BY CHANCE

Nearly 3 years ago, my horse Chance, who had been working more or less okay up to that point, suddenly became difficult. He would not canter on the left leg, and if he did, he would just break to trot each time. He also all of a sudden was no longer able to maintain a circle. Being the gentle-mannered boy that he is, he did not get ugly by bucking or napping, but I sensed he was clearly not happy. I had a saddle-fitter come out and assess the situation. I was advised to have my GP re-flocked (at quite a cost), which only exacerbated the problem. Riding became unpleasant to say the least.

In a nutshell, I knew the saddle was the problem. I heard about Dinah and that she took infrared images of the horses back after riding. This was extremely helpful. She imaged Chance, found the saddle was creating massive pressure points. After the visual assessment, it was so evident that the saddle did not fit him. It was too long on his back and the stirrups weren't even in the right place for me!

Dinah helped me fit a new dressage saddle and my horse immediately began working again like a pro! His one shoulder is bigger than the other, so that was an issue. She balanced the saddle with a shim and I have not looked back. I recently called her in for my annual saddle check and my horse has developed so much muscle she had to widen the tree one size.

Once again, the difference in Chance's work overnight was amazing. Chance is working beautifully, rounds, works from behind, is quick off the leg and will canter immediately on each leg as requested.

Diane - Schaapkraal - June 2013