Your Expert Fitter

06/07/2026

So, fun fact, I got to spend a day with Sue Dyson studying horse movement and correctly identifying lameness locations. Every horse presented would have easily passed a jog.
I know it feels frustrating when you have saddle migration and I say Im not your answer and to call your vet. Sometimes the answers aren't where you think they are.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18opMXw1op/

The Great Saddle Slip Mystery🔍

Your saddle slips to the left.

So naturally, you buy a new girth.

It still slips.🤨

So you buy a fancy anatomical girth, a non-slip saddle pad, and perhaps a breastplate with enough straps to secure a small aircraft.

It still slips.😠

So you call a saddle fitter.

Then another saddle fitter.

Then one recommended by a friend who swears they transformed her horse's life.

It still slips.😖

At this point, many horse owners begin to suspect that they're somehow destined to spend the rest of their life searching for the mythical saddle setup that stays exactly where it should.

But before you spend another dollar on tack or lose respect for your latest saddle-fitter, let me tell you about some fascinating research by Line Greve and Sue Dyson.🤓

Because what they discovered put some very important information on the table to consider when you have a saddle slip issue.

The researchers investigated horses with persistent saddle slip and found that many of them had underlying hindlimb lameness.

Now, stay with me if you just rolled your eyes and think this isn't you case because your horse is clearly NOT lame....

The type of lameness identified was not the obvious kind where the horse is hopping around on three legs.

The subtle kind.🤔

The sort of issue that can quietly affect performance, behaviour, balance, and movement long before anyone recognises it as a soundness problem.

Why?

Because horses with discomfort or dysfunction or weakness in a hind leg often alter the way they move. They redistribute load, change how they push off the ground, and compensate through their body. Those altered forces travel through the horse's back and can gradually push the saddle off centre.

This doesn't just apply to horses with obvious injuries. It can occur in horses with mild lameness, asymmetries, weakness, developmental immaturity, or conditions affecting structures such as the stifle, sacroiliac region, suspensory apparatus, or other parts of the hind limb.

Now here's the part that many people find surprising.

The researchers found that saddle slip was actually associated with well-balanced saddles that had even contact and good flocking.😲

In other words, a saddle that slips isn't necessarily poorly fitted.

In fact, if you've had the saddle checked, adjusted, reflocked, replaced, and the problem keeps returning, there may be something else worth investigating.

The most compelling finding came when the researchers identified the source of the hindlimb pain and used diagnostic nerve blocks to remove the discomfort.

The saddle slip disappeared in 97% of cases.😱

Read that again.

Ninety-seven percent.😱

The saddle didn't change.

The girth didn't change.

The saddle pad didn't change.

The horse's movement changed.🤯

That's a pretty powerful clue.😎

One of the biggest challenges with horses is that we often focus on the symptom we can see rather than the cause we can't.

The slipping saddle becomes the problem.

The canter transition becomes the problem.

The spooky behaviour becomes the problem.

The horse drifting through the shoulder becomes the problem.

But sometimes these things are not separate problems at all.

Sometimes they are all clues pointing towards the same underlying issue.

So if your saddle consistently slips despite multiple fitting assessments and equipment changes, it may be worth considering whether your horse is trying to tell you something.

And if that saddle slip is accompanied by things like:
- Canter difficulties
- Resistance under saddle
- Reactive or spooky behaviour
- Struggles with engagement
then the possibility of an underlying soundness issue becomes even more important to investigate.⚠️

One of the most valuable lessons I've learned working with horses is that behaviour, performance, and movement are often connected in ways that aren't immediately obvious.

A slipping saddle may not always indicate a soundness issue...sometimes it can be a YOU issue, but that is for another article another day.

But if it keeps happening despite your best efforts to fix it, it might be worth looking beyond the saddle.💡

Sometimes the saddle is not the problem.

It's the clue.

References
Greve, L., & Dyson, S. J. (2013). An Investigation of the Relationship Between Hindlimb Lameness and Saddle Slip. Equine Veterinary Journal, 45(5), 570-577.
Greve, L., & Dyson, S. J. (2014). The Interrelationship of Lameness, Saddle Slip and Back Shape in the General Sports Horse Population. Equine Veterinary Journal, 46(6), 687-694.

Collectable Advice 226/365. Please SHARE or hit SAVE. Please no copy and pasting.

05/29/2026

Not all exercises to improve topline are complicated.
Elevating the front end on a platform or pedestal helps open the spaces in the spineous processes. Adding neck positional exercises in the form of carrot stretches is an added benefit.
Here, we are using the retaining wall of the arena, which is about 16" raised.
While standing on a hill is better than nothing, maintaining the palmar alignment has the most benefit.

05/23/2026

Join us at the Carolina Horse Park May 30th for a great day of education!
Tasida will be speaking at 10am

04/23/2026

The all new VSD from T&T has arrived!
Do you practice dressage most of the time but want a more versatile saddle? Do you trail ride and want something light weight and balanced? Do you prefer your dressage saddle to do less without compromising your position?

VSD saddles are very slightly dressage! My personal favorites for green horses and hacking out. You should try it, this may be just the saddle you've been searching for

04/16/2026

Designed for high withered athletes, the Oryx is a welcome addition to the lineup!
We've been enjoying the oryx monoflap for eventers, we thought everyone should be in on the fun.
With a narrow twist, narrow semi deep seat, and laid back cantle, the Oryx offers security through those harey moments, but the ease to move about as needed over those big fences.
Available in a variety of luxurious leathers, and starting at only $3500

04/14/2026

Its a common misconception that your fitter knows what saddle models to recommend outside of their own brand inventory. In order to fully understand the scope of the ask, here's an analogy.

Theres an renowned Italian tailor who has spent decades understanding suits. He knows how different fabrics behave on different bodies, which cuts wear best on certain body types, which accents convey the right message for every occasion. He knows that a certain wool blend from Australia needs an extra 1/4" because when sewn it has greater recoil, and that the linen from Malta has less give and isnt ideal for his more robust customers. He knows how self esteem is sewn into a garment.

Thats why people recommend him. Its not because he carries Versace (he probably doesn't, and after a few lemoncello I bet he will tell you all their short comings), its for the quiet luxury experience and suit that feels superior to Versace at half the cost. They can go there, and after a light hearted chat, and a knowing gaze of their physique, with no stress they can have the ultimate suit in a few weeks. How does he do it? My gosh its like magic! I bet he knows a lot about suits!

When he measures you, he is taking all everything beyond the suit into account. His years of education and experience to craft THE ultimate suit for you.

What he cannot tell you is which suits from Men's Warehouse you should go try. Its not because he wants to sell you a suit; its because its an impossible ask. Thats not his expertise; he honestly offers something those big brand cannot.

He can share with you the measurements he took, and yes you can go shop elsewhere with that information, but I guarantee you won't end up with anywhere near the same suit.

Someone who wants to know where to get the cheapest suit that will fit them needs to contact someone who thrifts professionally. That person knows how to hunt a racks and racks of inventory, and the value of those items in the market. The professional thrifter doesn't know how to tailor a suit, but they know how to find something you can wear thats a blue wool in a size 30x30 and a 42 jacket that sorta matches. Will it wear as nicely as the tailor made suit? Never. But youll likely wind up with *a* suit, and maybe itll fit you well enough that you aren't embarrassed.
The tailor is happy to help within their capacity. He may even carry a few affordable off the rack suits to choose from. Just dont be disappointed when he cannot send you with a list of choices at men's warehouse.

www.yourexpertfitter.com

04/13/2026

Let's imagine for a moment that this was your horse's pelvis. Is it symmetrical?
If not, do you think it would affect how this creature moves? Would it also affect their muscling and the development of the hind limbs?
Would this horse have a easier lead in canter?

The body isnt symmetrical, and it doesn't take great trauma for things to get grossly askew. Your organs are not perfectly symmetrical, and yet we assume all pairs of bones would somehow be even?

When discussing the athletic development of a horse, its useful to develop your eye to the functional anatomy in order to set realistic goals and expectations. Learning what is postural vs conformation will save you a lot of cursing over a glass of wine.

You can play keep/toss to observations when horse shopping, but not so much with one you already own. Ignoring this stuff doesn't make it go away. We can not ignore a horse's functional asymmetry and create the expectation that they will progress like a more symmetrical horse. We also need not hyper focus these challenges and deem a horse incapable of improving. The body is absolutely brilliant at adaptation.

A lot of the supportive rehab for structural asymmetry is guiding the body to compensation patterns that are healthy and useful. OK, we know he has a crooked pelvis, we can teach him how to perceive his body in a manner that creates greater even function behind through different exercises that focus on different muscle chains per side.

This pelvis will never know a sound and even extended trot, or a long career as a 1.40m jumper, or slide a stop at congress, but they'd probably do ok with someone who wants to happy hack and local show that weighs their left stirrup a little too heavy. 😉

Thanks for playing with my crooked bovine pelvis photo 😁

04/12/2026

How does a rope halter work?

Check out EquinePartnership’s video.

04/08/2026

Part of our saddle fit Evaluation is if the horse is currently fit for purpose. This is done through visual and tactile assessment standing, as well as moving either led, under saddle, or both.
If a horse is not currently fit for purpose that can result in a fail, and halting the saddle fitting until they are within the spectrum of usability. The information gained also offers valuable insight as to how the horse is going to influence saddle fit, and develop a performance improvement plan for optimization.

What are we evaluating visually at rest?

1.Body condition-are they between a 4 and 7
2.Posture at rest- limb placement and loading, sternum in relation to forelimb, hind cannon in relation to tuber ischism, topline vs bottom line, spinal deviation, scapula placement, head and neck carriage
3.Muscle balance- how is this horse covered, what muscles are hypertrophic, what muscles are hypotrophic, do the muscles activating at rest produce ease and relaxation
4. Symmetry- how do the two sides of the body compare
5. Temperament- how does the horse interact and respond to its environment

Functional Conformation plays a role as well in how a horse is going to move and influence a saddle. It in our evaluation offers more of the source for function or dysfunction in certain aspects.