I have decided that since it has now been a year since I started posting my blogs on Barnmice, I need to up the ante and increase the frequency to three times a month! So I will now be posting stuff on the 10th, the 20th, and the 30th of each month - especially since I keep adding stuff to my 'blog fodder' file. I keep finding stuff to write about and share with you!

I often am asked why Schleese has so many models in our lineup. I have even heard that people have said things like “I guess they still haven’t figured out how to get it right!” (lol). Sometimes the perception is that if a saddle company has one or two models that should pretty much do it for most horses (and riders) – like if you have an Arabian model, it should fit 99% of Arabs. But let me ask you this then (to carry this thought further): Does that mean that all women who are 5’5” should wear size 8 shoes and size 6 pants? Of course not – that would be simply silly!

So why then would one saddle model work for every "type" of horse? The answer is, it cannot! That’s why we keep developing new models incorporating new technology. As scientific evidence becomes more available, and the unfortunate reality that poorly fit saddles can create long term damage is readily accepted by the end consumer, we need to continue to innovate to stay ahead of the game. (someone wise once said that the only sustainable competitive advantage is constant innovation!) This is why we have developed various models to ensure we are able to fit ALL horse and rider combinations. Dressage horses, for example, seem to be bred more and more with shorter saddle support areas (ramifications of this was discussed in Saddle Fit Tip # 6 – Saddle Length). This is why we have advanced our technology in panel configurations for short backed horses. Out of the 6000+ horses we service each year, we consistently see these differences even among horses belonging to the same breeds. One needs to be very aware when buying a saddle that every horse is different.

As we develop new models, we simply have to retire some of the older ones, and they then become special orders as they are no longer part of the ‘stock’ line up of the year. We are trying to still offer customization, but in the interest of efficiency, we needed to come up with standardized stock models. Just like in the auto industry, options are available or changes to the base model are doable, but then it results in a problem when “Mary Sue wants a saddle  just like we made for Betty Jean” – and Betty Jean has a Wave that has been fitted with a different panel than the standard Wave, and the seat foam has been formed to fit Betty Jean’s rear end (which is a whole lot bigger than Mary Sue’s!) You also have to remember that saddles are still ‘hand-made’ so that even the very same model with all the same features and options can still feel different. Saddlery is a real combination of art and science, and just the slightest difference in how the seat foam is shaped or how the panel is stuffed can result in a whole ‘nother feel.

Anyway, the point I am trying to make is just that one size/one model/one saddle does not necessarily fit all – and you need to be able to at least somewhat accommodate the many many different horse sizes/conformations/breeds and the many many different riders out there.

Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CEE

www.schleese.com

www.saddlesforwomen.com