20/04/2026
A few weeks ago, I had a rider over who wasnโt even sure if she should bring this horse. Heโd not been 100% sound, neither in hand nor under the saddle. There was this slight oddness in the movement, sort of a โticโ in the left front leg. From the ground it wasnโt very obvious, but the rider really felt it and it made her worry.
And that concern made sense. Her horse had recently returned to work after an injury and, after a careful rebuild, was clearly looking fitter than at the last saddle check three months earlier. Still, something didnโt feel right, which made her worry about another injury.
In search of an answer she had been everywhere: physio, vet, osteo, homeopathโฆ but no one could really figure it out.
After checking the horse and the saddle, we had to make an adjustment: as the saddle has TreeClix installed, it was just a matter of ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฑ. The screwed in panels made this a job of a few minutes.
The difference was immediately visible. Can you believe the horse looked 100% sound and the rider couldnโt feel the tic anymore. Just to be sure, we had her ride for over 20 minutes.
2 weeks later, she sent me a message. Not only hasnโt the โticโ come back, but she also states that the canter has improved dramatically. Where she had to correct asymmetry non-stop prior to the adjustment, she could now relax more as the horse stayed straight.
In this case, the horse had changed physically, and the saddle no longer matched his body, affecting the way he could move. Still a bit weak after his injury he started compensating, which resulted in uneven movement and soreness.
Now, to be clear; itโs not always the saddle. But sometimes it is. Sometimes itโs just a small change in tree width (half a size, maybe one, depending on the brand) and everything changes.
Do you already work in millimeters when adjusting tree width?
