The Role of Equestrian Professionals in Saddle Fit for Horses and Riders in the United Kingdom.
Authors: MacKechnie-Guire Russell, Williams Jane M, Fisher Diana, Nankervis Kathryn
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Ensuring proper saddle fit requires coordinated input from the multidisciplinary team (MDT)—saddle fitters, therapists, coaches, and owners—yet little evidence exists about how these professionals actually assess and manage fitting in practice. MacKechnie-Guire Russell and colleagues surveyed 377 UK equestrian professionals (184 saddle fitters, 77 therapists, and 116 coaches) using an online questionnaire to explore their approaches to evaluating saddle fit for both horse and rider. Significant differences emerged in professional practice: saddle fitters and therapists enquired about fitting history more routinely than coaches (p = 0.0004), whilst saddle fitters conducted both static and dynamic assessments as standard, whereas therapists adapted their methodology depending on circumstances (p = 0.0004); notably, saddle fitters encountered out-of-balance saddles more frequently than therapists (p = 0.032) and implemented more alterations overall (p = 0.0004). These findings suggest considerable variation in how professionals within the MDT approach saddle assessment and management, indicating potential gaps in communication and consistency that could be addressed through better cross-professional collaboration to optimise outcomes for both horse and rider welfare.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Standardize saddle fit assessment frequency and protocols across your team—saddle fitters should lead this but coordinate closely with therapists and coaches to ensure consistent client messaging
- •Both static and dynamic assessment of saddle fit appears superior to circumstantial approaches; consider implementing this as best practice regardless of your discipline
- •The multi-disciplinary team approach works best when professions communicate regularly about saddle fit findings and alterations rather than working in silos
Key Findings
- •Saddle fitters and therapists ask about saddle fit frequency significantly more than coaches (p=0.0004)
- •Saddle fitters assess saddles both statically and dynamically while therapists' approach is circumstance-dependent (p=0.0004)
- •Saddle fitters identified out-of-balance saddles more frequently than therapists (p=0.032) and made more alterations (p=0.0004)
- •Multi-disciplinary team collaboration gaps exist between saddle fitters, therapists, and coaches in addressing saddle fit