Recently the governing board of the sport I participate in during the summer (will remain unnamed) posted a reminder or guideline reminding participants that “harsh bits and poor saddle fit” are grounds for DQ.
There are a couple of things I don’t like about this. There are a few riders, some on the board, who are rabid that ALL bits are harsh and we should ALL ride in halters or hackamores or bitless bridles. However, these very same folks ride in some of the most massive hackamores I’ve ever seen with ridged nosebands and really long shanks (think 9"). And the exotic saddles are another problem, I think. Many riders order from Middle East or Europe some pretty specialized and flashy saddles --but if one turns them over, the trees are wood and not padded or even smooth in some cases. Although riders do use pads, I’ve seen some extremely “gappy” saddles with pressure on the shoulders and loin and no contact along the spine.
But, who decides? Unless the competition organizer hires a saddle fitting expert, then “poor fitting saddles” is going to be tough to enforce. And what is a “harsh bit?” To some vocal members, any bit is harsh. I use a simple D ring Snaffle. I think it is less harsh than a hackamore of any kind (no nose pressure or poll pressure). Who decides? I just spent an entire day driving to the saddle fitter and having her check out all my saddles and seeing how they fit on my new horse. Two of my three saddles are perfect for him, sadly, my favorite Passoa is not (ever) going to fit his back. At least I didn’t have to buy him a new saddle! Until I had the saddles checked by a professional (30+ years experience) I THOUGHT my Passoa was a perfect fit for my new horse!
Back to my question: Who decides at a competition what is a “poor saddle fit” or a “harsh bit?”
