!) joints. I have seen many different interesting approaches to saddling. My personal favourite is the ‘Frankenstein’…. Arms outstretched on approach and the saddle wrestled up the side of the horse. Not easy to watch and even harder to do. Nothing beats the assistance of momentum and learning to swing even a light Hidalgo saddle (5kgs) in place when you are doing it regularly makes a difference. Give it a go and your joints can thank me later. If you want a short explanation about how to set it up minus a saddle just comment momentum below

28/08/2025

La Grange des Selles is up the road from where I live and so worth a follow. Thierry takes superb photos and the captures of all the animals that call this special place home are just wonderful. Guaranteed to enhance your daily news feed ❤️

11/08/2025

The Silent Teacher in Your Riding: Your Saddle.

When buying a saddle, most riders think only about the horse’s fit — but your saddle is just as important for you.

A well-designed, well-fitted saddle can help you:

Sit in balance

Follow your horse’s movement

Develop a secure, independent seat

A poorly fitted one can quietly do the opposite — tipping your pelvis, locking your hips, or forcing your legs out of alignment. Over time, that can turn into habits you’ll have to work hard to undo.

3 Things Riders Should Check When Choosing a Saddle
1️⃣ Balance – The saddle should let you sit in neutral alignment without tipping forward or back.
2️⃣ Twist & Width – The twist (narrowest part where your inner thigh sits) affects leg comfort and position, especially on long rides.
3️⃣ Connection – You should feel close enough to follow your horse’s movement without gripping or bracing.

Quick Seat Check Exercise

Next time you ride, try this in walk:

Close your eyes for 10 steps – Notice if you tip forward, back, or to one side.

Drop your stirrups – Can you stay deep without gripping with your knees?

Let your horse stretch – Feel if you can follow the back’s swing without bouncing or bracing.

If any of these feel difficult, it might not be your riding — it could be your saddle’s balance or twist holding you back.

At Hidalgo, our flexible leather tree saddles are designed to keep horse and rider in harmony — allowing you to sit deeper, move more freely, and develop your seat without fighting your tack.

06/08/2025

Is Your Saddle Silencing Your Horse’s Back?

A moving horse is a living wave. When they truly engage, the hindquarters drive forward, the core activates, and the spine lifts into a flowing arc of motion. It’s beautiful — and essential for health, performance, and comfort.

But here’s the problem:
📉 Rigid tree saddles can flatten that wave.
They restrict the rise of the back, compress soft tissue, and concentrate pressure in static zones. Over time, this can lead to shortened strides, resistance, and even subclinical damage — before we see obvious signs of discomfort.

🔬 Studies show that flexible tree saddles distribute pressure more evenly and allow for greater spinal motion (Latif et al., 2010; MacKechnie‑Guire et al., 2019). This means the back can stay mobile, engaged, and expressive.

👀 Want to see your horse’s back in action? Try this:
Next time you lunge, take a short video. Watch how your horse's back moves:

Is the back lifting and swinging?

Or does it look flat, tense, or locked?

Are the shoulders flowing, or is the saddle blocking freedom?

📹 Even a 30-second video can tell you a lot. Try watching in slow motion to get a deeper awareness of your horses movement. And if you're unsure what you're seeing — I'm happy to help you interpret it.

Sometimes, the saddle is the silence behind the symptoms.
The good news? There’s another way.

If you're curious to explore what that could mean for your horse, stay tuned. Or just drop me a message — I love talking about this stuff.

05/08/2025

Timo has a good range of motion in his shoulders. This is a super simple way to see if your saddle is blocking the shoulder when in motion. Lots of people check when the horse is standing still. Have a feel when they are moving too

04/08/2025

The Foundation of a Happy, Healthy Horse 🐎

Did you know that poor saddle fit is one of the top causes of equine back pain?

Recent studies using pressure mapping show that rigid tree saddles can create uneven pressure points, leading to muscle atrophy, behavioural resistance, and even long-term lameness (references and more detail to follow).

That’s why back health must come first — not just for comfort, but for biomechanics, performance, and overall wellbeing. Your horse’s back isn’t static — it flexes, lifts, and moves with every stride. Your saddle should support that, not block it.

Follow along this week as we explore how to support a healthy back and why flexible-tree saddles like Hidalgo offer a new approach.

Les bases d’un cheval heureux et en bonne santé
Saviez-vous qu’un mauvais ajustement de la selle est l’une des principales causes de douleurs dorsales chez le cheval ?

Des études récentes utilisant la cartographie des pressions montrent que les selles à arçon rigide peuvent créer des points de pression inégaux, entraînant une atrophie musculaire, des résistances comportementales, voire des boiteries à long terme.

C’est pourquoi la santé du dos doit être une priorité — non seulement pour le confort, mais aussi pour la biomécanique, la performance et le bien-être général. Le dos de votre cheval n’est pas statique — il se fléchit, se soulève et bouge à chaque foulée. Votre selle doit accompagner ce mouvement, pas l’entraver.

👉 Cette semaine, suivez-nous pour découvrir comment préserver un dos sain et pourquoi les selles à arçon flexible, comme celles de Hidalgo, offrent une approche novatrice.