SELLES : Còm comprar una sella ?

[Miquel Llauradó]

http://www.equestriansaddles.net/equestrian-saddles/a-good-article-on-saddle-fit

 

Rules of Thumb for Saddle Fit By William Savage

 

In compiling some information on achieving a proper fit to the horse when purchasing a saddle I came across several “Rules of Thumb” to bear in mind. There’s a wealth of information available on the subject of saddle fitting, some of it contradictory. It’s easy for the first time (or even second time) saddle buyer to get confused . The following Rules of Thumb are designed to help a prospective buyer get pointed in the right direction.

 

The Rules :

 

Rule of Thumb #1: All equestrian saddles don’t fit all horses. This would seem obvious, but the novice might buy a saddle with only the rider in mind. While it’s obvious that a Belgian, Quarterhorse, and Haflinger would each require a saddle of a different size this is still a good rule to keep in mind.

 

Rule of Thumb #2: Some western saddle (trees) fit most western or stock horses. There is truth to this statement. A Western Saddle built on semi-quarter horse bars will fit most cow ponies and similarly an English saddle on a medium tree will fit most horses. Either way, you have maybe an 80% chance of success. But if you have to go through the hassle of returning a saddle or have to suffer with a poor fit those aren’t necessarily the best odds.

 

Rule of Thumb #3: If you purchase a saddle based on appearance alone, it won’t fit (Murphy’s Law applied to saddle buying). Well, we all do things like this occasionally, probably more with automobiles than with saddles. It’s hard to turn down something that appeals to the eye. But most experienced horsemen and horsewomen wouldn’t buy based on looks alone - would we?

 

Rule of Thumb #4: Like other things in life, the more information you gather, the better your chance of success. What this says is that if you’re going to purchase a saddle, the more you know about equestrian saddles and the more you know about the horse(s) in question, the better your chance of success (a good fit) will be. You needn’t be an expert - just take the time to learn a few things like, why fit is important, the basic parts of the saddle tree, etc.. A corollary to this rule is - find out what the saddle maker or retailer needs in the way of information to get you the saddle you need. If they don’t ask for some information find another retailer.

 

Rule of Thumb #5: If you don’t know a lot about horses, get someone who does to help you out. Put another way - If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do too much of it. This is probably the best rule for the novice to follow. Get a friend or acquaintanceequestrian who knows a lot about horses, or your vet or your local outfitter - anyone you feel you can trust - to help you out. They can tell you what measurements to need to take or, by looking at the horse, whether you really need to take any. Getting some expert assistance can save you lots of grief downstream.

 

Rule of Thumb #6 (Golden Rule): You won’t know for sure if the saddle fits until you put it on the horse and go for a ride. This rule has all sorts of implications. “Measuring” the horse for saddle fit can range from visual inspection to withers tracings to molds and high tech measuring devices. The more you measure the better the fit you are apt to achieve but at some point it can be overkill because you never achieve a “perfect fit”. The only way to validate good fit is to put the saddle on the horse and go for a ride.

 

More detailed information on saddle fit plus a number of related articles can be found at [http://www.your-guide-to-gifts-for-horse-lovers.com/saddle.html]www.your-guide-to-gifts-for-horse-lovers.com/saddle.html. Copyright © 2005 W. Savage. All Rights Reserved. William “Bill” Savage, a retired, engineer lives on the Goose Bay Ranch in Montana where he spends time with family, horses, and his web site. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Savage http://EzineArticles.com/?Rules-of-Thumb-for-Saddle-Fit&id=50820

 

 

[Miquel Llauradó]

Traducció aproximada ( EN BLAU I EN MAJÚSCULES , PER A MILLOR COMPRENSIÓ EN EL FORMAT GRUP GOOGLE ).

En cas de dubte verifiqueu el text original anglès.

 

http://www.equestriansaddles.net/equestrian-saddles/a-good-article-on-saddle-fit

 

Rules of Thumb for Saddle Fit By William Savage

 

In compiling some information on achieving a proper fit to the horse when purchasing a saddle I came across several “Rules of Thumb” to bear in mind. There’s a wealth of information available on the subject of saddle fitting, some of it contradictory. It’s easy for the first time (or even second time) saddle buyer to get confused . The following Rules of Thumb are designed to help a prospective buyer get pointed in the right direction.

 

The Rules :

LES NORMES

 

Rule of Thumb #1: All equestrian saddles don’t fit all horses. This would seem obvious, but the novice might buy a saddle with only the rider in mind. While it’s obvious that a Belgian, Quarterhorse, and Haflinger would each require a saddle of a different size this is still a good rule to keep in mind.

NORMA 1

NO TOTES LES SELLES S'ADAPTEN A TOTS ELS CAVALLS. AIXÒ POT SEMBLAR EVIDENT, PERÒ EL NEÒFIT POTSER COMPRARIA UNA SELLA PENSANT NOMÉS EN EL GENET. ENCARA QUE SIGUI OBVI QUE UN CAVALL BELGA , UN QUARTER O UN HAFLINGER NECESSITEN SELLES DE TAMANY DIFERENT, AQUESTA NORMA CONVÉ NO OBLIDAR-LA.

 

 

Rule of Thumb #2: Some western saddle (trees) fit most western or stock horses. There is truth to this statement. A Western Saddle built on semi-quarter horse bars will fit most cow ponies and similarly an English saddle on a medium tree will fit most horses. Either way, you have maybe an 80% chance of success. But if you have to go through the hassle of returning a saddle or have to suffer with a poor fit those aren’t necessarily the best odds.

NORMA 2

ALGUNES SELLES WESTERN ( PEL QUE FA AL "BASTIMENT" O ESTRUCTURA RÍGIDA ) S'ADAPTEN A LA MAJORIA DE CAVALLS VAQUERS. AIXÓ ÉS CERT.

UNA SELLA WESTERN CONSTRUÏDA PER A CAVALLS QUARTER ANIRÀ BÉ A LA MAJORIA DE CAVALLS VAQUERS. TAMBÉ UNA SELLA ANGLESA DE DIMENSIONS "NORMALS" S'ADAPTARÀ A MOLTS CAVALLS. EN AMDÓS CASOS LES PROBABILITATS D'ÈXIT SÓN DEL 80%. PERÒ SI HEU DE PASSAR EL TRÀNGOL D'HAVER DE TORNAR UNA SELLA O SUPORTAR UNA SELLA MAL AJUSTADA , LES PROBABILITATS NO US SERVIRAN DE RES.

 

 

 

 

 

Rule of Thumb #3: If you purchase a saddle based on appearance alone, it won’t fit (Murphy’s Law applied to saddle buying). Well, we all do things like this occasionally, probably more with automobiles than with saddles. It’s hard to turn down something that appeals to the eye. But most experienced horsemen and horsewomen wouldn’t buy based on looks alone - would we?

NORMA 3

SI COMPREU UNA SELLA PEL SEU ASPECTE NO S'AJUSTARÀ BÉ ( LLEI DE MURPHY APLICADA AL COMPRAR SELLES ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rule of Thumb #4: Like other things in life, the more information you gather, the better your chance of success. What this says is that if you’re going to purchase a saddle, the more you know about equestrian saddles and the more you know about the horse(s) in question, the better your chance of success (a good fit) will be. You needn’t be an expert - just take the time to learn a few things like, why fit is important, the basic parts of the saddle tree, etc.. A corollary to this rule is - find out what the saddle maker or retailer needs in the way of information to get you the saddle you need. If they don’t ask for some information find another retailer.

NORMA 4

COM EN TOTES LES COSES DE LA VIDA, COM MÉS INFORMACIÓ RECULLIU MÉS POSSIBILITATS D'ÈXIT TINDREU. SI VOLEU COMPRAR UNA SELLA CAL QUE US INFORMEU SOBRE SELLES I SOBRE CAVALLS. COM MÉS INFORMATS ESTEU SOBRE SELLES I EL VOSTRE CAVALL ( O ELS VOSTRES CAVALLS ) , MILLOR S'AJUSTARÀ LA SELLA QUE COMPREU.

NO CAL QUE SIGUEU UNS EXPERTS. NOMÉS CAL QUE REFLEXIONEU SOBRE ELS ASPECTES BÀSICS : PER QUÈ ÉS IMPORTANT UN BON AJUSTAMENT ENTRE SELLA I CAVALL. LES PARTS BÀSIQUES DEL BASTIMENT DE LA SELLA, ...ETC.

PREGUNTEU AL VENEDOR ( O AL SELLER ) QUÈ NECESSITA PER A AJUDAR-VOS A ESCOLLIR UNA SELLA ADEQUADA. SI EL VENEDOR NO US DEMANA RES ...CANVIEU DE VENEDOR.

 

 

 

 

 

Rule of Thumb #5: If you don’t know a lot about horses, get someone who does to help you out. Put another way - If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do too much of it. This is probably the best rule for the novice to follow. Get a friend or acquaintanceequestrian who knows a lot about horses, or your vet or your local outfitter - anyone you feel you can trust - to help you out. They can tell you what measurements to need to take or, by looking at the horse, whether you really need to take any. Getting some expert assistance can save you lots of grief downstream.

NORMA 5

SI NO SOU EXPERTS EN CAVALLS I SELLES...CONSULTEU UN EXPERT DE LA VOSTRA CONFIANÇA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rule of Thumb #6 (Golden Rule): You won’t know for sure if the saddle fits until you put it on the horse and go for a ride. This rule has all sorts of implications. “Measuring” the horse for saddle fit can range from visual inspection to withers tracings to molds and high tech measuring devices. The more you measure the better the fit you are apt to achieve but at some point it can be overkill because you never achieve a “perfect fit”. The only way to validate good fit is to put the saddle on the horse and go for a ride.

NORMA 6

LA PROVA DEFINITIVA D'UN BON AJUSTAMENT DE LA SELLA ÉS ENSELLAR-LA AL CAVALL I MUNTAR.

MESURAR ESTÀ MOLT BÉ. VERIFICAR AMB PLANTILLES TAMBÉ. COM MÉS INFORMACIÓ , MILLOR. PERÒ HI HA UN PUNT QUE NO ES POT SUPERAR. L'AJUSTAMENT PERFECTE NO EXISTEIX.

L'ÚNICA PROVA VÀLIDA ÉS PROVAR LA SELLA CAVALCANT REALMENT.

[Miquel Llauradó]

Reflexions d'un neòfit ignorant sobre les selles.

 

Darrerament he estat consultant alguns documents sobre selles i estic bastant desconcertat.

Sembla que un objecte que els humans han utilitzat des de fa molts segles hauria d'haver arribat a la perfecció i a una certa uniformitat. Doncs sembla que no. Les selles no són perfectes i hi ha moltes divergències entre les diferents selles usades al món.

 

 

 

Què és una sella ?

Una sella consta d'una estructura ( més o menys rígida ) , encoixinada per la part que reposa sobre el dors del cavall i amb un "seient" per al genet al damunt.

( Cingla o cingles, gambals, estreps, ...etc no formen part, en principi, d'aquesta discusió ).

 

 

 

Les dues comoditats d'una sella.

Una sella hauria de ser còmoda per al cavall i , també, per a la persona que munta.

El dors del cavall té unes formes conegudes. No sembla impossible dissenyar i fabricar una sella que s'adapti a aquestes formes.

( Segons he pogut consultar, la sella alemanya de cavalleria Model 25 tenia 5 "tamanys" o mesures. Alguns sellers nordamericans , en el fòrum Californio, han confessat que segueixen les plantilles alemanyes per a les seves selles western ).

Malgrat això sembla com si moltes selles estiguin pensades com a instrument de tortura, més que com estris utilitatis i anatòmics.

 

També la forma de les natges humanes és del domini públic , encara que molts sellers hagin decidit oblidar aquest punt.

Quan veig una sella mongola tradicional em fan mal totes les zones eventualment implicades de la meva anatomia.

Perdoneu la meva gosadia ( ja he confessat la meva ignorància sobre el tema ) però sospito que el seient d'una sella hauria de recordar el negatiu de les natges humanes.

 

 

 

Les opinions dels experts.

La web dels Long Riders i alguns fòrums especialitazats , parlen i comenten d'alguns aspectes sobre selles.

Algunes solucions semblen interessants.

Una amazona que muntava cavalls mongols, explica que posava dues mantes a banda i banda de l'espinada del cavall , per a evitar el contacte de la sella sobre aquesta zona delicada.

També la sella McLelland ( i similars ) és interessant en la mesura que hi ha una part central buida que permet la "respiració". I l'absència de contacte amb la sella de zones anatòmiques sensibles.

( Algun genet amb problemes derivats de les selles "tradicionals" ha pogut seguir muntant amb la McLelland ).

 

 

 

Les vostres opinions ?

[Miquel Llauradó]

http://ballestersaddles.com

A Cervià de les Garrigues en Carles Ballester fabrica selles Western
de forma artesanal.
La seva web és força interessant.
Em sembla que ja vaig esmentar la gran importància que tenien els
sellers a Catalunya , que formaven un gremi específic i molt antic.