The Holistic Saddle Fitter

This is so true, and as we get older it gets even more important. So join that yoga or pilates class, book that physio session and make yourself as easy to carry as possible. Do it for your horse ❤

The Biomechanical Problem Sitting on Your Horse🔥

We spend an extraordinary amount of time trying to improve our horses.

More balanced. Better transitions. More engagement. More relaxed. Better behaviour.

Meanwhile, sitting on top of this entire biomechanical improvement project is 50 to 90+ kilograms of human, listing slightly to left, gripping with one thigh and wondering why the horse is crooked.

Awkward.

So here is today's Collectable Advice:

🚩If you want to improve how your horse moves and behaves under saddle, have a look at the body sitting on top of it.😎

Because your horse doesn't just carry your weight.

➡️Your horse has to manage what your body does while it carries you.💥

Riding position isn't really a position

We tend to teach riding position as though someone might burst into the arena with a protractor.

Shoulder. Hip. Heel.

Excellent. Nobody move.

Unfortunately, the horse has.

Horses don't experience our position as a photograph. They experience us as *mass in motion*.🫣

Every stride, the horse is generating, absorbing and transferring forces through its body. Its back moves. Its limbs load and unload. It accelerates, decelerates, bends and changes direction.

And perched on top is you.😬

You with your dodgy left hip, a collapsing ribcage and that might not have done anything resembling cardiovascular exercise since 2017.🫠

The horse must now incorporate you into the movement.

This is riding.

Our job is essentially to manage our own body well enough that the horse doesn't have to manage it for us.❤

That requires:

1️⃣Enough stability to contain our own body.

And:

2️⃣Enough mobility to allow the horse to move underneath us.

When we can't?

If your trunk collapses every stride, the horse accommodates it.

If you consistently dump your weight onto one side, the horse accommodates that.

If an old injury means one hip doesn't move properly, the horse feels it.

And if you brace every available muscle in an attempt to “sit deep”, congratulations.

You have transformed yourself into a 70 kg backpack containing several bricks.

The horse still has to carry it.😕

And horses respond.

They may shorten their stride, rush, hollow, drift, fall through a shoulder, struggle with one rein or become tense when you sit....or just become spooky and scared of the world‼️

This doesn't mean *everything is the rider's fault*. Horses come with their own asymmetries, weaknesses, discomfort, training problems and occasionally strong opinions about wheelie bins.

But horse and rider are a *moving system*.

Change one body and you change what the other body has to manage.

Which gives us something surprisingly useful to work on😃

Ourselves.

Improve your fitness.

Develop enough muscular integrity to stop various parts of you departing independently at the trot.

Work on mobility.

Manage your injuries.

Notice your asymmetries.

Develop balance, coordination and body awareness.

Not because you need to look fabulous in beige breeches.

Because every improvement in your ability to manage *your own body* potentially changes what your horse has to manage underneath you.

There is also the minor matter of survival - you improve your chances of remaining in the saddle if s**t happens!

Which is generally preferable.

So here is something you can start asking yourself..

*“Am I making myself easy for my horse to carry?”*

Because good riding isn't about arranging yourself beautifully on a horse.

It's about having enough control of your own body that you can move *with* another one.

And before we spend another six months trying to straighten the horse, perhaps we should take a quick look at the slightly asymmetrical cripple primate sitting on top.🤪

Collectable Advice 271/365.

Please SHARE if you made it to the end of this without being offended 😆

🐴 Saddle check success with the gorgeous Popsy! 🐴

Had a lovely visit to see Popsy and her person Helen at the weekend for a saddle check. Popsy is a stunning 13.3hh cob who's had her custom-made Equiflex saddle for almost a year now.

When I fitted the saddle at age 4, we anticipated some filling out, so we built in extra space across the shoulder and wither, using shims in her Mattes Rio Pecos sheepskin-lined pad to balance the saddle in the meantime. Taking the shims out at this visit confirmed it — Popsy has filled out beautifully, just as expected! 📸

Helen mentioned the saddle sometimes slips slightly to the right, and that Popsy can struggle to pick up right canter lead. Watching Helen ride, I noticed her right shoulder was slightly dropped and rotated inward, causing her to collapse a little through the ribcage and sit more on her right seat bone. The moment she brought awareness to that shoulder position, she felt more balanced across her seat bones — and Popsy popped straight up into right lead canter! 🙌

It's a great reminder that saddle fit is only one part of the puzzle — the rider's own posture and balance can make a difference too. I've suggested Helen works with a rider physio or Pilates instructor, and to keep me posted if the saddle slipping continues.

Here's a video of them practising rein back circles below! 🎥👇

Wow, here's a warning to fact check everything you see!! Thank you Clare MacLeod MSc RNutr Independent Equine Nutritionist for highlighting this. Look at that anatomy!! A weird 'rib' down the cheek and lord knows what's going on in that horse's neck - looks like a human arm 😳 and that's before you even look at the jaw...... 😠I know this is AI generated but if the business is happy to put this out then you have to question what they know about about horse anatomy and what that says about their product. Question everything.......

Farewell Monty Roberts and thank you for sharing your love of horses with us. Not everyone agreed with your methods but you started a wave of change that is still growing today. A life well lived and a great legacy to leave. We will keep listening to our horses.

I recently met these three beautiful souls and their people. Tinner, Thunder and Osy - no prizes for guessing which one is Thunder! All three have their own stories but their respective owners are united in their desire to keep their horses comfortable and happy for the long term.

I assess the requirements of each horse and owner individually and so each of these visits had a different outcome, a new custom made saddle, a search for a second hand saddle and a 'let's wait and see how the horse progresses'.

It was a privilege to meet them all! ❤️

I'm a firm believer in prevention is better than cure and that means investing in your horse's body even when it seems nothing is wrong. Catching an imbalance or an asymmetry early can prevent a whole host of issues further down the line and save your horse from discomfort and your bank balance from large vet bills! The lovely Cath from Equine Bodywork Solutions came to see Nelly and Applejack last week. Nelly is very clear what she will and will not allow Cath to do and Cath is always so patient and empathetic and gives her time to process and accept it. She never pushes her and acknowledges when Nelly has had enough. It was the first time for Applejack and she loved it, had a snooze and then a lovely big stretch before wandering off. Neither ponies are ridden much and neither have significant issues but I've now got simple exercise plans for them both to address their individual needs and keep them at their best! Thank you Cath, see you again soon - Applejack can't wait!!

Hello! As a Holistic Saddle Fitter, I believe every horse and rider deserves a saddle that fits both of them properly — for comfort, performance, and long-term soundness.

Based in Canterbury, Kent, I bring a strong academic and professional background to every fitting, with a BSc (Hons) in Zoology, an MSc in Equine Science, and a Lantra-accredited certification as a Western Saddle Fitter.

✅ Western saddle fitting

✅ Ghost treeless saddle specialist (agent for the SE)

✅ New and second-hand western saddles

✅ Pads, accessories, and everything in between

✅ I come to you and cover the south east of England!

Whether you've got a niggling feeling something's not quite right with your current saddle, or you're starting the search for a brand new saddle, you can trust that my recommendation is grounded in real equine science and expert training and I'll always puts your horse's comfort and welfare first. 🙌

Don't just take my word for it — here's what clients have said:

"She had incredible attention to detail while also teaching me things I wanted to know along the way... I would 100% recommend Alison to anyone wanting to go western for their horses!" — Taija

"Her knowledge base, experience and horse-side manner was super... all in all it's been a A+ 10/10 experience." — Emma

"I would highly recommend you and your services and hope to see you in the future" — Donna, after a saddle adjustment that improved comfort for both horse and rider.

📱 WhatsApp me

📧 Email me

🌐 Visit www.holistic-saddle-fitter.co.uk

Let's get you and your horse comfortable, happy, and moving their best. 💛

The Holistic Saddle Fitter Your horse's comfort and wellbeing is always my priority

When you're half welsh and half shetland and not allowed off the track onto the standing hay even for 10mins 😂😏

Lillico Country Store - Country and Western day yesterday was really good fun! Great music, excellent burgers, awesome hats and clothes from Bad Cowgirl and Ariat and Robocob looked very cool in his western saddle! Look forward to seeing you all again! 🤠

🐴✨ Let's talk Ghost Saddles! ✨🐴

If you're on the hunt for a treeless saddle that still gives proper structure and support, Ghost Saddles might just be your horse's new best friend!

They've got a semi-flexible base, which means you get all the perks of treeless (freedom of movement, closer contact) PLUS brilliant spinal clearance and stability — best of both worlds, really.

And with such a wide range of models and custom options, we can find (or build!) the perfect fit for YOUR horse and YOUR shape too.

As a UK agent for Ghost Saddles covering the South East, I'd love to help you find the right fit. My approach is all about horse welfare first — comfort, freedom of movement, balance, the lot 🐎💚

📍 Based in Canterbury, Kent
📩 Drop me a message or WhatsApp me for a chat about your horse's needs

Your horse's comfort is always the priority 🐴💫