Dates: TBD —– | —– Cost: £895.00
 
Instructor: Dr. Anne Bondi, PhD

 
 
This course is essential if you plan to be serious about your work. It is impossible to separate saddle fit from bodywork sessions when evaluating the ridden horse. For owners, this is a prime opportunity to learn exactly how a saddle should fit instead of listening to marketing gimmicks.

Our instructor for this course, Dr. Anne Bondi, PhD is the founder of the internationally-renowned Saddle Research Trust (www.saddleresearchtrust.com), a charitable organisation that focuses on evidence-based solutions for saddle fitting, and pioneering research into the interaction of horse and rider, from a saddlefitting-based perspective. Anne presents this 4-day clinic with slides, examples of trees, pads, saddles, measuring devices, templates, demonstrations and a variety of horses with saddle fitting issues.

Because most of us cannot run out and buy a new saddle if it no longer fits, the course content addresses this common problem by offering ideal, existing, and temporary solutions.

 

COURSE OUTLINE:

Vocabulary:

Anatomy vocabulary

Veterinary terms

Functional Anatomy:

Anatomy of the back

Bones and joints

Back and Saddle Evaluation:

Evaluating the horse’s back

Evaluating the saddle on and off the horse

Evaluating the saddle with and without the rider

Saddle placement

Saddle fitting

Reflex tests

Palpating the back

Saddle pressure and science

Pros and cons for different saddle pads

Corrective pads and wedges for temporary solutions

Discussion on the various saddle types

Creating saddle fit templates

 

Consequences of Incorrect Saddle Fit:

Behaviour

Performance

Trauma to muscles and skin

Anatomical issues

Physiological signs

Problems experienced by the rider in relation to posture due to ill-fitting saddle

 

The Effect of the Rider on Saddle Fit: Horse-Rider Interaction

Theory portion of evidence-based perspectives, and solutions using riders (including course participants) for the practical portion of horse-rider interaction assessment.

 

 

Prerequisites: Safe horse handling skills and a thorough understanding of equine safety. Knowledge of veterinary vocabulary and anatomy, or completion of EQ100, 101, 102 or a comparable programme.

Required Reading: None

Suggested Reading and Viewing:
Saddle Fitting A to Z: DVD by Dr. Kerry Ridgway
The Horse’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle-Fit Book by Joyce Harman, DVM
Saddle Fit A-Z DVD by Dr. Kerry Ridgway, DVM
The Horse in Motion: The Anatomy and Physiology of Equine Locomotion by Pilliner, Elmhurst and Davies

This course is required for the Equinology Equine Body Worker® Level II certification.

To test for the EEBWII certification students must pass the Equinology Equine Body Worker® or comparable certification course.