Riders, trainers, and fitters alike all know the importance of a well-fitting saddle. With that said, haw many of those folks are unaware of how much a horse can change in just six months? Sometimes scheduling a saddle fit checkup is forgotten or just doesn’t happen. We are all extremely busy and it is hard to remember. And the lack of scheduling checkups is not because we are oblivious to the change, but more so that the change in the horse is so gradual, we barely notice the change.
The reasons for a change in the horse are many, whether it be from a step up in the training regime, coming back from injury, a young horse changing, time off, a change in feed, supplements, and even the season.
The change in the seasons may or may not be an obvious one but when you think about the different type of riding habits in each season, you probably realize why. But what you might not know is with the change of the season from summer to winter, the quality of the hay you feed, can cause some of the biggest changes. Older hay tends to have fewer nutrients and because of this, horses sometimes lose a bit of weight. Of course this change does not take place overnight and noticing a difference is hard to observe.
Because of the change in seasons and all the other stated reasons, your horse is constantly changing. This is why it’s extremely important to adjust the fit of your saddle, which should be checked regularly.
At N2 Saddlery, we highly recommend bi-annual checks on your saddle fit to ensure a correct saddle fit and, in turn, a happy and comfortable horse. And of course, this routine maintenance will make for a happy rider as well.