Saddle Fit
– out of love and responsibility
Wir bei SCHLEESE stellen unsere Sättel nach höchsten Qualitätsstandards von Hand her und verwenden nur hochwertigste Ledersorten.
Each SCHLEESE saddle is designed by our master saddler and certified saddle ergonomist Jochen SCHLEESE. Its design, function and adjustability fulfill all criteria of the Saddlefit 4 Life® - out of love and responsibility for rider and horse.
The fully adjustable gullet plate with the patented AdapTree® allows your SCHLEESE saddle to be adjusted to your horse on-site, over and over again. The right saddle fit promotes a healthy back, species-appropriate movement and is the key for an optimal performance. Whether you are a recreational rider or a competitive rider, you and your horse will gain lasting benefits from the tremendous advantages.
What is a saddle fitting?
A precisely adapted saddle represents the highest good of all saddle developments. However, it is also crucial that a saddle can always be adapted to the changing anatomy of the horse. If the horse stands for a longer period of time, the shoulder muscles change, so the saddle will then no longer fit. If the horse's musculature develops through training, then the saddle won't fit either. A saddle should always be flexible and adaptable to new conditions - preferably directly on site.
ANNUAL SADDLE INSPECTION
Your properly fitted SCHLEESE saddle will give your horse enormous freedom of movement. This can lead to a strong change in the musculature after only a short time. In order to guarantee the best fit for you and your horse, we recommend that you have your saddle checked at least once a year. Our exclusive partners are qualified and S4L-certified saddle ergonomists.
SADDLE ADJUSTMENT ACCORDING TO THE SADDLEFIT 4 LIFE® METHOD
OUR 80 POINT SADDLE FIT EVALUATION
General information about horse and rider provides important basics for our saddle ergonomist to make individual changes to the new saddle, such as the frequency and use of the saddle as well as anatomy and current training situation of horse and rider.
Horse: Our saddle ergonomist measures shoulder angle, shoulder width, saddle surface and abdominal girth. They also measure the shape of back and withers, vertebral canal width, and symmetry and size of the shoulders to name but a few aspects of this extensive evaluation procedure.
Rider: To select the right saddle models, the length and width of your leg, thigh, lower leg, and your hip circumference are measured. These values are also used to determine the position of the roll and stirrup bar attachments. Our goal is to put you in a correct and anatomically ideal position on the horse.
In this step, your saddle is measured and compared with all measured values from step 1 and step 2. This also includes the type of pillion, saddle contact surface, seat curve, etc. This determines how the saddle will fit you and your horse.
First, your horse is lunged to see which movement patterns are present without a saddle. Then we evaluate the fit of your saddle while riding. This includes all three gaits. Our saddle ergonomist thus obtains a dynamic picture of the behavior of your horse, your current movement and seat position and the seat of your current saddle. Sometimes, our saddle ergonomist can also solve existing problems by adjusting your current saddle directly on site.
After the dynamic analysis, the image is complete. Immediately afterwards, our qualified saddle ergonomist will explain the findings from the overall analysis according to Saddlefit 4 Life®. The next step is a discussion of possible solutions with you. On request, you can prepare various demo saddle models, so you and, above all, your horse can feel which model creates the best harmony for both of you.
