29/05/2026
SORT THE SADDLE FIT… CHANGE YOUR OWN DEFAULT….
I get a real buzz out of not only fitting the saddle so that the horse is more comfortable and able to move but also from helping the Rider make the best use of that saddle and that new balance , by helping them find a new default.
The saddle is the connection point between the Riders seat bones and the horses back but so much teaching focuses on what the Rider is doing with their hands and their legs without really recognising what is going on in the middle where that connection is made.
ONE client yesterday had travelled all the way from Ohakune , taking an Airbnb down here in order to have the time to get her saddle right.. four hours each way even without the traffic hold-ups . That’s a huge commitment to, and investment in the partnership.. She did not have a huge budget and was thrilled to find that a very nice secondhand Wintec in really good condition actually fitted them both really well and allowed her to find a connection through her seat bones that had previously eluded her .
Making changes to her breathing , to how she distributed her weight whilst in the saddle, and helping her to engage her core and her lats increased her stability and at the same time gave her much more feel of what the horse was doing underneath , effectively allowing her to manage things rather than attempt to control them! It was terrifically exciting for us all.
To have made those changes in the old saddle would’ve been like pushing water uphill for them both but now they are well set up to enjoy future adventures together. I am full of respect and admiration for what she has already achieved and I will look forward to watching what happens next
My second client yesterday also travelled a long way, from the Wairarapa , to follow up on fitting a beautiful Bascule from NSC Saddles NZ.
She bought it new at Christmas but the horse was off with injury for quite a long while so we had been unable to complete the fit.
Once it was adjusted and in balance, I helped her recognise and manage some asymmetry in her own body. The canter strike off to the right,which she had previously found really hard to access suddenly happened on her first attempt.
How many hours of frustration could’ve been spent with a saddle and a body that weren’t quite right, trying to follow a coaches instructions to make the horse comply… and at what cost?
Both Riders have heaps of homework but their new saddles have given them a new awareness of what is happening and a balanced platform from which to move forward
It felt like a good days work…
