Thermal Saddle Fitting
Are you buying a new saddle?
Does your current saddle not feel right?
Has your horse lost or gained weight?
If you have answered yes to any of theses then you may want to look into thermal saddle fitting!
One of the most important aspects of riding and caring for your horse is correct saddle fitting, the saddle is the quid inessential most important and used part of “horse riding” other than of course the horse. The saddle is used every time you ride, it’s constantly on the horse’s back pressing down on bones, muscles and nerves, if it isn’t fitted properly, your horse will be sore and it will affect performance, health, and the overall disposition of your horse. A perfect human analogy would be going to run a marathon 2 or 3 times a week, putting your shoes on the wrong foot and your shoes being one size to small, it will probably feel weird from the start but it wouldn’t hurt, till probably day two or 3 of your first week, when you begin to develop agonizing blisters and soreness’s not just on your feet but throughout your whole body. Till finally you can’t take it and don’t want to run anymore, your horse is the same way, proper Saddle fitting is paramount!
A properly fitted saddle can increase your horse’s performance, allow him to move easier and nicer, and will just make him a happier horse in general, when a saddle is properly fitted, the pressure should be evenly distributed down and across the horse’s back. With Thermal Imaging we can see where the pressure is being distributed, William F James Thermal Imaging Camera is perfect in detecting the subtle heat and pressure changes on the saddle and the horse's back.
Does your current saddle not feel right?
Has your horse lost or gained weight?
If you have answered yes to any of theses then you may want to look into thermal saddle fitting!
One of the most important aspects of riding and caring for your horse is correct saddle fitting, the saddle is the quid inessential most important and used part of “horse riding” other than of course the horse. The saddle is used every time you ride, it’s constantly on the horse’s back pressing down on bones, muscles and nerves, if it isn’t fitted properly, your horse will be sore and it will affect performance, health, and the overall disposition of your horse. A perfect human analogy would be going to run a marathon 2 or 3 times a week, putting your shoes on the wrong foot and your shoes being one size to small, it will probably feel weird from the start but it wouldn’t hurt, till probably day two or 3 of your first week, when you begin to develop agonizing blisters and soreness’s not just on your feet but throughout your whole body. Till finally you can’t take it and don’t want to run anymore, your horse is the same way, proper Saddle fitting is paramount!
A properly fitted saddle can increase your horse’s performance, allow him to move easier and nicer, and will just make him a happier horse in general, when a saddle is properly fitted, the pressure should be evenly distributed down and across the horse’s back. With Thermal Imaging we can see where the pressure is being distributed, William F James Thermal Imaging Camera is perfect in detecting the subtle heat and pressure changes on the saddle and the horse's back.
Thermal Saddle Fitting Procedure
Step one: Follow the Protocols!
When William F James Thermal Imaging is called to do a thermal saddle fitting, the usual thermal scan preparation protocols need to be followed please check out the “preparation protocols” page by clicking this link. In addition to the regular “preparation protocols” we ask you to keep your saddle also away from the sun and extreme heat and cold, with thermal saddle fitting the saddle is as important as the horse.
Step two: Scanning the saddle and your horse’s back before you ride!
Before you place anything on the horse’s back, a virgin picture needs to be taken; this shows us how the back looks under normal conditions, the next picture taken will be of the underside of the saddle, both the virgin back and saddle pictures will be used later for comparison with the pictures we take after the horse had been ridden.
Step Three: watch the rider and the horse.
This is the step that a lot of people will miss, watching and taking picture of the horse and rider, this will give you tell tale signs to look out for, for example is the horse leading to the left or the right, does the horse look like its fully extending while moving or does it feel all cramped, also the rider, is the rider sitting flush on the horse, are they leaning to one side. These signs and more will allow us to determine where we may need to look and examine closely on the saddle and horse’s back.
Step Four: Round two of pictures
Once the horse is done being ridden, bring him/her straight into the barn take the saddle off and allow us to take pictures of the saddle and horse’s back again quickly so we can get an accurate picture of the heat and pressure. Any kind of delay can give us a false reading on the back and saddle, speed is the key to this step.
Step Five: Compare the pictures
Once the pictures have loaded to a proper viewing platform (computer, ipad) begin to compare the pictures using a thermal viewing and reporting software and study the changes in heat, this will tell us if the saddle is fitted properly.
Optional step: I promise not to look!
Sometimes more information is needed before we can accurately judge the situation, is the saddle off? Is the horses back? OR… is the rider not sitting properly on the saddle, there is an easy way of judging that but not everyone is comfortable with it, we can take a picture of the riders pants as they get off the horse and see if back side of the legs are equally distributed, because of the sensitivity of the nature of that picture, discretion is always advised and is left up to the rider if they want a thermal image that area of their body taken. NOTICE! If the rider is below 18 years of age, no image will be taken not even with parent consent, William F James Thermal Imaging does not want to be held responsible for any image of a minor that may be consider indecent even if the guardian is ok with it.
When William F James Thermal Imaging is called to do a thermal saddle fitting, the usual thermal scan preparation protocols need to be followed please check out the “preparation protocols” page by clicking this link. In addition to the regular “preparation protocols” we ask you to keep your saddle also away from the sun and extreme heat and cold, with thermal saddle fitting the saddle is as important as the horse.
Step two: Scanning the saddle and your horse’s back before you ride!
Before you place anything on the horse’s back, a virgin picture needs to be taken; this shows us how the back looks under normal conditions, the next picture taken will be of the underside of the saddle, both the virgin back and saddle pictures will be used later for comparison with the pictures we take after the horse had been ridden.
Step Three: watch the rider and the horse.
This is the step that a lot of people will miss, watching and taking picture of the horse and rider, this will give you tell tale signs to look out for, for example is the horse leading to the left or the right, does the horse look like its fully extending while moving or does it feel all cramped, also the rider, is the rider sitting flush on the horse, are they leaning to one side. These signs and more will allow us to determine where we may need to look and examine closely on the saddle and horse’s back.
Step Four: Round two of pictures
Once the horse is done being ridden, bring him/her straight into the barn take the saddle off and allow us to take pictures of the saddle and horse’s back again quickly so we can get an accurate picture of the heat and pressure. Any kind of delay can give us a false reading on the back and saddle, speed is the key to this step.
Step Five: Compare the pictures
Once the pictures have loaded to a proper viewing platform (computer, ipad) begin to compare the pictures using a thermal viewing and reporting software and study the changes in heat, this will tell us if the saddle is fitted properly.
Optional step: I promise not to look!
Sometimes more information is needed before we can accurately judge the situation, is the saddle off? Is the horses back? OR… is the rider not sitting properly on the saddle, there is an easy way of judging that but not everyone is comfortable with it, we can take a picture of the riders pants as they get off the horse and see if back side of the legs are equally distributed, because of the sensitivity of the nature of that picture, discretion is always advised and is left up to the rider if they want a thermal image that area of their body taken. NOTICE! If the rider is below 18 years of age, no image will be taken not even with parent consent, William F James Thermal Imaging does not want to be held responsible for any image of a minor that may be consider indecent even if the guardian is ok with it.
