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By Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE
When I first started teaching my wife, Sabine, how to ride, I couldn’t understand why she kept complaining that the saddle hurt her there. I would get on the same saddle and have absolutely no problem. She, on the other hand, had difficulty keeping correct positioning with her legs back, back straight, and shoulders back. Then when we I started building saddles in Canada, Sabine was my guinea pig, but because she didn’t want to hurt my feelings, she never admitted that the saddles I was making (for female clients) weren’t really comfortable for her.
When a well-known judge and rider confided in me that she was literally “rubbed raw” and felt pulled apart, a light bulb went off in my head. I conferred with a gynecologist and began to investigate the differences in male and female anatomy, starting with pelvic structure, and then including hip articulation, muscles, and skeleton. I learned that the differences between men and women were extremely significant when considering saddle design. We then started using a plaster cast method, which served as incredible visual aids to make our full custom saddles.
Since then, we have refined our designs and are now known as the “Female Saddle Specialist,” a niche which becomes even more fitting when you consider that the demographics of our industry have shifted significantly over the past 50 years or so to become predominantly female.
With this shift in demographics, why haven’t more saddle manufacturers taken this into consideration when making saddles? Many still build saddles the way they have been made for decades, and some women still dismiss the idea of needing a saddle built specifically for their conformation. Many riders have simply learned to deal with the discomfort and ride well enough to make these saddles work, but it’s not ideal.
I have worked closely with a very qualified equestrian medical expert in our industry, James Warson, MD, who wrote the book, The Rider’s Pain Free Back. I have incorporated many of his findings into my own book.
So let’s consider the various anatomical differences and how they apply to saddle fit for women.
Width of the seat bones (birthing channel): This determines how wide the saddle seat needs to be; in many of the saddles made for men, a woman will actually find herself sitting on the seat seam, which is irritating to say the least.
Spinal column: Riders need to be able to use the four natural curves of the vertebral column as natural shock absorbers. If a female rider leans back or hunches forward because the saddle isn’t right for her, her spine will take the brunt of the impact and result in back pain issues, which could result in slipped discs.
Pelvic balance and pubic symphysis: The male pelvis can balance on its seat bones as on a bipod; the female pelvis needs to use her pubic symphysis as well as her seat bones, like a tripod. For women, this means there is another area of friction at the pommel area, which can result in pain. To compensate and avoid pain, the rider in pain might collapse at the hip, which then causes the leg to shoot forward, placing the rider in the chair seat position.
Hip joints: The male hip joints are articulated differently, which allows the legs to hang straight down, whereas women’s legs are naturally angled outwards. This results in the female rider feeling pulled apart if the twist, the area of the saddle tree that we feel between our upper inner thighs, is too wide.
Upper leg musculature: Because of the structure of the quads and hamstrings as indicated in the picture, the woman needs to have a narrower twist (as a rule).
Gluteus maximus (butt cheeks): The female’s glutes are much higher up than a man’s, which indicates the need for additional support in the seat at the cantle area to prevent her from collapsing to the back.
If all of these points are taken into consideration when fitting a saddle, a woman can use the properly fitted saddle to help her ride in proper position and balance. She can now concentrate on her ride rather than fighting her saddle for proper position.
For a man, riding in a saddle that is uncomfortable for him (especially at the pommel area because of too much padding at the seat) could result in restricted blood flow in the sensitive perineal area. This could lead to erectile dysfunction, impotence, or other physical problems.
These are the points of reference every rider should ensure are correct for his or her body, regardless if they are male or female:
In summary, the saddle should allow the rider to sit as closely to the horse as possible while allowing the positive and balanced interaction of the vertical spine of the rider and the horizontal spine of the horse. Riding shouldn’t hurt, and this goes for both the rider and the horse If the rider isn’t comfortable, this will translate down to the horse, and he will never perform to the best of his ability. So us riders owe it to ourselves and to our horses to ride in a saddle suited to our body. As the saying goes, “You are worth it!”
Author Bio]
Jochen Schleese, author of Suffering in Silence: The Saddle Fit Link to Physcial and Psychological Trauma in Horses, is a Certified Master Saddler from Passier He operates a saddlery training facility in Ontario, Canada, and provides diagnostic saddle fit analysis and fitting services across North America, especially for women. SaddlesforWomen.com
This article originally appeared on Certified Horsemanship Association and is published here with permission.
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Scholarship funds aim to support incoming and current college or vocational students involved in animal agriculture.
To learn more about and apply to the Purina Animal Nutrition Scholarship, visit www.purinamills.com/scholarship.
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. [March 18, 2025] – Purina Animal Nutrition, along with the Land O’Lakes Foundation, has reopened its annual scholarship program designed to assist students with experience in livestock production and animal stewardship in pursuing their passions and furthering their education.
Undergraduate students and current high school seniors who have experience raising and caring for small or large livestock, equine and/or poultry are eligible to apply for a $5,000 scholarship. Four students will be awarded based on applications that illustrate the impact animal agriculture has had on their lives along with details on academic achievements, leadership skills, community involvement and a clear vision for their future.
Scholarship applications will be accepted March 18 through April 17, and awardees will be notified in June. Funds will be distributed for the Fall 2025 semester at their current or anticipated educational institution. The scholarship is open to all high school seniors who plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire upcoming academic semester/term and undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.
To learn more about and apply to the Purina Animal Nutrition Scholarship, visit www.purinamills.com/scholarship.
Purina Animal Nutrition LLC (a href="https://www.purinamills.com" target="_blank">www.purinamills.com) is a national organization serving animal owners and their families through more than 4,700 local cooperatives, independent dealers, and other retailers throughout the United States. Driven to unlock the greatest potential in every animal, the company is an industry-leading innovator offering a valued portfolio of complete feeds, supplements, premixes, ingredients and specialty technologies for all animal markets. Purina Animal Nutrition LLC is headquartered in Arden Hills, Minn. and a wholly owned subsidiary of Land O’Lakes, Inc.
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Dr. Chris Newton, known for treating spinal nerve pain and developing rehabilitation techniques based on classical dressage training, joins Dr. Peter Morresey and Dr. Bart Barber to discuss the intersection of horsemanship and veterinary care. Together, they explore how keen observation, advanced treatment methods, and rehabilitation techniques can improve a horse’s response to pain. Tune in for a conversation that blends cutting-edge veterinary science with the timeless art of dressage.
by Kristin Pitzer
Most of the major Western performance horse events focus on horses aged seven and younger, but many horses that once had big limited-age careers can keep showing well into their late teens and early 20s. They might not have the range of motion and athletic ability they did in their younger days — something many human sports legends will attest to — but as long as they are kept fit and in good care, these older horses can still be competitive in weekend, ancillary and horse show classes, or even become teachers for rookies and youth that are getting started in the sport.
Riding and competing with older horses does take some extra finesse, and much like their younger counterparts, those that are kept in a consistent program will find the most success, said Dr. Don Lee, DVM, of Double X Veterinary Services in Sunset, Texas. Quarter Horse News spoke with him to learn more about keeping aged horses fit for competition.
It’s hard to pinpoint a number for when a horse is considered aged, as there are several factors, in addition to numerical age, that can cause a horse to slow down. Some horses can develop juvenile arthritis at the age of 3 or 4, for instance, and there are plenty of other soundness issues that might cause a horse to retire early from the limited-age show pen. A good rule of thumb, though, is that once a horse reaches the 15- to 20-year age bracket, you should start watching for signs that he needs to take a few steps back and ease off on hard competition.
“In barrel horses, you might see horses not clock as fast as they used to — they might lose a couple tenths, for instance,” Lee said. “In the cutting world, it’s a little harder as many of them are sore by the time they’re 10 to 12 and have a lot of maintenance. The biggest indicator is losing a step here or there.”
Aged horses might lose their topline and muscle mass as they get older, even if they are used frequently. If you see these symptoms in your horses, they could be indicators that your horse needs some extra care, such as having a veterinarian check him over for arthritis or altering your feeding program to be more senior-friendly.
In their younger years, some horses might be easy keepers that seem to get fat on air. As horses age, though, especially if they’re getting worked often, their nutritional needs can increase. A horse that might have done well on a forage-only diet could begin to need grain supplementation.
“I like hay better than I like feed a lot of times, but for the aged horses, you often have to supplement some grain,” Lee said. “There’s many good feeds out there, and they’re all fairly comparable, but I recommend a high fat feed and good quality hay.”
Be sure to maintain your horse’s dental care, since it won’t matter how good the quality of the hay or feed you give them is if they’re unable to chew properly. Teeth should be checked regularly, especially in aged horses, as their mouths can change quickly.
“Teeth can be a big part of not only how they ride, but also how they’re able to masticate that feed and absorb the nutrients from the hay and feed you’re giving,” Lee said.
Should your horse’s housing situation require you to leave him stalled all day, keep in mind that a horse that stands around without exercise will be more prone to injury than one that is worked regularly. Therefore, Lee recommended regular turnout for older horses when possible, along with three or four days a week of 30 to 45 minute rides. If turnout is not available, he advised daily exercise, particularly long-trotting.
“A lot of ligament and tendon injuries are injuries of fatigue, so either they don’t do anything with them for two months, pull them out of the pasture, enter them and use them, and then they break down because they’re fatigued and tired, or they’re overworked, and then they break down,” Lee said. “That’s why I like that 30 to 45-minute exercise range. That’s a combination of walk, trot, lope them a little bit, maybe slow work them, things like that.”
Warm-ups and cool-downs are also important, he said. It’s better to give them five minutes of walking before exercise to loosen everything up, and then five minutes to cool down afterward, rather than pulling the saddle off and throwing them back into their stall after a hard ride.
If your horse regularly seems stiff coming out of his stall but eventually works out of it, he likely isn’t in pain, Lee said. Think about older humans when they first wake up in the morning — it often takes a few steps to work out the kinks. Likewise, it can take an older horse’s body a few minutes to loosen up after standing still for several hours.
“It’s just like us — if I sit down for a good period of time and then get up, it takes me three or four strides to get going,” Lee said. “There are different things, like mechanical things, that can create the appearance of lameness, so you have to judge that based on how they respond to flexes. Just because they’re a little stiff doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in pain.”
Horses that have old ligament or tendon injuries in their lower legs can lose range of motion in their ankles and feet. Those horses are still sound, Lee said; they just don’t have as much elasticity as they used to because the tissue may be scarred in from the injury.
No matter how well you care for your horse or keep him legged up, at some point, his age will likely catch up with him. If he still enjoys being ridden and is in good health otherwise, there are supplements, injections and other medical solutions that can help prevent soreness and keep him going under saddle. Talk to your veterinarian about the different options available to see which is the best fit.
Your veterinarian will also be a great source for evaluating your horse’s diet and physical capabilities, and for helping you stay on top of any other care and maintenance needs. These are all crucial for keeping you hauling down the road together.
“I think to keep an aged horse going, regular exercise, a good diet and taking care of their teeth are important,” Lee said. “You never can forget the deworming program, either. That all plays into it as well. But if you’ve got good feed, good feet and good exercise, you can keep a horse going for a long time.”
This article originally appeared on American Quarter Horse News and is published here with permission.
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By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.
Apples and bananas used to be the predominant fruits available in your grocery store during the fall and winter. But lately, you can find all sorts of off-season fruits, including watermelon and blueberries, thanks to imports from more temperate climates. Your horses can also benefit from this variety. The old standbys - apples and carrots - still make nutritious treats but why limit your horse's enjoyment to just these?
Day in and day out, your horse eats the same thing. Boring?... yes. Unbalanced?... definitely. It's not likely that he has acres of unimproved land to explore, as he would in a wild setting, where he would eat flowers, seeds, edible weeds, and fruits from vines and trees. It is our job as horse owners to fortify their ho-hum diets with added nutrients from fresh foods. Sure, there are whole food supplements on the market, really nice ones in fact[i]. But why not add the real thing? Fruit tastes a lot better and is chock full of antioxidants and other valuable nutrients that can have a powerful impact on your horse's health.
Dark blue and red berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries as well as cherries and red grapes, contain antioxidants known as epicatechins and anthocyanidins that belong to a group of antioxidants known as flavonoids. Since these flavonoids also give the fruit its color, the deeper the color, the more antioxidant-power the fruit contains. Red grapes also offer resveratrol, an antioxidant that has recently become popular as a horse supplement. (Dark chocolate also contains resveratrol, which is great for you, but never give it to your horse!)
Bananas, surprisingly, are high in anthocyanidins. Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes, while known for their vitamin C content, also contain considerable amounts of flavonoids such as hesperidin, rutin and quercetin, which work with vitamin C to promote antioxidant activity. Another biologically active flavonoid known as lycopene, adds a red color to watermelon, papaya, and mangos. Important to note: tomatoes are high in lycopene, but are highly toxic to horses.
Beta carotene is a flavonoid that offers an orange color to apricots, papayas, mangos, cantaloupe, nectarines, and peaches, as well as carrots. It is not only a powerful antioxidant, but is a precursor to vitamin A within your horse's body.
Fruits are also a reliable source of vitamins and minerals. Dried fruits such as figs and dates are particularly concentrated in calcium, zinc, and potassium. They also contain B vitamins, beta carotene, and vitamin K.
Concentrated supplements may offer many of the nutrients found in fruits. However, it's difficult, if not impossible, to gather the entire essence of a plant in a commercial product. By feeding the whole food, you offer your horse trace nutrients that nourish his body in a way that cannot be duplicated by opening a container. It is important to note, however, that filling in the nutritional gaps created by a hay-based diet generally requires concentrated supplements; you would have to feed an unrealistically large amount of fruits and other whole foods to meet this requirement. Fruits should be offered in addition to a balanced diet, to round it out, but not to offer everything your horse needs.
Fruits do contain a significant amount of sugar. If you have insulin resistant horses, you may be thinking that this article is not for you. While you do need to limit their sugar (and starch) intake, there still can be room for some tasty fresh fruit. The key is moderation, combined with evaluating how much sugar your horse is getting in his entire diet.
Horses love bananas (one of their favorite flavors[ii]). They also like watermelon, cherries, blueberries, and of course, apples. The chart below gives you an idea of how much sugar is in these and other fruits:
|
Sugar Content of Common Fruits[iii]
|
|
|
Fruit
|
Grams of sugar |
|
Apple, one medium |
13 |
|
Apricots, one (no pit!) |
3 |
|
Banana, one 7 inch |
14 |
|
Blackberries (1 cup) |
7 |
|
Blueberries (one cup) |
15 |
|
Cantaloupe, 1/8 small melon |
4 |
|
Carrot, one 8 inch |
3 |
|
Cherries, 6 (no pits) |
6 |
|
Dates, three (no pits!) |
12 |
|
Figs, one small |
7 |
|
Grapes (red, green), 10 grapes |
8 |
|
Honeydew melon, 1/8 7 in melon |
13 |
|
Mango, 1/2 fruit (without pit) |
15 |
|
Nectarines, 1 small (without pit) |
10 |
|
Orange, one medium |
15 |
|
Papaya, one small (remove seeds) |
9 |
|
Peaches, 2 3/4 inches (no pit) |
15 |
|
Pears, one medium |
17 |
|
Plums, one medium (remove the pit) |
7 |
|
Raspberries (1 cup) |
5 |
|
Tangerines, 2 1/2 inch |
9 |
|
Strawberries, 3 medium |
3 |
|
Watermelon, one wedge |
28 |
A wonderful way to offer your horse something tasty and nutritious is to feed the peel instead of the whole fruit. Apple, banana, and orange peels, as well as watermelon rinds, cut into bite-sized pieces, have less than 1 gram of sugar per cup. Apple peels are particularly beneficial. They contain a substance called "ursolic acid" which has been shown to stimulate muscle growth, increase carbohydrate metabolism, and reduce body fat in laboratory animals.[iv] Avoid the peels of tropical fruits such as mangos and papayas since they can be irritating to the skin.
To reduce the sugar content of your horse's diet, you should strive to feed less than 10% of the total diet as simple sugars and starch. If you've had your hay or pasture analyzed, the ethanol soluble carbohydrate (ESC) value represents the simple sugar content.
Let's say your grass hay contains 7.10% ESC and 1.80% starch on a dry matter basis. Their sum is 8.90% - that's excellent! This would be a good hay to offer free-choice to your horse.
If your horse consumes 25 lbs per day of this hay, he/she will consume 2.225 lbs of ESC + starch (25 lbs X .0890). Convert that to grams (multiply by 454), providing your horse with 1010.15 grams of sugar and starch. If your horse also eats a cup of blackberries per day, you'll be providing an additional 7 grams of sugar. This brings the total sugar/starch intake to 1017.15 grams per day, or 8.96% of the diet. Not much of a difference.
One caveat: It is best to divide the amount of fruit you'll be serving over the course of the day, rather than feeding it all at one time. A large amount of sugar fed at once will create a higher blood glucose peak than if it were fed in smaller amounts throughout the day.
Fruits are bountiful sources of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making them a valuable addition to any horse's feeding regimen. Diets that need to be low in sugar and starch can still safely accommodate moderate amounts of fresh fruits. This will not only be pleasing to your horse, but will offer additional nutrients that likely do not exist in the current diet.
This article originally appeared on Getty Equine Nutrition and is published here with permission.
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[i] Whole food supplements can be found at Dr. Getty's Free Shipping Store.
[ii] Goodwin D., Davidson, H.P. B., Harris, P., 2005. Selection and acceptance of flavours in concentrate diets for stabled horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 95(3-4), 223-232.
[iii] Values obtained from https://nutritiondata.self.com
[iv] Kunkel, S.D., Elmore, C.J., Bongers, K.S., Ebert, S.M, et. al., 2012. Ursolic acid increases skeletal muscle and brown fat and decreases diet-induced obesity, glucose intolerance and fatty liver disease. PLoS ONE 7(6): e39332. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0039332
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