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[RC] Fw: Saddle fit again! LONG! - GarnerT----- Original Message ----- From: GarnerT <GarnerT@xxxxxxx> To: <Ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2004 9:36 PM Subject: Saddle fit again! LONG! A friend & I recently attended the Equine Affaire in Pomona, CA. We went to a lecture put on by Jochen Schleese titled "How you can prevent long term damage to your horse caused by ill-fitting tack." Talk about interesting. I have had a few saddle issues with my horse, but he is now happy with his Orthoflex. The problem is, I am not. This was the heart of the lecture. Both rider & horse need to be happy. It was amazing what we learned in an hour. Karen & I immediately ran all around the building sitting in saddles. I've been having a problem with my saddle causing a huge amount of swelling at the top of both my thighs...it looks gross & it hurts. It takes about 2 weeks to go away. I know now that the twist is too wide for me. In addition, the saddle puts my legs way forward & turns my knees out. Maybe this is why so many people have knee pain! I sat on the Tucker my friend has, it was even worse! She sat on it & looked totally different. She could sit up straight, her legs were under her, you could see leather behind & in front of her legs, she was completely balance. She and I are approximately the same size & height, so it was amazing how differently we sat in the same saddle! I am going to start saving for a new custom fit saddle for my horse and me! I will take a friend with me to see how I sit, because it's really hard to tell by yourself. Mr. Schleese does make saddles, but his lecture was not about his saddles. In fact, he asked if we had been over to the booth that specialized in endurance saddles. He had overhead the representative asking the prospective buyer questions that would lead to a good saddle fit for the rider. We stayed at Mr. Schleese's booth for a good 30 minutes while I sat on many saddles. He showed us too wide of a twist, too narrow, every possible wrong fit, then he finally got me on a saddle that fit. I couldn't believe the difference. I could sit up straight, I felt relaxed, I wasn't leaning too forward or too far back to counteract the placing of my feet & legs. The only problem was, it was an English saddle. Now, I'm a country girl, raised on a cattle ranch with quarter horses, so this saddle was missing way too much! I don't know what kind of saddle I'll get, I have to save & do research, but I know that my comfort is important. I am riding in pain, leaning way too forward, & I know that my poor equitation is harming my horse down the long run. We were very impressed with the lecture - it was not an advertisement for his saddles, & we were impressed with the amount of time he spent with me, knowing I wasn't going to buy a saddle from him. A truly nice man & a knowledgeable man. If you're interested in more, here is his website: info@xxxxxxxxxxxx or www.schleese.com. Kathy Garner =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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