Saddle Fitting

Saddle fit is sooooo important. At KISS Dressage we believe that tack must be comfortable in order for our equine partners to perform well. We are firm advocates of the Port Lewis Saddle Fitting System. This is a scientifically based system that allows you to SEE where the saddle is rubbing!

This simple system involves:

1. Riding your horse with the Impression pad under your saddle- The Impression Pad is made from clear flexible vinyl and contains a moldable putty which we affectionately call Equi-Dough. It's extremely easy to use, place it on your horse's back, do up the saddle and go for a ride... that's it! When you remove the saddle, you will have an exact impression of how that saddle fits that horse, with that rider.

2. Your saddle fitter will evaluate the impression and make a pad that corrects the pressure points.

3. The Impression pad is rolled out to "normal" again. It is placed on the horse's back with the pad and the saddle this time. You ride again and look at the impression to see if the pad corrected all of the pressure points.

4. It may be necessary to repeat steps 2 and 3 until an even impression is achieved. Once a pad is designed that corrects the pressure points, your saddle fitter will give you that saddle pad "formula" and you can order your new saddle pad! It is that easy.

Please follow the Port Lewis Saddle Fitting System link to see pictures of the system and to read more about it.

To schedule an appointment in the Pennsylvania/ Maryland area please contact Jutta Wakefield at (717)530-1077 or gwake@innernet.net.

Treeless Saddles

Treeless saddles are another solution to saddlefitting woes. Since there is no rigid tree, the saddle molds to the horse's shape and follows his movement. One of the difficulties with treeless saddles is that you cannot purchase one from a tack shop. It is very difficult to "try before you buy" since you must order them directly from the manufacturer. We have a solution to this problem!

In addition to the Port Lewis System, Jutta Wakefield is able to allow you to try two different types of treeless saddles:

The Ansur

The Flexion SBS (coming soon!)

She can take these saddles with the impression pad so that you can see how well they might fit your horse. You can also come to her farm to try a treeless saddle on one of our school horses!

To schedule an appointment in the Pennsylvania/ Maryland area please contact Jutta Wakefield at (717)530-1077 or gwake@innernet.net.