Ace Saddle Fit

06/10/2023

Posture, Training & Biomechanics🐎
👀Watch out - rant alert

I'd like to share some thoughts that have been on my mind recently. It's disheartening to witness horses with less-than-ideal conformation being asked to perform physically demanding tasks, only to be blamed when they experience discomfort or lameness. This unfortunate cycle can lead to financial strain for the owners and unnecessary stress for the horses, who may be trying to communicate their pain.

Reflecting on my own experiences when I was younger, I remember the emphasis when looking at horse to purchase was the importance of assessing a horse's conformation before making a purchase, clean limbs, good posture, even muscle distribution were the basis for an evaluation. BUT clean limbs was key - straight limbs provide the base for the body. It's a crucial foundation to ensure the horse's well-being.

Nonetheless, even when a horse possesses good conformation, proper training remains an essential factor. Ensuring correct muscle activation, gait coordination, and biomechanics is critical. Neglecting these fundamental principles and hastily introducing a saddle and rider can lead to biomechanical changes in the horse, resulting in discomfort and ultimately contributing to issues like poor posture and lameness. It's crucial to emphasize that this approach doesn't involve bombarding the horse with various gadgets or pushing them into an unnatural frame. Rather, it's about meticulously and gradually building the horse's muscle and strength.

Drawing a parallel, it's akin to not expecting a child who has just begun gymnastics to perform the same routines as a teenager who has been practicing since the age of two. Their muscle development and body growth differ, and the same principle applies to horses.

It's frustrating to observe situations where people expect horses to perform tasks beyond their capabilities without considering the fundamentals. I've often advised individuals to step back, remove the saddle, and focus on groundwork and foundational training, which has been met with resistance from the owner. While I empathize with the passion for riding, there are instances where a rider must prioritize the horse's needs over their desire to ride. Whether the issue lies in an ill-fitting saddle or the horse's struggles with compensatory movements stemming from injuries or incorrect muscle usage, it's imperative to make decisions that benefit the horse, not just the rider's desires.

Horses, like athletes, benefit from a variety of exercises, including strength training, cardio, and discipline-specific training. They should not be pushed to excel in just one area. It's essential to understand that horses are individuals, each with unique abilities and limitations.

In some cases, issues arise because professionals in the horse industry fail to collaborate effectively. Information sharing among riders, coaches, trainers, farriers, and bodyworkers is vital. By working together as a team, we can piece together valuable clues about an animal's condition. One or two pieces of information may not reveal the whole picture, but with a collaborative effort, we can identify issues sooner.

I recently saw a post asking why there's a need for chiropractors, physiotherapists, and bodyworkers for horses. The answer is simple: these professionals can spot potential problems early. Muscles and body changes don't lie. We wish we could unsee some of the issues we observe, but our trained eyes pick up on changes that others might miss. I've been in situations where I've recognized lameness or discomfort in horses at shows, yet those around me couldn't see it. With more maintenance treatments and a collaborative approach, we could provide better care for these animals.

I urge all equine professionals and owners to prioritize the welfare of the horse above all else. Rider aspirations and personal goals should not come before the well-being of the horse. Let's work together to ensure the best possible care for these incredible creatures. It's time for a more collaborative approach among us professionals to benefit the horses we all care deeply about.

06/10/2023

A short video on how to check your saddle flocking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5-DT7a4Nwk

This video shows a horse owner how they can check their horse's saddle and the flocking. This video is not intended to replace an expert's opinion and advic...

29/09/2023

Saddles cannot create soundness. (but they can support it)
Saddles can however, create unsoundness.

Equestrians tend to have an odd tendency to hyper focus on a single facet of care when a problem arises, thinking that throwing all of their time and money at this one particular problem that everything else will fall into place. While the saddle is an integral part of maintaining soundness in your horse, it's also not a magic pill that will overcome thoracic outlet syndrome, poor trimming, poor diet, cruel/forceful/coercive/improper riding, lack of turnout, poor blanket fit, little/no dentistry, etc.

While not overly common, there are times when we go out to evaluate saddle fit only to see a horse in complete and utter dysfunction, to the point where we cannot ethically condone any type of riding. In these instances, we can provide the most perfect saddle for the horse in front of us, but we'd only become part of the problem in basically encouraging the owner that riding this unsound (not lame) animal is OK. This is when we provide the owner with resources on equine professionals we know and trust to help bring this horse to a place where riding will not cause direct discomfort and damage to an already stressed body stuck in compensation.

We also understand that not all owners will be happy with hearing that they shouldn't be riding, nor will all of them take our recommendations to heart. There will definitely continue to be instances where they simply call out another fitter who may not see, or choses to ignore, the very clear physical indications of unsoundness. Luckily, we run into many owners who are willing to take the time it needs working with whatever other professionals such as vets, bodyworkers, farriers to help their horses overcome whatever ails them.

The image gives an example of dysfunctional posture/hoof angles.

28/09/2023

Hey there,
My name is Mel Brown, an equine physio and saddle evaluator, I've dedicated my life to improving the well-being of our beloved horses.

Join me over the next five days as we dive into the fascinating world of equine back health and discover how it impacts our equine partners' overall performance and happiness. Let's get started! 🐴💪"

14/08/2023

Wow, what an absolutely brilliant video from Becks Nairn showing the reasons why we do not like saddles to go past the last rib!

04/07/2023

👎 Physiotherapy treatment is expensive. 👎
£60 a session may seem like a lot of money, but what you don't see is the years of effort and investment that's gone into bringing you this professional service.

🐾 Thousands of hours of training to become an equine and canine physio
🐾 Investment in continued education is ongoing, I am always off on some course to keep learning, I learn things from clients as well as courses, every day I learn something new
🐾 Thousands of pounds invested in equipment and maintenance.
🐾 Hundreds of pounds a month on fuel, and servicing of the car
🐾 The long-term toll it takes on a physio's body.
🐾 Not to mention the time to provide a physio service for your animal.

Unquestionable time and commitment has lovingly gone into my physiotherapy service to bring you the best. So that every time I come to your dog or horse, they have a positive experience and they can look and feel a million pounds!

That's my promise to you. 💖

If you're looking to give your dog and horse the A+ treatment they deserve, head over to my website to book in/message me or call/whatsapp on 07747 151 905.

03/07/2023

😬 Does your horse suffer from reactivity to the girth being done up, cold back, reluctance to stand at the mounting block 😬

It's actually not uncommon for horses to show signs of girthiness.

In fact, 34.2% of riders said their horses showed signs of girthiness. Once you have ruled out the potential physical issues, such as ulcers, you could try the following steps to see if they help.

And here they are:
🐾 horses learn our patterns, so when tacking up, we start by grooming, then placing the saddle and doing up the girth etc, so try to brush around the girth and saddle area first, instead of starting at head and neck.
🐾 Place the saddle pad on, and walk away or do another task - such as hoof picking
🐾Then continue brushing and once horse has relaxed, go to the opposite side and gently place the saddle on - this feels strange as this is not our usual place to stand and put the saddle on, so your motor pattern will be challenged!
🐾Once saddle is on and if safe to do so, walk away again or continue with another task, do not tighten your girth yet
🐾try doing the girth up one buckle, then walk away - this takes the “pressure” off the horse, and allows them to reset their anxiety level
🐾Do up the other girth buckle, and again walk away, let the saddle and girth have a chance to rest and your horse to breath, before tightening girth up
🐾Key points - take it slowly, and allow your horse time to rest and breathe, all too often we are in a rush to get tacked up and go!

Try these tips and let me know how you get on.

And if you're looking for a saddle evaluation to check that your saddle is not the problem, please message me to chat about it.

02/07/2023

💕 Appreciation post! 💕

The people I work with as a physio & saddle fitter inspire me every day.
They're people that love their pets deeply and will do everything they can to give their furry friends the life they deserve. 🐶🐾

And even when life throws them a curveball, their pets' health and happiness is still top of their priority list.

Every day I pinch myself and think how lucky I am to help pet parents and their pets back to full health.

Recently a client sent me a video of her young dog, who had won a championship at a show and hopefully will go on to win lots more. It is hard to believe that last year that same beautiful dog had suffered a spinal trauma that left her unable to walk properly and with the support of physio, hydrotherapy and a lot of hard work from her owner, she went on to win at a show - how amazing is that!

So huge thank you, to my customers, my followers and anyone who has downloaded a freebie.

You guys rock! 🙌👊😍

30/06/2023

If your horse had a perfect day, what would it be?

My horse Brooke's would probably go a little something like this...

🍗 Wake up to a pile of carrots, treats, haylage, yummy food, and fresh grass.
🏝 A hack with lots more treats along the way.
😴 Nap time.
🐾 A day out in the neighbour’s very grassy field! Great to look at but not great for horsey tummies.
🍗 Another pile of carrots, treats and other yummy things.
🧠 Trashing through fencing, wheelbarrows and other things that are placed in the way of food and water.
😋 Treats. And more treats.
😴 Bed.
Share a snippet of your horse’s perfect day in the comments below...

29/06/2023

🙌 Here's a quick 5 minute hack that's changed my horse’s back for the better. 🙌
As a physio, I see a lot of horse’s that backs that are not ready for a saddle or to be ridden, this could be due to time out of work, an injury, poorly fitting saddle, or even just a young horse that has not developed their back muscles yet.

It is very important to ensure that your horse’s back is able to manage a saddle and rider (weight of both rider and tack needs to be taken into consideration). As some of you will know, I have a 5 year old horse, that was backed last year, and I gave her the winter off, and then started her again in the Spring. Before I started riding again, I made sure that her back was in good condition and ready to have a saddle and me on her again.

How did I do this?

By using a 5 minute hack every time after exercise, no ridden work to begin with just core strength groundwork, followed by carrot stretches using tasty treats - watch your fingers🤩.

Here's how it works:
🐾 Warm up your horse with groundwork exercises - pole work, lateral work to warm up the muscles and get them switched on to you
🐾 Once you finish your session, start your carrot stretches
🐾 3 reps of each carrot stretch
🐾 Hold for a minimum of 3-5 seconds, you can work up to holding the stretch for longer
🐾 Reward your horse with a tasty treat - WATCH your fingers!

In just 5 minutes every day, I promise you can turn things around. ✨

If you'd love someone by your side to help your horse have a stronger, healthy back, contact me to learn more about carrot stretches and core strength exercises.

28/06/2023

This is a great video on girthing and how it influences saddle fit, something I am fully aware of as a physio is the girth factor and the damage some girths have on muscles surrounding the ribcage. Girth fitting is just as important as your saddle fitting!

27/06/2023

When my customers first come to me, they feel:
😔Anxious - they may have had a few saddle fitters out before me and heard different stories from friends/trainers etc about their saddle and it has maybe not been the best experience.
😔 Worried that they may have to buy another expensive saddle
😔 Worried they do not know what to check and look for to help their horse’s back

And here's the magic part! After becoming a customer they feel:

😀 Informed, they now know where the saddle should sit, and why, and what anatomy may be affected if not in the correct place.
😀Justified, their gut feeling that something was not right with the saddle was the right feeling and know that they will trust both their gut feeling and their horse the next time they are worried
😀 Pleased that they know now how they can help their horse

I know what it's like trying to find a saddle fitter you can trust.

If you're looking for a saddle fitter that truly cares about your and your horse and will treat you like part of the family, email me at [email protected] to book your spot, or message me on Facebook