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Position
the flexible curve 3 fingers’ width behind your horse’s shoulder blade,
using the chalk mark as a guide.
Fig.
5
Click on photo to enlarge
Be sure
that the center of the curve rests on the center of your
horse’s spine, and check to be sure it’s positioned correctly
on both sides.
Mold the curve to your horse’s shape, and use the chalk to
mark the front edge of the curve (the part nearest the mane.
Click on photo to enlarge
Remove the curve carefully and
place it on the paper, with the center of the curve on the
penciled line. Remember which side is right and which is left
(the easiest way to do this is to take the left side in your
left hand, and the right side in your right hand).
Click on photo to enlarge
Without changing the shape of
the curve, use the black waterproof marker to trace the
inside of the curve (the part that rested against your
horse’s back).
Click on photo to enlarge
1)
Mark which side
is right and which is left, and mark this tracing “#1”.
2) NOTE:
Don’t be surprised if your horse is asymmetrical. This is
very common, particularly in youngsters or horses who haven’t
been getting consistent, correct training.
Click on photo to enlarge
Repeat the whole process, this
time at the lowest spot on your horse’s back. (To find the
lowest spot on your horse’s back, lay your pencil or chalk
horizontally across your horse’s spine and allow it to roll to
a stop. That spot will be the lowest spot on your horse’s
back.)
Click on photo to enlarge
Remember to mark the front edge
of the curve on your horse’s back with the chalk.
Click on photo to enlarge
Place the curve on the paper
below the first tracing, and trace the inside of it with the
marker. Mark this tracing “#2”.
Click on photo to enlarge
Place the
curve on your horse’s topline, in the center of his spine,
with one end at the base of his mane.
Click on photo to enlarge
Mold it to your horse’s top
line, and make little marks on the curve where it intersects
with the two chalk lines from the first and second tracings
Click on photo to enlarge
Place this
in the paper below the first two tracings and trace the side
that lay against your horse’s back, marking the spots where it
intersected with the first and second tracings.
Click on photo to enlarge
Mark this tracing “#3”, and be
sure to note where tracings 1 and 2 were taken.
Click on photo to enlarge
And there you have your
completed set of tracings!
A picture is
worth a thousand words, particularly when they accompany your
tracing. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to
take informative shots. Just make sure your horse is standing
on a flat surface and try to make the background as simple and
plain as possible. If
e-mailing please keep photo file size @ 200 mb or less to
facilitate download time.
Start with a
good conformation shot of your horse:
Click on photo to enlarge
Ok, so Cowboy may look a little
crabby, but this photo shows me we’re dealing with a horse
who’s a little rump-high, has a pretty big, laid-back shoulder
and a short back. He’s got a decent wither, and his “girth
spot” (the flat area on the bottom of his barrel, right behind
his forelegs) is pretty short and far forward. All this tells
me we’re going to have to be concerned with the saddle sliding
forward and inhibiting the use of the shoulder.
Next, make SURE your horse is
standing squarely, and take a photo of your horse’s back,
shooting from one shoulder back toward the hip. Be sure to do
this on both the near and the off side of your horse. (If you
can’t see the top of your horse’s back, stand on something – a
mounting block or bucket – that will raise you even with or
slightly above your horse’s back.)
Click on photos to enlarge
Next, take a shot straight back
from the withers to the (giving your horse a treat in on the
floor is the easiest way to get the head down and out of the
way, but make sure he’s straight).
Click on photo to enlarge
And finally – if
you can do it without getting kicked – take a picture from the
rear looking forward to the withers.
Click on photo to enlarge
These additional photos show me
that we’re dealing with a pretty broad-backed horse who’s a
little more developed on the left than the right. So I’m
going to look for a saddle with a wide tree and a fairly
shallow, flat panel.
AND NOW FOR THE PHOTOS WE DON’T NEED:
Compare these photos to the
previous photos in the instructions, and see how much
difference having your horse square and straight will make.
In this photo, Cowboy’s head is
too high, making him drop his back and appear even more
rump-high than he really is.
Click on photo to enlarge
Allowing Cowboy
to crank his head around gives the illusion of him being more
developed on the right than the left, when the opposite is
actually the case.
Click on photo to enlarge
In this photo, Cowboy is
camped out behind, making him look more long-backed and less
rump-high than he really is.
Click on photo to enlarge
MISCELLANEY
Make sure you
have ALL your contact info on each and every piece of paper or
photo that you send us. Snail mail the original tracings (or
full-size copies) to us at Trumbull Mtn. Tack Shop, 969
Trumbull Hill Rd., Shaftsbury, VT 05262. Please don’t fax
tracings to us, as even the best fax machines will distort
them. When we have your tracings, we’ll compare them to our
saddles and let you know which saddles are most likely to fit
your horse.
And as always,
if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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