Master saddle fitter Danny Kroetch, owner and founder of DK Saddlery, fits 2,000 saddles a year. He’s been in this business for 15 years, so it’s safe to say he’s seen a lot of horses and, unfortunately, a lot of ill-fitting saddles.
The limitations of traditional saddle design, specifically wooden and hard plastic trees frustrated Danny and motivated him to redesign saddles and start his own business. Traditional saddles were designed nearly two centuries ago when wood was a plentiful resource and our understanding of the biomechanics of a horse was, by comparison, nonexistent. He believes it is past time to update the design.
The tree and the panels affect how well a saddle fits a horse as he grows and develops. Because wood and plastic trees have very little to no adjustability, Danny uses a synthetic tree with an adjustable gullet plate in all of his saddles. He worked with a metallurgist for four months to find a metal that would retain its strength under the incredible pressure (1,500 lbs/square inch) created by a horse in motion. “The best saddle in the world does harm if it’s not fitted correctly and to accomplish that you have to begin with the right components,” says Danny.
Based in Alberta, Canada, DK Saddlery is the largest exporter of english saddles to Europe and Asia. DK saddles are used by equestrians around the world and by some of the top riders. At the recent FEI World Cup in Las Vegas, two top producers rode in DK saddles; Mette Rosencrantz won the Invitational Grand Prix and Imke Schellenkens-Bartels placed second in the World Cup Freestyle. Olympic medalist Beatrice Ferrer-Salat of Spain is another satisfied DK Saddlery customer.

How to Fit a Saddle
Horses are asymmetrical by nature, often carrying less muscle in one shoulder and in the opposite lumbar area, resulting in unevenly developed back and loin muscles. A properly fitted saddle compensates for this asymmetry, helping the rider be balanced. This allows the horse to develop muscle and carry the rider with ease.
Danny cares about how the saddle impacts the horse in motion. He says that there are 19 different points in the back that interact with the saddle while the horse is in motion, but he boils it all down to three things: how the tree points of the saddle interact with the wither muscle and shoulder of the horse; that the saddle is supported by the tree points properly; and that the saddle is fit to the asymmetries of the horse. This is the only way to make a saddle sit in perfect balance, front to back and side and side. “To me the 16 or 36 point saddle check is all smoke and mirrors,” says Danny. “I show people the three main points for saddle check and from this they can easily assess if their saddle fits correctly.”

The DK Difference
DK Saddles are designed so that the tree points bear weight over the withers and do not interfere with the dorsal ligament system. Traditional saddles often sit on the dorsal ligament that runs along the spine and Danny believes this is where “kissing spine disease” and hock problems originate. This is due to the limitations of a wood or plastic tree, which result in a saddle that sits too tight on the top and cannot be adjusted. Horse owners buy new saddles, add bigger sheepskin pads, have their saddles readjusted and the problem continues.
Designed for maximum adjustability, DK Saddles sit on the muscle of the back, not the ligaments or bone. Featuring an adjustable gullet plate designed by Danny and a flexible tree, the saddle can be adjusted to fit any horse. This, combined with the Flair air-panel system, provides the necessary tools for creating a perfect fitting saddle. When a client orders a DK Saddle, a saddle fitter comes out and does all the measurements and fine-tunes the fit of the saddle by observing the rider at various gaits and adjusting the air pressure in the Flair panels.
Wool or foam flocked panels sit rigid on the horse’s back, whereas air panels move with the horse. It is important to have free range of movement and an air filled saddle allows the movement to happen with no resistance. The air system has been proven to enable the horse to build and change muscle faster over the back. Danny says, “An air filled saddle that is properly fitted does not bounce and the air does not leak.”
Understanding the biomechanics of the horse is more technical than most people think and this is an area where Danny’s unique expertise shines. Danny watches the saddle fit at the trot because that’s when it becomes clear how the saddle is impacting the horse and the rider at work. Danny designed the Freedom saddle because, in order to correctly fit horses and riders, he needed a saddle that was totally adjustable. With a synthetic tree he can adjust perfectly for each individual horse and rider, and will continue to evolve the fit with the development of the horse.
DK Saddlery has three master saddlers, with experience that ranges from 12-30 years each, who make the saddles that Danny designs. They make saddles for all disciplines on an english tree; dressage, jumping, endurance and eventing. A western saddle is being launched this month.
For more information, contact DK Saddlery at 403-240-3945 or toll free at 877-326-3487 or via e-mail at dkroetch@telus.net or at www.dksaddlery.com.