Dissecting the saddle!

Dissecting the saddle!

Ever since man tamed a horse, he has been puzzled by the question of choosing a saddle for it. The first saddles were a structure made of skins with straps for fastening, later they began to use wood to create a tree frame. We’ll talk about how modern saddles are made.

The saddle consists of a frame and a top cover.

frame it can be classic, made of wood and metal, or innovative – made of plastic or its combinations with carbon, all carbon, and also provide for replacement (replaceable trees).

A wood and metal tree saddle will be much heavier than a plastic saddle, and a carbon tree saddle is the lightest and strongest of the options.

Wood and metal trees are the most fragile (compared to other options).

Plastic trees can be adjusted to the horse’s back, which is suitable for owners of young horses who often “change” their backs. It is better to check the availability of this function with the saddle manufacturer in advance and take care of the availability of such a service in your area.

Replaceable trees are staples of bright colors, and also require a special ruler from the manufacturer to facilitate taking measurements. This system is very convenient for owners of both young and old doshas who are prone to muscle swings.

More about interchangeable trees we will tell on the example of saddles German company Kieffer.

At the moment, Kieffer offers the following types of trees:

Standard. Changing the width of this tree always occurs only by heating and subsequent compression for 12 hours.

exclusive. It is distinguished by the presence of a special metal insert that allows you to adjust it to the width of the withers without preheating. Its geometry is somewhat different in terms of taking into account the physiological features of the structure of the rider’s hip region. Kieffer calls it “Medico-Sitz”

Easy fit (a subspecies of the Exclusiv variant). In addition, it is structurally provided for even greater freedom for the horse’s shoulder blade due to the installation of a movable part at the ends of the tree.

Мodell 1000. This tree is reinforced with fiberglass reinforced. From the point of view of the softness of the fit, Kieffer returned to the Excellent model in this version, only the softening “pattern” is now made of a different material and has a different shape. Schnellers are made of a special steel alloy and can withstand loads up to 1700 kg. Modell 1000 saddles are designed for horses with a normal or broad back and allow the use of a “closed” version of the front of the tree at the withers. The Modell 1000 variant tree has no limits on the number of recompressions due to the use of special materials. Re-squeezing is the same as that of the Exclusiv (“cold”) tree.

It is better to check with the manufacturer of the saddle in advance about the possibility of changing the tree and take care of the availability of such a service in your area. Replaceable trees are staples of bright colors, as well as a special ruler from the manufacturer to facilitate taking measurements.

Top coat saddles can be different: leather as a classic option, a combination of leather and nubuck / synthetics, only synthetics.

Leather can be called the best covering for a saddle. Making a choice in favor of the skin, pay attention to excessive “gloss” of the product: this also speaks of the use of pressed leather, which quickly loses its attractive appearance, cracks, and is also quite “slippery” for the rider.

It is quite easy to check the quality of the leather: the wing of the saddle should not “break”. If you bend it slightly, there should be no marks left at the fold! Good leather, which will serve you for many years, will return to its original position without any signs of crease.

Synthetic saddles also vary considerably from each other. Yes, seat covers Wintec durable enough. These saddles are suitable for use in the field and for swimming – it is almost impossible to disable such a saddle. The synthetics on these saddles are resistant to rot and mildew, the solidly stitched construction allows them to last for many years, and the system of interchangeable trees allows you to quickly adjust the size of the saddle to the desired one.

The saddle is also equipped pillowsadjacent to the back of the horse. They can have various shapes (flat, wedge-shaped, banana-shaped) and filling (wool, gel foam, air capsules). Wool is the best and preferred filler because it conforms to the shape of the horse’s back and is pressed to its shape. Gel foam and air capsule are more static materials. If the width of the saddle channel is not measured correctly, they can cause discomfort and pain in the horse’s spine. The air capsules take the shape of the horse’s back, however, their correct fit can only be correctly assessed by fastening the saddle with a girth and putting the rider in it.

Lyubov Selezneva, saddle selection consultant (https://vk.com/sedla),

Mikhail Andreev