From: Nicole
Dear Jessica,
Thanks for the fascinating service you provide - I've subscribed to Horse-Sense for about two years now and I am still amazed by the logical and clear explanations that you provide!
I couldn't find an answer to my question in the archives - perhaps you willfind the time to respond to my question.
I have read all your replies on saddles and saddle-fitting, but I haven't been able to find any information regarding the padding/stuffing of saddles.
My previous saddle did not fit my mare very well - the back of the saddle used to sit off her back, enough to notice the difference on the numnah underneath. After using the old saddle, there were only contact marks on the front area of the saddle, and not on two sides next to the gullet towards the back of the saddle. I also struggled to get my mare to move forward consistently, and I think that half the time it was because the saddle was lifted at the back and consequently was not in contact with her back, and thus she was never receiving any consistent aids from me.
So I decided a new saddle was in order. In the end, I bought a Kieffer Garmisch general purpose saddle for my mare two years ago. When I bought the saddle it fitted her perfectly (the tree width was adjusted by a Master Saddler in Germany to her back/withers profile). There was also an even distribution of weight when I looked at the numnah underneath after riding. The difference in my mare's performance was marked. Rather than being stubborn and disinterested, she was keen to jump, and we seemed to communicate much, much better than we ever had.
Since then I have had the new saddle re-stuffed once (approx. 6 months after I started using it) by the same saddler I used to take my old saddle to. I've now noticed though that the padding seems to be quite hard by comparison with before, and the cross-sectional profiles of the padding on either side of the gullet seem to be rounder. I've also noticed that the saddle seems to be lifting at the back slightly like my old one used to do (not as bad though). And there is more weight being concentrated at the front of the saddle than at the back (again, looking at the numnah underneath).
My question then is, can the quality of stuffing and the skill of the person doing the re-stuffing affect the fit of a saddle to an extent that you notice a change in performance? What type of stuffing should be used and are there different or better choices? Can you over-stuff a saddle? I am beginning to think that I don't have so much a saddle problem as a saddler problem.
My horse is a good doer, and receives the same amount of food throughout the year as she has always been getting. She is stabled at night and out in the paddock during the day. The grass in South Africa is not particularly nutritious, so almost all of their nutritional requirements comes from hay and concentrates. I keep tabs on her girth measurement and this hasn't changed in the last couple of years. So I don't think the problem is that she's changing shape.
I hope you can help with my problem - I would like to get my saddle re-stuffed in June, but I want to know what to look out for when I take it in.
Thanks Nicki
Wool is the preferred stuffing for saddle panels -- wool flocking for preference; wool felt is a poor second, and then one gets into all of the various foams and gels. Since your saddle is a very good one, I'm sure that it was properly stuffed, with wool.
You ask whether the quality of stuffing and the skill of the person doing the re-stuffing can affect saddle fit? Absolutely -- that, after all, is the reason for having saddles re-stuffed in the first place. Well-made saddles with good wool flocking won't require restuffing as often as others, because the wool shifts and accomodates the changing shape of the horse to a great degree. When a saddle does need re-stuffing, because the stuffing has become packed down over the years, or because the saddle is to be used on a different horse than the one for which it was bought or made, or because a young horse has grown larger and more muscular, a good saddle-fitter will remove old stuffing where appropriate, add new stuffing where appropriate, and pack it carefully so that the saddle panels will fit and suit the new horse (or the old horse in its new shape).
A properly-restuffed saddle should fit the horse better and make it more comfortable. A good saddle-fitter will want to see the horse and the saddle together, and if that isn't possible, will probably ask for wither-tracings and back-tracings, photos of the horse's back profile, and a clear description of your horse's current way of going. The horse's back profile is very important; the saddle's underside must correspond to the horse's back. On a horse with a very straight, flat back, a saddle with a curved "banana" underside will rock, putting most or all of the pressure in the middle, just under the rider's seatbones. On a horse with a curved back, a saddle with a flat profile will "bridge" -- putting most or all of the pressure beneath the pommel and cantle. In both cases, the weight-bearing area of the saddle is greatly diminished, and the horse will suffer. Saddle-restuffing is not generic; it must be customized to the needs and physique of the individual horse.
I, too, suspect that you may have a saddler problem. The rock-hard panels make me think that someone just stuffed them full of wool (I hope it was wool?) until there were no wrinkles or low areas, but if this is done without removing any of the old stuffing, the result can be an overstuffed saddle. An overstuffed saddle might look attractive on a display in the shop -- the panels will be taut and smooth -- but what the horse feels will be hard, tight surfaces with no "give".
Another risk of overstuffing a saddle is that it's possible to create hard, lumpy spots where old, flattened stuffing is pushed into a smaller area. These can make horses very uncomfortable.
No matter how well the saddle-fitter, the salesman, or the rider THINKS the saddle fits, there is one final authority: the horse. If your mare worked eagerly and well when her saddle fit, and is now unhappy and working badly, then I would indeed question the quality of the re-stuffing process. However, I would also question why you felt the need to have it re-stuffed after six months. If the mare was going well and the marks on your saddle pad were clear, even, and appropriately located, then why would you take the saddle to be re-stuffed? It takes a certain amount of time for a new saddle, even a well-fitted one, to conform to the horse's shape. When that happens, it's not a reason to re-stuff the saddle. When the saddle begins to fit less well, sit out of balance or become unlevel, or when the horse's performance begins to suffer, then it's time to have the saddle re-stuffed. I should be very surprised if a new and correctly-adjusted saddle of good quality would really require restuffing any time in the first few years of its use.
It sounds as though your saddle may need to be put back into its original configuration, and for that, it should probably go to someone recommended by Kieffer. If I were you, I would contact the company directly, or perhaps even the master saddler who adjusted the saddle for you initially, and ask for advice. There might be someone in your area who can do the job; there might not -- and in that case, you might have to send the saddle elsewhere for a complete re-stuffing. If so, you'll feel better if you KNOW that the job will be done by someone competent.
I'm sorry that you're having to go through this, but it's good to know that you are paying such close attention to your horse's comfort and your tack.
Good luck!
Jessica
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