I believe the exercise she is quoting is from Jec Ballou, who seems to be pretty well-respected, so I would be interested in her explanation of why it is incorrect.
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Yeah I’m not sure although I know many vets and physical therapist such as her advocate for pole work on all sorts of ways.
Maybe she is referring to the fact that it doesn’t help the thoracic sling? But I would think to make it healthy horse you use a variety of exercises targeting multiple muscles.
They have done studies on pole work with sensors. They have done studies on equiband and other such things. Does Celeste have any any published studies on her work? Or is there any plans on that?
I’m very moved by proven results. Hopefully she can get something published to back up her claims other than before and after photos.
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When you say the saddle is level - are you referring to the seat being level, or the cantle to pommel relationship?
Neither, actually. I’m looking at the position in which the tree is level.
Before my trolls get all into criticizing me for claiming x-ray vision, I do this for a living. The ability to see these things is what comes of education and experience, much like how a lameness specialist can zero in on the source of the problem in a NQR horse better than a vet with a different specialty. Like how your trainer can spot when you’ve slightly dropped your shoulder or how a bodyworker might notice patterns of muscle use that a typical rider or even a trainer might miss.
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Ok. Same horse, same rider, same saddle.
.
But is it a before picture or an after picture?
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You can not see anything useful or concrete from the angle of those photos. You’re doing a disservice to your profession by digging in deeper.
Also doing a disservice by using “your saddle doesn’t fit” as some kind of weapon to delegitimize someone.
Put the shovel down.
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Someone who disagrees with you isn’t a troll. Frankly, there are a lot more tactful ways to suggest that someone’s saddle doesn’t fit than the unnecessary way you addressed Meupatdoes.
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I’ll play, but I’m totally willing to be wrong and I’m on your side. 
Angle of photo is kinda impossible to truly evaluate, but I’d say it’s a before picture because it looks like it’s pommel low, you’re a bit tipped forward and your lower leg has slipped back. Having said that, you are a taller rider on a horse that is smaller, and looks to be a bit downhill in his way of going at this stage in training so it’s going to be challenging for you. Otherwise, capable rider and lovely horse, nicely presented. 
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I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I gotta say no.stirrups that if you’re coming on here as a business, to promote your business, you need to do better. After reading your replies, I would go out of my way NOT to do business with you. I’m sorry to have to say this, but it’s really toxic behavior.
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I’ll follow up with another genuine question - how does one develop an eye for the tree being level? Aren’t all trees across all makers different in terms of their structure/tree point length, etc?
These are genuine questions. I’m trying to learn more about dynamic saddle fit because frankly, the fitters in my area have left me cold and with more than one sore horse. I’m not looking to learn how to go without a saddle fitter’s advice, but it sure would save me (and my horses) a lot of headache if I could look at a saddle and know it definitively doesn’t fit, versus what my fitter says.
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I think all the saddle fit talk would be more appropriate on another thread. I don’t see true relevance to the topic at hand. All of us strive for good saddle fit, not just those in this program.
The saddle fit comment was inappropriate imo even if well meaning (or maybe not.)
I actually think it is a good topic of discussion on it’s own because on social media I am seeing a new trend of saddlefitters picking apart people’s saddle fit through photos as a means to advertise their own services by shaming others (who didn’t ask.)
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After this post, I’ve concluded that while the method might be good (and I think it likely is) the culture is not my cup of tea. I thought her calling someone out for euthanizing their horse despite Celeste “making the horse sound” in one session was in poor taste. We don’t have the full story. Did Celeste have the full story? I don’t know.
Just rubs me the wrong way.
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A few years ago I bought a unraced TB gelding. I used a different vet as it was out of my vets range. I had suspicions about one foot being a little clubby but vet treated me like I was nuts and convinced that x-rays weren’t needed. Anyways a few months after buying him he’s lame on the suspicious foot. My vet takes one look and confirms that I was right it’s at least a grade 1 club. But we also discover he has wicked and worrisome side bone, is horribly unbalanced (long term) and has pedal osteitis. At 4. Okay so we start the expansive process of getting his feet in a better place. Oh and we discovered he had some arthritis in his lumbar.
He comes sound! He’s not being ridden through this but man he starts packing on weight, top line with a gorgeous coat. He does not look like any of the horses in the before pictures.
Then he started falling and we discovered he had wobblers.
But would Celeste have taken my money and told me she could fix him? Would she have ridiculed me for putting him down? No one suspected Wobblers except me. He even technically passed a Neuro test at a hospital until he fell down while we were there. He fooled many.
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The passage she quoted does not even mention rehab. Rehab and general fitness development are two different things, but it seems like for many “rehabbing” has a sexier ring to it than plain old conditioning. From watching Gillian Higgins’ webinar on pole work, the passage seems correct to me with respect to conditioning, and I trust GH’s qualifications and reputation much more. She says nothing about why it is incorrect. And also, rehab from what?
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Exactly.
Seriously.
If you’ve made a new horse friend in your training endeavors and you disagree with the owner’s plan to get out from under it, whether by euthanasia or sending it on down the road, you can always offer to take the horse onto your own tab.
Ask me how I ended up paying the tab on a 13yo OTTB who is perennially remedial (much as I love him) in the contact and is a professional’s horse by every metric except potential resale value or fanciness 
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I’ll follow up with another genuine question - how does one develop an eye for the tree being level? Aren’t all trees across all makers different in terms of their structure/tree point length, etc?
I think you have to start with looking at saddles in person. Watch someone ride, try to make a judgement as to whether it is level, uphill, or downhill. Then shim just the front or just the back and see if it looks better or worse. You might need quite a thick shim at first to see the difference, but as your eye develops you will need less. Sometimes I still need to do this when I just can’t decide if the balance is quite right.
To the rest of you, my initial comment was
Oh, and your saddle doesn’t fit.
Literally a quick aside to the topic at hand because I couldn’t unsee it so I thought I’d mention it. Abrupt? Yes. Lacking tact? Certainly. But there was no malice intended. The strong emotional outbursts and name calling that have ensued have left me entirely taken aback. I have followed up by sharing knowledge and every one of my posts has been relevant to the topic at hand, this current one the least. If you can’t see that, then you are choosing to not see it or falling for the propaganda of the name-caller.
Questions like Beowulf’s are why I am on this forum. To help. Not to promote. If you look through my posts throughout the forum, you will find a lot of free advice given.
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Toxic. It’s absolutely, straight up toxic. It’s going to cause more than one enthusiastic, well-meaning, easily-duped professional to burn their reputation to the ground. I wish it were not the cup of tea of more people, but those desperate for answers will glom onto just about anything and then convince themselves that they should be as missionaries to the “work of the lord” and ram it down the throat of everyone who does not believe or has another equally useless path to nowhere.
ooh, ouch, where’s my holiday spirit? 
I know where it went - straight down the toilet with Celeste’s shit about losing her ‘new friend.’ That type of manipulative bullshit isn’t even good enough for fertilizing giant hogweed.
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You found better words than me because her post is toxic. Just reading her facebook is full of click bait and blows my mind.
But it sells…shes great at selling emotion.
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This is a heartbreaking story and I’m very sorry for the loss of your horse.
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Thank you. I’ve had some real heartbreaks and he wasn’t even the worst of them sadly. Still awful though.
He was such a cool, special horse. It was heartbreaking to find out there was so much going on inside his body. It was poor breeding and poor quality care as a youngster that doomed him I think. But he went out looking healthy and shiny with expensive shoes on and that’s something I was glad I could offer him. I think ever horse should have someone that loves them.
I just think that if a body worker type had offered me a cure… That most likely wouldn’t have worked long term because of the wobblers at least, I would have been devastated to see my story be ridiculed by said bodyworker on the internet. To see someone call me indifferent when I was torn apart inside from a tough decision would have been awful.
Maybe this owner really was a lazy and indifferent owner that just couldn’t be bothered to save their horse but we certainly can’t know that by what Celeste posted.
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