Saddle Awareness: What the horses are saying about the saddle...

· Your horse can’t stop moving.

 

· Your horse wants to buck you off.

 

· Your horse can’t stand still while you’re trying to put your saddle on.

 

· You’re on your horse and his head is up.

 

· You’re on your horse and he is moving really fast. You can’t get him to stop.

 

· You’re on your horse and he keeps looking at your leg or foot.

 

· Your horse tries to get away when he see you coming with a saddle.

 

· Does your horse jig?

 

Contact: Cookie        

Email: cookie@understandinghorses.com

 

They’re talking...are we listening?

Knowing that I wanted to learn all I could about horses, a friend of mine told me about this woman giving a clinic on Balance saddles. I told her that I was happy with my saddle and really did not want to get on that subject. She talked me into it and off we went to this saddle clinic. The Clinician was Carol Brett, an English gal. She told us all about these saddles that she designed and how they worked. The information was incredible to me; I just had to have my  horse fitted.

The only way that my horse could be fitted was the next day at 3:00 p.m. But the friend I had gone to the clinic with had to be home the next day so I had no choice but to drive back the following day. We were about three hours away from home, so I called my husband and asked him if he would return with me the next day, and he said yes.  

It was  worth the trip back! As Carol tried different saddles on the horses, she kept saying, “ask the horse” so I just watched as she worked with everyone. I was amazed.  She was doing something I had never seen before: she was waiting for signs from the horse, telling her if the saddle fit. The signs were very subtle.  Sometimes the stride was short with one saddle, or the head was carried high, or there was a stiffening of the horse’s neck versus a licking/chewing relaxation from the animal.  She was looking for comfort signs from the horse.

Well, I rode in three saddles in about three hours, and there was one saddle that I just loved. My mare moved in response to my slightest body movements, and I was delighted she could step sideways with no tension in her body. She could not move in my other saddle like she could move in these Balance Saddles. It was very obvious which saddle she liked and which one she didn’t.

After the three hours Carol was down to a choice between two saddles.  She said that my horse moved  best in the one, and that was her recommendation.  So after talking it over with my husband the decision was made.  It would take two months for the saddle to be made. I could hardly wait!

These are the step I would take in asking a horse how he feel about the saddle,  now lets have some fun…

First we might have to brush up on  the idea of comfort and discomfort. Horses understand each other through comfort and discomfort and this is how they teach us “humans.”  So with this in mind bring out the saddle and allow your horse to smell the saddle all over...turn your saddle upside down so your horse can get a good sniff.

If your horse is walking away before you can even get to this point then more than likely your horse has already been telling you about the saddle.

Here are a few hints: If your pony walks away he or she is saying “NO!”. Throwing the head up and leaving means “Absolutely NO!”.  If she or he is still sniffing that may mean “I’m thinking about it”. I would then put the saddle on the horses back after he is finished sniffing. If the horse begins to play with the saddle, he has changed the subject so just go on to the next step: Working with just the saddle, and not the pad. Put the saddle on and see what he or she does. 

The placement of the saddle is also something to consider. Your pony will tell you if you have it in the correct spot - meaning on his shoulder or wither. If the saddle lays on the horse’s shoulder they usually say “No”. The head will go up and the back will hollow. Allow your horse to educate you regarding the saddle placement - you will be amazed as I was.

You may have to try placing your saddle 4 inches behind the wither. You can  mark on the horse’s back for saddle placement. If  you horse does not like where you have placed the saddle his head will go up. If he likes where the saddle is the head will go down. Give it a try - you’ll begin to see what your pony is saying by playing around with this idea. If you are not seeing anything that appears to be uncomfortable to your horse it may be that your horse likes your saddle.

If this seems off the wall to you, just go outside and play. Allow your horse to educate you by trying something different and watch for little changes in the pony.

UNDERSTANDING

HORSES NATURALLY

Alternatives to traditional training.

Player had something to say about he’s saddle and we listened!