Your partners for compassionate horsemanship & best performance
As an education partner of the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA), Equitopia is delighted to offer CHA members a FREE course on western saddle fit - presented over 9 video lessons by Rod and Denise Nikkel of Western Saddle Fit
FREE for all Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) members
Access the FREE
mini-course!
In this mini course, Rod and Denise Nikkel from Western Saddle Fit, break down the different components that need to be understood in order to assess whether a saddle is a good fit for your horse or not.
The 9 lessons in this course will be released over a three-day period. Parts 1 – 4 will be available immediately when you sign up; Parts 5 – 7 will be available one day later; and the final 2 parts will be available for you to view after 2 days.
Join through the registration button below to enjoy 9 bite-sized lessons on western saddle fit:
– 1: Introduction
Meet your instructors and get started on the basics of western saddle fit. (Time: 6:19mins)
– 2: The Purpose of the Tree
Learn the various parts of the tree and how to determine the adequate total surface area of a tree that will fit your horse
(Time: 5:05mins)
– 3: Bar Spread and Bar Angle
Do you know how far the bars of the tree should be apart – or how to tell if your bar angle is too wide or too narrow? It matters!
(Time: 7:40mins)
– 4: Rock
Do you know what rock is? Why is it important? How much rock do you need in the bar?
(Time: 8:51 mins)
– 5: Clearance and Twist
Save yourself the pain of major damage to your horse by getting this right.
(Time: 8:32 mins)
– 6: Crown and Edges
Rod and Denise explain why it is so important to understand how these work.
(Time: 7:52)
– 7: Saddles and Skirts
Do you know all the parts built into your saddle that affect the fit for your horse? What about the skirt? This is what’s covered in part 7.
(Time: 7:41)
– 8: Rigging
Apart from knowing that the rigging is what keeps the saddle on the horse – what else do you need to know about rigging to ensure correct saddle fit?
(Time: 6:00)
– 9: The Seat
What makes a good seat? And why is this important for both horse and rider? This is the subject of this final video in this course.
(Time: 10:34)
See you inside!
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We are proud to partner with Equitopia who embrace the goals we stand for:
To promote excellence in horsemanship safety and education for the entire horse industry.
Equitopia provides evidence and research based whole horse, whole rider education.
“Our videos, articles, webinars and podcasts will show you how you can achieve optimal performance results for you and your horse, using a compassionate approach to horsemanship.”
Caroline Hegarty, CEO – Equitopia
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