Jean Luc Cornille

When I give several talks, like this past week in UK. I can “feel” through the questions and the reactions, which lecture creates more attention. This past week, “Saddle Fitting, a Dynamic Perspective,” won the gold. The lecture commences with a picture of Chazot’s back taken form the top of the stall with the surveillance video camera. I explain that saddle fitting is not molding the back but instead a structure, the thoracic spine, in motion. A computer animation showing a horse skeleton in motion presents a viewed form the top showing the combination of latero-flexion and transversal rotation that is synchronized with the limbs movements.

The science of motion is about the practical application of advanced research studies for the purpose of better performances and soundness. Right away, emphasized is made on proper kinematics of the equine thoracolumbar spine and its relation with the problem of cervical arthritis that is affecting numerous sport horses. The point is underlining the importance of a saddle allowing proper kinematics of the vertebral linkage instead of altering sound function lacking stability and shifting laterally distorting proper mechanism of the thoracic spine.  

The talk explains how the back muscles have to coordinate their action ensuring proper motion and how thick padding, high cantle, big knee pads and large tree saddles are altering sound functioning of the equine spine. A simple case such as the lateral bending that is always coupled transversal rotation is analyzed. Proper rotation, as illustrated here with the direction of the red arrows, and inverted rotation.  

The disturbances resulting from inverted rotations are aggravated by wide tree, large gullet and thick padding saddles. A comparison is made between close contact and well-designed saddles such as the Macel Samba, which fit the horses back movement without aggravating the disturbances of inverted rotation and thick padding, high cantle and wide tree saddles which aggravate the disturbances caused by the inverted rotation of the dorsal spines.

 The picture below illustrates right lateral bending coupled with inverted rotation, (green arrows) shifting the dorsal spines toward the outside of the bend.

In case of proper rotation, where the dorsal spines are shifted toward the inside of the bend, there is very little shift of the dorsal spines. The moderation of the shift is illustrated with this picture offering a view of the thoracic and cervical vertebrae from the rider’s perspective.

Instead, there is a greater shift of the dorsal spines toward the outside when the rotation is inverted as illustrated by this picture of inverted rotation.

Transversal rotations occur mostly between T14 forward to T9. Saddles conceived and constructed with thick padding, high cantle and wide tree, are perching the rider high above the horse back aggravating the inverted rotation of the thoracic spine and shifting the rider toward the outside of the bend. 

The talk continues explaining how transversal rotations of the thoracic spine induce rotations of the trunk between the shoulder blades mostly controlled by the serratus system situated on the top of the scapula and the pectoralus muscles inserted above the elbow and on the sternum. Saddles with a tree wider than the horse really needs and filled with thick padding, are shifting transversally creating for both, the horse and the rider, compromising problems of instability. 

Several pictures of Charpege in her creative moves, emphasize the remarkable stability of the Macel Samba. Whatever Charpege’s motion. The saddle remains exactly at the right place. A video of Chazot spinning and rearing, as he used to do coming from the race track, illustrates the absolute necessity of a stable saddle. Chazot rear and spine furiously and I was able to stay on him because I was reading his body language, anticipating the next move. At one moment I expected that he will bounce forward but he turned instead. It was a split second where, if the saddle had shifted, I would not have been able to follow the movement.

The discussion continues explaining the disturbances created by the deep seat, placing the rider too far back on the seat of the saddle and pushing the rider’s gluts forward. While the theory of the driving seat was acceptable as long as it was believed that the lower line, abdominal and pectoral muscles, was flexing the upper line, the back, Actual understanding of the equine vertebral column mechanism no longer support such antiquated theory. The “Bow and String Concept” was created in 1946 By L. J. Slijper. Knowledge has evolved since World War II demonstrating the disturbances created by any shift of the rider’s weight. The driving seat hampers indeed the horse’s ability to properly coordinate the functions of the back muscles. Instead, efficient education and coordination of the back muscles demands a saddle allowing the rider to find his or her own neutral balance. Neutral balance is a balance where the rider’s body weight is not acting back to front or front to back.

There is no discussion about the dynamic fitting of a saddle without updated explanation of the back muscular system. Surprisingly very few know fundamental anatomy of the equine back and never the less, functional anatomy. For instance, auditors were surprise learning that there are two longissimus dorsi each side of the thoracolumbar spine, the dorsal division and the ventral division. Both, the dorsal and the ventral division are illustrated in this cross section of the back muscles at the level of the second lumbar vertebra.

The talk ends with the presentation of the Macel Samba and Samba S explaining why the concept, the design and the making of both saddles place them at the top of stability and efficiency.

Macel Samba 

Macel Samba S

With its original design allowing closer contact of the rider’s upper thighs.

Jean Luc Cornille/ Science of Motion®