SADDLERY & TACK
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF
POPPY WEBBER
QUALIFIED SADDLE FITTER FOR THE SOCIETY OF MASTER SADDLERS, COVERING CAMBRIDGESHIRE, LINCOLNSHIRE, NORFOLK AND SURROUNDING AREAS, POPPY ALSO WRITES REGULAR ADVICE POSTS ON PEEWEE SADDLERY’S SOCIAL MEDIA.
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Photo: Abbi Grief Photography
Show condition’, ‘Well covered’, ‘Fatty Boom Boom’. Whatever words you use to describe it, there is no denying that this is the time of year that saddle fitters spend a vast proportion of their lives widening saddles, discussing fat pads, and dealing with saddles that slip and slide. ’Tis the season to be… wobbly. We all know the health risks that are associated with overweight horses, but have you considered the saddle fitting implications? When your horse puts on weight, it will affect how their saddle fits. And this is the time of year that people often complain about saddles slipping from side to side, or forwards/backwards. At this time of year, horses can
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get quite significant fat ‘pads’ (or indeed pillows in some cases!) on their shoulders and the top of their ribs. These pads can make the saddle perch on their backs, meaning they are less stable; and therefore more likely to slip. It can even affect the length of the saddle on the horse’s back. Chubby shoulders can push the saddle, which previously sat nicely, back and well over the last rib. Or, the pads can cause a saddle to ‘bridge’. This is where there is more contact at the front and the back of the saddle, but a gap in the middle. Pretty much like a little ‘bridge’ over their little chubby backs (hence the name). Again, this can encourage the saddle to move around more, as it
doesn’t have as good pressure distribution; which can make it perch and wobble. Bridging saddles are also uncomfortable for the horse. In many fittings, it’s simply a case of your Saddle Fitter widening your existing saddle and/or tweaking the flocking. But it is not always that easy. Sometimes a horse can be just about within the ‘normal’ range and fit into ‘normal’ saddles for the majority of the year, but during the summer months can balloon so much that they fall into the category of ‘needing a specialist saddle’. For example, something designed for the chunky types, the cobbier horses… the barrel shaped equines. So, if your horse is in ‘show condition’, or has developed some rather interesting fat pads… or you’re finding your saddle isn’t fitting so well... call up your local SMS Qualified Saddle Fitter and ask advice. If you’re struggling with their weight (the horse’s, not the fitter’s) then a call to an Equine Nutritionist can be useful too. www.peeweesaddlery.co.uk
GB WIN JUNIOR EUROPEAN TEAM BRONZE 22nd July
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he Junior team representing Great Britain under the title sponsor banner of Team NAF did Great Britain proud when they took Team Bronze in their respective category at the FEI Youth European Championships in Portugal. The trailblazer for the team was 17-year-old Ava Vernon, from Lincolnshire with the 12-yearold bay mare Jolie Fleur van de Noordheuvel. Second rider in was Amelie Gachoud, aged 16 from Surrey, with The Precious One. Claudia Moore, aged 16 from Brentwood in Essex, with the 9year-old bay mare Hardesther posted solid rounds across all three days. Anchor rider came in the form of 18-year-old Oliver Fletcher from Oxfordshire with the 9-year-old bay gelding Hello William. Oliver posted a spectacular clear to secure Great Britain the Team Bronze.
