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California Riding Magazine • September, 2010 A Revolution in Fit by Paige Hill |
History has been made thanks to renowned saddle maker Danny Kroetch of DK Saddlery, who reports that he’s created the world’s first fully adjustable western saddle. Kroetch, who has built and designed custom saddles for over 18 years in the english world, came up with the idea five years ago, and now has these saddles available for western riders of every discipline. He offers adjustable barrel racing, roping, reining and western pleasure saddles with a built-in air system that conforms to the horse’s back. It is the only patented technology for western saddles of its kind, Kroetch reports. The most impressive feature of this new line of western saddles is the fully adjustable tree that can be altered to fit any horse in a matter of seconds while you are on the horse. This revolutionary breakthrough in saddle fitting technology came to Kroetch after taking part in a 15-month study at the Utretch Veterinarian University in the Netherlands, which showed how an asymmetrical saddle fits a horse’s asymmetrical back better than a symmetrical saddle. He also conducts saddle-fitting clinics in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong and other countries, during which he shares his saddle fitting expertise and gathers feedback. With the air panels and adjustable tree, the saddle is meant to fit a horse with a very thin pad. Even in the western world, a saddle should fit without the help of an extra thick pad or inserts, Kroetch stresses. A study conducted by the University of New Mexico in 2009 pointed out that none of the western saddles truly fit any of the horses, and adding a thick pad actually made the pressure more uneven causing soreness. Kroetch points out: “To me, there is nothing that replaces a good fitted saddle. There are saddles out there with shims, but they create inconsistencies in pressure. For each action there is a reaction. For saddles it is either a very positive or negative.”
The success with this new technology is already beginning to show. Problems become evident when Kroetch palpates areas of the horse directly related to saddle fit. He relays: “One thing man has not taught the horse in a thousand years is to lie. If a horse is sore, he has nothing to gain by lying to us. Horses show us all the time if they are uncomfortable, and we don’t listen.” Improvements in the horse’s demeanor during palpations after being fit with a DK western saddle are just one testament to its success. The ease with which customers can narrow and widen the tree is one of the saddle’s most impressive features. The adjustment mechanism is disguised under a decorative concho on the saddle’s pommel. An Allen wrench is all that’s needed to narrow or widen the bars to fit the horse. It can be adjusted to fit from a semi-Quarter Horse up to a Draft cross.
Attitude Adjustment Happy clients are already raving about the new saddles. Beverly Plate’s homebred Rhema Gold was consistently having trouble staying sound during his career as a top barrel racer. Initially she thought the problems all stemmed from her horse’s clubfoot, but it turned out it was the horse’s back that was causing all the problems. After trying everything, her vet suggested she try a saddle Kroetch had sent him. She immediately noticed her horse traveled in a more relaxed manner, and rode better under saddle. After getting a DK saddle of her own, that same horse is now placing in the top in the toughest barrel racing circuits in Texas. “Thank god for that saddle!” Plate says. The new technology is also holding up in the roping arenas. Because the saddle is built to fit each horse perfectly, Kroetch asserts that clients could lose the breast collar normally needed to keep a western saddle from sliding back. “I challenged a bunch of ropers in North Carolina to try one of my saddles with no breast collar. They roped and headed 14 head of steers. The saddle did not move an inch.”
The new adjustable tree is not the only unique feature DK Saddlery’s new line of western saddles offer. Clients can customize saddles their own way, choosing the amount of silver, leather artisanship, kind of leather, style and color, resulting in a truly unique saddle. Prices start at $5,000, an investment that should last a lifetime and fit any horse a person will swing their leg over throughout their riding or training career. All while getting optimal performance without sacrificing comfort to rider and horse.
For more information on the fully adjustable western saddle, visit www.dksaddlery.com. |
