sbloom
Well-Known Member
The expert did not see the situation at the time, the other fitter did, and there are many things we do as fitters that entirely depend on what we saw at the time. Obviously lumpy flocking is a no-no, but some fitters fit asymmetrically for an asymmetric horse (I personally don't but it is taught in most programmes as far as I know).
Sometimes widening and more flocking may be appropriate, fitters will disagree on how to fit any given situation, and without knowing how the horse "reduced in size", and exactly where, how it changed the contact points etc it'd hard to say how it should have been fitted. If a horse gets narrower I want to know why, if it has come up in front then sometimes they can go narrower, but they've usually gone wider before that, so long term they end up a similar width. If a horse has dropped in front, which can look like reducing in size, the ribcage angle can effectively widen, so widening but flocking up may give better, parallel, contact and pressure. Again, if it has dropped in front I want to know why, and chat to the owner about remedial work as you mentioned in you previous post. I can't remember the last time I narrowed a saddle and removed flocking, it's a very unusual adjustment in my "tool kit". Just to put the other side.
Sometimes widening and more flocking may be appropriate, fitters will disagree on how to fit any given situation, and without knowing how the horse "reduced in size", and exactly where, how it changed the contact points etc it'd hard to say how it should have been fitted. If a horse gets narrower I want to know why, if it has come up in front then sometimes they can go narrower, but they've usually gone wider before that, so long term they end up a similar width. If a horse has dropped in front, which can look like reducing in size, the ribcage angle can effectively widen, so widening but flocking up may give better, parallel, contact and pressure. Again, if it has dropped in front I want to know why, and chat to the owner about remedial work as you mentioned in you previous post. I can't remember the last time I narrowed a saddle and removed flocking, it's a very unusual adjustment in my "tool kit". Just to put the other side.