From: Eric Hill
Hi Jessica, Thanks for your time producing Horse Sense!
The discussion on saddle fit prompts me to ask your opinion on Ortho-Flex saddles. I have two of them, western. The reason I got them is I have three horses who are very different in shape. One is an Egyptian Arabian, one is a big TB-QH who has a broad back with mutton withers, and one is a big grade, stocky horse with prominent withers. With the Ortho-Flex's flexible panels next to the horse it seem to fit all three horses. It is a little long for the Arabian however. The problem I have is that when you tighten the cinch and then get on - the panels spread out making the saddle sink a little causing the cinch to loosen. If I put my arm over the seat and put weight on the saddle while I tighten the cinch it works ok. In fact on the horse with the prominent withers I have had the tung on the buckle come out (I now tie, rather then buckle) and was still able to get off using the stirrup, the panel just clamped on the horse. With the wide, mutton withered horse I do have trouble keeping it in place.
I have never read an independent review of this system. I have used them for about 6 years and like them fine but then again I am new to horse ownership, 6yrs, and was worried about saddle fit so started off with the Ortho-flex, as it would be cheaper than saddles for each horse and rider, so have little experience with saddle fit on other saddles. I have never detected a sore spot on the back of any of the horses that are used for trail riding in the mountains, I weigh 250lbs. I don't use a blanket or pad under them just the "booties" that fit over the panels which makes saddling easy. Thanks.
First, although I've met a (very) few horses that are not happy in Ortho-Flex saddles, by and large I am quite impressed with those saddles. I've seen a lot of them in use, and ridden in them here and in England. They definitely adjust to different horses, and to horses whose shapes change for any reason (age, training, season). I think that for a riding school, where the same saddles might need to accomodate a variety of riders and be used on many different horses, these saddles would be ideal. I think that for your needs, also, you have probably found the perfect saddle. ;-)
As for the saddle settling and the cinch loosening, this is because of the panel design -- the panels flex, which is why these saddles fit so many horses, but that very fact means that when you sit on them, your weight pushes down against the panels from the top, and they become MORE flexed than when the saddle is empty. This is not a problem, just something that you need to be aware of (you already are) and something that you need to take into account when you tighten your cinch (you already do).
This isn't an issue with conventional Western saddles, because the bars stay in one place (although horses can still create a loose cinch by "blowing themselves out" when you tack up). It IS part of the routine if you ride in English saddles -- good dressage, jumping, eventing, hunting saddles ALL flex slightly and settle slightly when the rider is in the saddle. That's why, in this style of riding, the usual method of girth-tightening is to fasten it loosely, walk the horse to the riding area, tighten the girth a few holes, mount, walk the horse for ten minutes or so, then tighten the girth again. It keeps the horse comfortable -- there's no sudden, TOTAL tightening of the girth! -- and it's easy to do from the saddle...
Western saddles require dismounting to tighten the cinch (come to think of it, so do the currently trendy dressage saddles with long billets and short girths!), which is much less convenient. It sounds as though your solution -- pressing down on the saddle while tightening the cinch -- is perfect, and very clever. It might not work for a child or small woman, because it needs a certain amount of height (relative to the horse's back) and upper-body strength, but I think you've hit on something. ;-)
The one thing I would warn you about is the real dangers of using a saddle that's too long for your Arabian. If your saddle reaches back as far as his croup, he is going to get sore eventually, because even an Ortho-Flex will "bridge" instead of sitting properly if it's too long for the horse's functional back. A LOT of Arabians suffer because the trend in Western saddles, for some years now, has been to make larger and larger skirts (to accomodate more and more tooling and silver?). The saddles end up causing the horses to drop their backs away and try not to use their hind ends, because USING their hindquarters means hitting the saddle with their croups, and that hurts.
There's an old Turkish proverb that says "If a stone hits an egg, alas for the egg; if an egg hits a stone, alas for the egg."
Your horse, in this case, is the egg -- it doesn't matter whether the saddle hits the horse or the horse hits the saddle, a too-long saddle, EVEN an Ortho-Flex, will eventually cause trouble. Watch for small signs -- and be aware that the first signs may SEEM to have nothing to do with the horse's back. A tossing head, short steps with the front legs, an occasional small buck -- or a refusal to go forward when there seems to be no reason for it: these are all warning signals that should tell you it's time for a shorter saddle for your Arabian. I always tell readers to consider used saddles, and to call around and find out what's available -- even Ortho-Flex saddles are sometimes sold used.
You may have had only six years of riding and horse ownership, but it's clear that you have used those years well. ;-) Good saddles are a good investment, and you chose wisely. If you are trail-riding in the mountains and your horses are cheerful and never get sore backs, then THAT is all the proof you need that your saddles fit. Our horses will always, always tell us what is going on with them and how they feel, if we will only listen to them. You seem to be a "listening" rider -- and you're definitely a THINKING one. Keep up the good work! Jessica
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