07/31/2026
I am often asked the question of what I prefer as a panel base for a saddle. As we know, there are many options these days. 
Although I am happy to work with fitting foam saddles, there is only so much you can do with shims and at some point, adding “stuff“ under a saddle does not make the fit better. It’s kind of like lipstick on a pig! I get an average of 4 calls a month of people who just spent A LOT of money on a “custom” foam saddle two or three months ago, and now their horse won’t stand the mounting block, it’s refusing fences, and or it’s starting to buck when asked to canter. Some of them can be helped, but they usually grow out of them in about six months or so. Many other independent fitters find the same thing.
As we develop horses in whatever discipline, the goal is to get stronger, more balanced, and more symmetrical bodies on them. We want to develop the coordination and the intrinsic strength not only to have more successful careers, but to be more productive in their life and to reduce the amount of stress on their body which leads to a longer productive career. It amazes me how quickly some horses develop and morph into a new body after changes have been made to their saddle. For this reason, my preferred choice is wool.
Pictured above is the wool that I just removed from a Stubben for an event horse. I originally saw this horse two months ago, fit his saddle, and then one month later did bodywork. This month, I came out to do another bodywork session and boy has he changed! He has been doing an amazing job and working hard and his saddle needed changing again! In just two months, his entire back changed and this is how much wool needed to come out to accommodate the development of his back. It looks like a lot, right? It is! And I can’t tell you how many horses I see on a regular basis that need the same. This is why it is so important to keep up with the maintenance of your equipment. Without it, progress gets stifled and horses get sore. They cannot work through pain and shouldn’t be expected to. Being sore from a hard workout is much different than being in pain and they are usually very clear about the difference between the two.
I have a running list of all of the horses that I have needed to make changes with multiple times this year. I thought it would be a fun statistic to keep track of and have never done that before in all of the years that I have been Saddle Fitting. Even my own horse, I have had to make changes four times in the last seven months because of his development, changed through the shoulder sling, the difference in posture and height of his withers, the spring of the rib cage, and immense top line development. It is so exciting and encouraging to me to see all of his hard work and training pay off. And it takes a village. Everything from management to his nutritional program, his amazing team of professionals including his farrier, chiropractor, the bodywork and Saddle Fitting that I do, his dentist, the cross training of riding, long lineing, driving and swimming in our underwater treadmill. All of these things are pieces of the puzzle that make our horses tick.
I get so excited to see the changes in the tracings from fitting to fitting, which is why I ask everyone to keep them close. Most of you are used to hearing my disappointment if you can’t find them or if you forgot them and are so good about sending me pictures to compare their most current tracing to the last one.
In conclusion, you all know how much I love what I do and how exciting it is to see the change in your creatures. I so love to make things better each time, to aid in the development and comfort of your horses and to prolong the productivity of their soundness and success. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey!😉🩷

