When saddle fit collides with logic

Sunday, September 28th, 2008 | saddle fitting | 2 Comments

Maggie and Fergus addressing the issues of logic, fact, and gardening.

“Logic and fact keep interfering with the easy flow of conversation.” - Mason Cooley

Before I was a saddle fitter, I was a career Foreign Service Officer, trained in international economics.  Since almost nothing ever works as it theoretically should in economics, and since no one seriously expects that it will, economists are rarely blamed when they don’t get it right.   This is not so with saddle fitting.   People who seek help from saddle fitters expect that they know what they are doing.   They generally expect that the experience will result in something positive, a lasting solution for themselves and their horses, notwithstanding the fact that saddle fitting, even at its most successful, is fundamentally an exercise in damage control.

A significant complication in this process is that equus and homo sapien are two quite disparate species, each with its own particular set of ergonomic requirements.  Yet they must share the same piece of equipment, share the same bearing structure from opposite sides, and — however improbable this might be sometimes — it has to fit them both. › Continue reading

Tags: horse fit rider fit, narrow twist wide horse, saddle fit challenges, saddle fitting