DEAD CENTREIf
you ever have occasion to ride bareback, it will soon become evident
that you will be obliged to sit in the deepest part of the hollow of
the horse's back. In a very well made horse this will be over the
fourteenth dorsal vertebra, sometimes referred to as the centre of
motion of the horse. However, even if the horse does not have perfect
conformation in this regard, the fact remains that you will always
finish up in the deepest part of the back. Very few people appreciate,
however, that no matter where upon the back you position the saddle,
you will always be forced to sit in the deepest part of the back either
with or without the saddle under you. What some riders seem to
disregard is that you should sit in the centre of the seat of the
saddle, neither too far forward, nor too far back, but dead centre.
This will only be possible if the deepest part, or centre of the seat
of the saddle is positioned centrally over the deepest part of the
back. Put another way, draw an imaginary line through the centre of the
seat of the saddle and another through the deepest part of the back,
then position the saddle on the back in advance of the withers and then
slide it back until the two lines converge. The saddle will then be in
the centre of the back and the rider will be positioned in the centre
of the saddle. No part of the saddle will impede the free movement of
the shoulder, nor will any significant weight be imposed upon the
loins. If this principle is followed I believe everything else will
fall into place.However things are
never that simple. High withered, thoroughbred types present their own
unique problems that must be dealt with. There is a significant
difference in height between the top of the withers and the back of
this type of horse which results in the front or pommel end of the
saddle being forced upwards resulting in the back or cantile end of the
saddle sitting too low on the back and preventing the rider sitting in
the centre of the seat. The remedy for this is to make the panel deeper
at the back, by making a deeper gusset, sometimes called a Dutch
gusset, which will bring the saddle and rider into balance. Even so
this is not always possible in extreme cases and it will then be
necessary to use a rear riser pad.
It was Major Francis Dwyer, a famous nineteenth century cavalry
instructor who said "the saddle in the centre of the back" and "the
rider in the centre of the saddle" should be the guiding principle in
determining correct saddle fitting. "Spot on" would you not agree?While
on the subject of pads or numnahs, it is often said that a saddle
should fit perfectly without the use of a numnah. While this is true
there is a popular misconception that a numnah will alter the fit of a
saddle and comparison is made to inserting an insole in a pair of
shoes. However, this is not a true comparison because a shoe is an
enclosed space and the insertion of an insole will reduce the space
within the shoe and make the fit smaller. Whereas placing a numnah
under a saddle simply lifts the saddle off the back. You can pile any
number of numnahs one on top of the other and the top numnah will have
the same profile as the bottom one. Think of stacking chairs or
stacking pieces of angle iron one upon another, the top piece will be
the same shape as the bottom piece and since we are not dealing with an
enclosed space, as with a shoe, the fit is not affected. It is,
however, desirable to use a fairly thin cotton numnah to soak up sweat
and to keep the panel clean. Never use synthetic materials that will
cause the horse to sweat. However, while the use of a thick numnah will
not affect the fit, stability can be adversely affected.
