The Art of Natural Dressage

Dear Emmerie:

You must explain something to me.

when I'm sitting on my balance point, which is exactly the point where you can sit and not lose your balance. Example, when you sit on a big ball, by sitting on your balance point, you won't roll, or another example when you're sitting down on the floor on your balance point, your legs up, you won't rock. that being said, if I understand you correctly, the weight should be equally distributed from the seat to the bottom of my feet (stirrups) which means the total weight should not be in the saddle.
Also, what is wrong with the saddle fitting advice? Do you think the saddle is placed too far behind. They show us to place the saddle a few inches behind the scapula so that the saddle doesn't affect the movement of the front legs. Also, we must tighten the cinch three times and not in a shot which would only negatively affect the horse. Please advise what you think is wrong about their method of saddling.

It is to with their new saddles and the shimming that they advise people to do, I have no first hand experience with this just from what people have told me who I trust totally on saddle fitting advice and going to learn more myself this year with one of the best saddle fitters in the UK

They get you to shim things up so you are sitting on the back of the saddle right on the weakest part of the horses back like Linda suggests you do. Also the saddle is too wide for their and then shim it up to fit, I have no problem if you need to shim but it is in the way they tell you to do so and the fact that a saddle too wide can do a fair amount if damage as can narrow one, I am talking more about the english style than the western as that is all I know about as they copied the balance saddle from over here

Ok your balance points can change depending on what you are doing so what are the exact body parts are you balancing on in the saddle. I balance on just my seat bones using my core to stablize me, but with the weight going through and down my legs and if you took the horse away from me I would look like I was still standing and it is the most secure seat classic done correctly, try doing what Linda advocates and stay stood up


The saddle being fitted behind the scapula is indeed correct it is the other advice that isn't brilliant and unfortunately some saddle fitters still give you bad advice and do a bad job cos they know little themselves, hear and seen lots of things over here even worse when the saddle is twisted in some way Also doing up the cinch as you say is sensible I am on about the english saddle they have that has come out recently not western as I have not much clue about that yet.

Hope that has made things clearer for you they are great at some stuff and Pat is at his riding but Linda mmmmnn is scary stuff what is being advocated to do when they have much followers as they do and that they are off the mark with their teaching of the seat.

Hello (again) Emmerrie,

I think the difference between your method of saddling and Linda Parelli is that Linda Parelli finds her balance point while sitting and you while standing. If we look at cowboys, they are always sitting on their balance point (which I believe is between the "seat bones" and the coxis (don't know if I spelt it right). Like a bronc cowboy if you know what I mean. Their legs are always lifted in the air and they still stay seated in the saddle.
What I understand from you is that you are like standing on top of the horse with your legs wrapped around him. I would believe your method is not as "heavy" to the horse since half of the human weight is on one side of the horse while the other is on the other half. It would be like hanging one bag of weight on each side of the horse. While Linda Parelli, is the total weight is on the back. So, did I understand right??
guess what? I bought a Parelli saddle last May. Never used it yet. You're right, it is very wide. The horse I want to ride does not have a wide back. I hope the pad and shims will help because I can't buy another saddle. Like I previously mentioned (somewhere on the forum), I do have a Tucker saddle which is narrower and this is an endurance saddle. This one is also hardly used so I think I'll start with The Tucker and then see about the Parelli saddle.