If you look closely at a horse's back, you can usually see signs of atrophy in the back and hip muscles (Muscle shrinkage, so you add feed!). These muscles must be allowed to build and develop under the saddle. Every time I examined a horse the trouble almost always involved the withers and the surrounding areas. When a human athlete has pelvic girdle and leg muscle problems, it stems from the neuro lymphatic reflex centers, and acupuncture meridian connectors. These centers are located on our upper back along the spine; on the horse, these sensitive spots turned out to be exactly where the saddle bars rest. Constant pressure on these points will cause certain muscle groups to become less effective, especially the pelvic girdle (rear end), forcing a horse to pull with the forehand, favoring leads and diagonals, among other things.

Decreased circulation is only one problem that can be caused by using the wrong saddle pad. Take a look at your horse. If you can, sit on him bareback and look down at his upper shoulders (just below the hollow of the withers), you will see that one shoulder is more developed or larger than the opposite one. Place your hands on his shoulder blades, (left hand on left blade, right hand on right blade), and then have someone lead you off at a normal walk. You will feel one shoulder dropping lower as your horse moves. Now get off and have someone lead your horse away from you.

~ Observe the hip action ~

Do both hips rise and fall to the same height, or does one side remain lower with each step? (The beginning of Hock, Stifle and Leg problems) If these simple tests show that you have a horse with uneven conformation - and most horses do to some degree - you will clearly see how a saddle WON'T fit a horse the same on both sides. There is no saddle, no matter how well made, that can fit properly. Even worse, with a rider mounted, the saddle tends to ROLL to the less developed side, placing more weight on the lower shoulder. This puts constant pressure and stress on a very large and important muscle group, and interferes with proper blood flow and certain reflex centers, causing impaired function.

Furthermore, the horse will pull his shoulder farther down, trying to get away from the pressure. This not only promotes muscle shrinkage, but causes the horse to be mechanically imbalanced, and stresses his entire body (especially in the rear, again the Hocks, Stifle, and Legs). The horse is no longer a free flowing, supple mover. It might tire quickly, the leads may not come easily, and its attitude could change for the worse. You will have a horse that can't perform up to its full potential and it all started when the first saddle was put on. After much research and complete testing of materials such as gel, air, water, foam, rubber, sorbethane, neoprene, etc., we acquired a new (patented by only one company in the world), material that rebounds to its original shape instantly and forever. Unlike the other materials, which were found to pack, settle or conform, and then aggravate the muscle, it remains 100% true to its original form, even after thousands of compression's. We've taken a ½" layer of this material, using an extremely high impact energy deflection formula, and encased it in supple, specially tanned leather. (Everything in the pad is breathable). The result is a pad that can protect any horse's vital systems under the most strenuous competitive conditions.

"GUARANTEED EFFECTIVE FOR LIFE."

If your horse has performance problems you or your Veterinarian can't explain, the correct saddle pad is just the solution you've been looking for. Conditions such as early fatigue, unexplained body soreness, crankiness, tail wringing, refusals, uneven leads and/or diagonals, a weak behind, (Hock and Leg problems) loss of lateral flexibility and more, can all be caused by the same sort of muscle fatigue and strain that causes problems in the human, and horse body.

Think about how your own muscles react. Putting constant pressure on a muscle for a long time (crossing your legs, resting your arm out the window while you're driving, sitting too long) will interfere with the normal blood flow. This loss of flow causes temporary anemia, called ischemia, in the muscle. After awhile, your arm tingles, aches or just feels "dead". When you try to move the muscle, to "wake it up", you will find you can't use it until the circulation returns to normal. It's the same with horses and saddle pressure. When a saddle pad packs down, or bunches up so that it no longer provides a cushion, the saddle bars create a similar condition in a horse's back muscles. If a horse happens to have one shoulder or hip that is lower or less developed (atrophied), this inequity magnifies the problem. In addition, asymmetrical (uneven) conformation causes the common saddle pad to pack down and become ineffective much, much faster.

This problem is not only common, but also complex. It is imperative to deflect the impact on a horse's muscles and reflex centers. That's why I designed the SaddleRight pad. The material constantly distributes the rider's weight away from the saddle bars, effectively relieving the steady pressure the horse would otherwise suffer. The pad's high rebound properties allow it to always resume its original shape.

SaddleRight guarantees this result for life!

Dr. Michael R. Freeman
Chiropractic Physician
Applied Kinesiologist
drfreeman@earthlink.net SaddleRight, Inc.
PO Box 42579 - Las Vegas, Nevada 89116-0579 - 1-800-677-6970
http://www.saddleright.com