Yesterday I did my first dissection…
on a saddle.
When I first began riding I bought a Stubben Tristan Dressage saddle and thought I was the bees-knees. Over time I started to realise that one size does not fit all horses and indeed this particular model Stubben was probably not suitable for any horse on account of the narrow channel width (minimum is about 3 fingers width or more, the Stubben as you’ll see below is barely two). I held onto the saddle not willing to give into the fact that I had probably wasted $400 and had most likely caused my horse to be sore. When I commenced my Equine Sports Massage Therapy certificate it became apparent to me that I would be stuck with the Stubben forever as I could not consciously sell the saddle on knowing what I now know and which obviated use with my own horses. Finally I plucked up the courage to pull out the knife and cut the Stubben to pieces. And I’ve got to say, it’s probably the best $400 I’ve ever spent. If you’ve got shitty old saddles sitting around I’d encourage you to do this experiment at home! I catalogued my journey in images, including sitting the tree on two different horses which is critical in realising how important it is to have your saddle professionally fitted, especially when you consider the damage you can do if your saddle is poorly fitted.
