A modern solution to saddle fitting header
A modern solution to saddle fitting header

The SMART VSD saddle allowed Arthur to develop his musculature whilst accommodating both horse and rider conformation.

"I bought Arthur, a Welsh Cob cross Arab, as a 4 year old from Wales, nearly 9 years ago.  I fell in love with his temperament: very honest but with a bit of character ,and nice movement.  I took my BHS exams some years ago and have been around horses for most of my adult life, so I was looking for a Riding Club allrounder to bring on and have fun with as a last horse for a retiree.  

Arthur

Right from the start we had issues with saddle fit.  Arthur has high, set back withers; broad shoulders, and the left one slightly more pronounced than the right one; he's narrow behind the shoulders and weak where the saddle sits; because of his rib shape, he has an extremely short saddle bearing area as well; a big slope up to a strong back end.  He can have a bouncy, cob like action, or float like an Arab, so there is a lot of movement under me, and he always seemed to shift his saddles about. 

Arthurs’ back shape before trying a SMART saddle.

I have lost count of the treed saddles we bought and tried from professional saddle fitters, but they all caused the same problems, i.e. the equine chiropractor found sore areas under the points of the tree and rubs at the back of the saddle area which would then begin to affect the rest of him; saddles often bridged, and corrective shims didn't help; he would tolerate a rebalance or a new saddle for a while but then it would start niggling him again; he would nip me tacking up and not stand still to be mounted, and we weren't really progressing. 

I'm not very tall and have fairly narrow hips, so we were fitted with saddles with narrow twists, but that left me with only my knees in contact with any part of the saddle - not good for my balance when he was trying to hollow from under the saddle and tank off!  In canter he would buck if I had any weight in the saddle as it must have been digging into his loins. He just couldn't move as freely under saddle as he could when at liberty.  Hardly anyone watched me ride in these saddles, as they seemed happy that they fitted both of us in halt. 

I always felt something wasn't quite right with him, and the Chiropractor kept having to come back, but apart from her nobody else could see what the problem was, and we both put it down to saddle fit.  I felt guilty that I was probably hurting my horse, but I couldn't keep on buying saddles that only fitted briefly and then he would take a dislike to, and I felt I had no other professional back up to help me so I utterly despaired.

Then, in 2019, I watched a friend having a lesson at a local yard and saw the SMART Saddles banners everywhere.  The owner showed me her horses and how the saddles work, and I was impressed.  That resulted in a visit from a SMART Advisor, who was more than happy to try out different styles of SMART saddles and discuss saddle fit with me.

I tried the SMART Dressage and SMART GP styles, but as soon as we tried the SMART VSD saddle Arthur started to move freely as I knew he should have done before, and it was the first ever saddle he'd not been afraid to round his back up and into - with a lot of muscle movement under me that I'd never felt before.  For the first time in years, I was riding in the way I was trained, but without having to strive for it every stride. 

Arthur is quite wide, and even though the SMART saddle fits around him, it doesn't hurt my hips at all, and my lower legs are finally in contact with his sides, which they never were in treed saddles.  I feel utterly safe in my SMART VSD saddle: Arthur has no rubs or saddle related tension and just loves going out for rides now, so Arthur's Chiropractor gives it her thumbs up too!  So, that was it: we kept the SMART VSD saddle and it has been worth every penny!  

Arthurs and I in our SMART VSD saddle – which accommodates both of our shape requirements.

 

But then after a few blissful, carefree weeks Arthur started to go unlevel.  We discovered that he'd had hock arthritis brewing for years. I was beyond devastated. But, the vet reassured me that it was only the lower hock bones involved and that once they'd fused Arthur would be pain free and possibly lose only a little hock flexibility.  So, after treatment and walk work only for over a year, plus visiting a treadmill, he has perked up (too much some days!) and he's ready to go on to do more now.  

>> The below video illustrates why it is not only important that a saddle design allows back mobility throughout the stride cycle, but also how the fully flexible SMART saddle is able to accommodate long-term changes in back shape and correct muscle development.

Not only does this help your horse to feel and perform at their best, but it also means that when you buy a SMART saddle, you can expect it to adapt to your horse’s changing shape for many years to come.

 

 

Arthurs back shape had changed and improved with the arthritis treatment and work – so it was time for a saddle refit

 

When my SMART VSD saddle balance started to go out, I had a refit from my SMART Advisor. She has been a godsend: someone who always has time to discuss any problems we might come across - and she is very knowledgeable.  Not having seen Arthur for quite a while, she was amazed at the difference in him with his back having built up in the saddle area, which makes his withers look less high and his croup looking less pronounced.  He is starting to look like one horse, instead of one made of three different horses!  So that proves that the SMART saddle fits and allows odd shaped horses to develop their muscles correctly. 

I can't wait to get out and go schooling, and really see what we can do now we have the right saddle. To sum it all up: the SMART saddle is exactly what the name suggests!"

 Beverly Stockbridge & Arthur