DK:s sadlar bygger på samma principer som sadlarna från Schleese vilket gör att järnet kan justeras asymmetriskt och allt eftersom hästen ändrar sig.

DK sadlar är måttanpassade sadlar med Flair-paneler, dvs luftfyllda paneler. Var medveten om att det är stor skillnad på Cair och Flair! Cair är luftkuddar med skarv mitt på och på ovansidan och undersidan ligger ett lager med gel. Kuddarna är inte justerbara.

Flair däremot är rena luftkuddar som går att fylla och tömma på luft för bästa passning. Luften konformerar sig runt hästen och fördelar därmed trycket helt jämt och tar upp stötar mycket bättre än traditionell stoppning. Luften låter även musklerna att jobba friktionsfritt. När hästen tar fram benet och bogen åker bakåt puttas luften undan för att sedan fylla på igen när bogen rör sig framåt. Viktigt är dock att man får stabilitet i sadeln och det får man genom att ortspetsarna på koppjärnet är långa och tar stöd mot hästen vilket de gör med DK som har ett extra långt järn. Det är även viktigt att använda en stabil gjord dvs ej någon gel-gjord, gjordar med luft, eller gjordar med lång och för stretchig resår.

DK sadlar bygger på samma principer som Schleese sadlar. Järnet kan justeras asymmetriskt och allteftersom hästen ändrar sig. Bommen är också lagom flexibel vilket kan jämföras med att hoppa från en stol; man vill landa lagom dvs inte med raka ben och inte med så böjda ben att vi har svårt att komma upp igen. Bommen skall skydda hästen från ryttaren och ryttaren från hästen men ändå vara följsam.

– Sadlarna är justerbara avsedda för hästens bio-mekaniska rörelse.
– Sadlarna kan justeras efterhand hästen utvecklas.

Läs mer om DK sadlar på  på www.dksaddlery.com

Flair ®

DK sadlar kan fås med Flair ® paneler eller  traditionellt ull stoppade paneler.  Flair ® paneler är luftfyllda paneler vilket lättare fördelar trycket över panelens yta och riskerar inte att bli klumpigt på samma sätt som en dåligt stoppad ullpanel kan bli. Riktigt intressant är DK´s hoppsadel där man verkligen får nytta av den stötdämpande effekten från Flair panelerna, 7 gånger mer stötdämpning i landning än med traditionell stoppning.

Vad gör man då? Jo man köper en sadel med större vinkel och vad händer, den kommer för nära manken! Varför funkar det inte? Jo för det är inte vinkeln vi behöver ändra utan bredden så att hästen kan få sina bogar under koppjärnet utan att det tar i samtidigt som det fortfarande är 3-4 fingrar mellan framvalv och manke. Detta höjer prestation och välbefinnande och minskar skaderisken betydligt.


Alla DK sadlar är tillverkade med fullt justerbart koppjärn med långa ortspetsar som kan ändras både i vinkel och vidd. Koppjärnet är gjort i 6mm rostfrittstål vilket säkerställer att bommen inte ändrar form efter justering vilket lätt händer med bommar som värms vid justering, då plasten ”kryper” vid värme och belastning när du rider. Kan justeras hur många gånger som helst i vinkel och vidd.  Själva bommen är gjord i flexibel kolfiberarmerad PUR. Den finns i  storlekar från 16,5 ” till 18,5″ . Vid justering av sadeln formas koppjärnet om i en manuell sadelpress som sadelteknikern har med sig vid besöket.

Danny Kroetch, sadelmakare och utvecklare av DK sadlar.

”My Goal is to eliminate discomfort for both horse and rider thereby maximizing performance by increasing freedom of movement”
Dan Kroetch is a Master Saddle Fitter who travels widely throughout North America, Europe and Asia conducting saddle fitting clinics and giving lectures on the proper fitting of saddles. Dan has a reputation for being able to fit the most difficult horses and his specialty lies in his ability to help those horses that are experiencing pain from their existing saddles".

In conjunction with Academy Bartels, Dan is currently involved in a 15-month study with Utrecht Veterinary University in the Netherlands on how ill fitting saddles affect the horse’s movement. The findings were published in 2004.
Is the only saddle manufacturer ever to be published in the Veterinary Journal.

Läs mer om DK Saddlery

http://www.dksaddlery.com/

Saddle-fitter - An important profession in the circle of influence
Du kan läsa mer om DK:s olika sadelmodeller i
Equi Krafts webshop.

DK Saddlery –  The Ultimate in Freedom for Both Horse and Rider

Danny believes that when fitting a saddle to horse and rider it is important to include the Circle of Influence. Like a wagon wheel the circle of influence is comprised of a number of supporting “spokes” each spoke represents an influence on the horses well being including; rider, coach, veterinarian, farrier, saddle fitter and alternative medicine practitioners such as massage therapists, chiropractors and acupuncturists. Although the wheel will remain functional when missing one or more spokes…in order to ensure top performance each area must be optimized. When fitting a saddle to a horse and rider pair, Danny must ensure that there are no other areas that may be effecting the horses ability to do his job.

The Saddle-Fitter — Danny Kroetch is a master saddle-fitter who travels all over North America, Europe and Asia fitting saddles to high performance horses and riders. Currently his company DK Saddlery is the largest exporter of English saddles to Europe. At the 2004 Olympic Games three riders from two different countries competed in his DK Freedom Saddle. Mette Rosencrantz won the $25,000 Grand Prix Invitational riding Basquewille in a DK Freedom saddle at the Las Vegas World Cup April 20, 2007. Danny is currently heading a large research study on saddle fit at the University of Utrecht in Holland and is now the only saddle manufacturer ever to be published in the Veterinary Journal.

DK Saddlery is all about adjustability. That one word, adjustability, sums up everything that DK Saddlery believes in.

Varför DK?

Danny Kroetch is a world renowned Master Saddle Fitter and designer. The success of his saddle designs is based on the fact that an adjustable fit is incorporated into every saddle the company builds. Danny believes that saddles which do not have the ability to be fit asymmetrically to a horse’s withers cannot ever truly fit. That may sound confusing, but read on to gain a deeper understanding of saddle fit.

This theory has been proven time and again by Danny, who has a lifetime of experience fitting saddles to horses. He fits over 2,000 horses a year, more than 100.000 to date. Danny was invited to take part in a research study at the University of Utrecht Veterinary Clinic in Holland.

The study was “How Ill-Fitted Saddles Affect Horses.” It was the first ever research study done on saddle fit by a veterinary university. The results were published in The Veterinary Journal in August 2005 and proved that an asymmetrically fitted saddle was far better for a horse’s back than a symmetrically fitted saddle.

Twenty years ago when Danny started with adjustable English saddles there was only one other company in the world doing it. Now, there are close to twenty manufacturers incorporating some form of adjustability in their saddles. “I certainly don’t agree with all their designs”, says Danny, “but, the point is more companies recognize that the consumer is looking for adjustability”. He stresses, “It is a concept that has been proven to work, but only when done correctly”.

We all have a strong side and a weak side

The adjustable fit technology that Danny has proven in the English world for the past twenty years, he has now brought to the world of Western riding. Danny has designed and patented the first fully adjustable western saddle. It can truly be fitted to any horse because it addresses the issue of fitting a horse’s asymmetries. If we think about the anatomy of a horse logically, fitting a saddle asymmetrically makes perfect sense. All horses, just like humans, are built asymmetrically; meaning we all have a strong side and a weak side. On the horse one shoulder will be carried more forward than the other, there will be less muscling on one shoulder, and less muscle mass over the ribcage on one side. Therefore you need to have the ability to adjust the bars to the asymmetry of the horse. Danny also changed the angles of the bars so they are correctly positioned on the muscles of the horse which are meant for carrying weight.

In 2009 the University of New Mexico did research on western saddle fit. They took 180 western saddles of all different makes and models. They tested them using a thin saddle pad and also tested them gradually increasing the thickness of the saddle pad. The fit was analyzed over a computerized compression pad. The research found 180 saddles that did not fit. They also discovered that the thicker the pad, the worse the saddle fit. Danny responds, “If your shoes are too tight and pinching your foot and I give you a thicker sock or an insole, is that going to make the shoe fit better? Saddle pads don’t fix problems. They never have, they never will. If you have a properly fitted saddle, you should be able to ride your horse with no saddle pad and never hurt your horse.”

Something that Danny hears all the time in the industry is, “I have this one saddle and I put it on every horse I own and it fits beautifully.” Danny’s response to this statement is, “Go stand in a group of people and look around. How many of those people (in the group) could you fit in their pants or their shoes?” This brings us back to the concept of adjustability.
The most important thing about having an adjustably fitted saddle is the fact that all horses (just like people) change. Four things change horses: work, feed, age, and metabolism. In winter metabolism slows down causing weight gain. In spring and summer metabolism speeds up causing weight loss and gains in muscle and body mass. Danny asks, “If a person were to gain, or lose, 15 pounds would their pants still fit?” When you buy a traditional western saddle, which is symmetrical and can’t be adjusted, and then your horse changes (as they all do), or you change horses, your saddle will no longer fit.”

Too much tradition

A big buzz word in the western saddle world is “tradition”. The industry says that on a traditional western saddle we want the top part of the bars to make contact with the horse, and we want the bottom part of the bars to flare off the horse. Danny strongly disagrees with this traditional philosophy, based on scientific research of biomechanics of the horse in motion.

“The traditional design of a western tree puts too much pressure at the top of the withers and also fills in the shoulder hole of the horse. This is a huge problem,” explains Danny. He continues, “If you take a bare horse and look at the shoulder hole [of the horse] while standing still, you can have anywhere from a shallow to a very deep shoulder hole. However, when the front leg is lifted and brought forward to create motion, the rotation of the scapula fills the shoulder. The traditional western tree, which is rigid and has the bars flared off at the bottom, and I’ll say this again, puts too much pressure at the top of the withers and fills the shoulder hole in. That’s where the scapula needs to go. This creates an enormous amount of resistance: the shoulder trying to get under the rigid tree. In this tree configuration the bars are not stable enough over a horse’s withers. Consequently when the saddle is girthed down, the front of the saddle becomes too low, again putting way too much pressure over the withers.

The very purpose of any saddle tree is to distribute the rider’s weight over a greater surface area. In the above scenario, when the saddle is girthed down, the front of the saddle comes down and the back of the saddle lifts. So now, the entire weight of the rider is only distributed over the front half of the saddle, not fully over the whole tree. This puts way too much pressure over the withers. Therefore, the top of the bars need to come off the horse’s withers and the bottom of the bars needs to have contact with the horse’s shoulder approximately 9 inches down from the withers of the horse.

Redesigning the tree

Danny has addressed these issues by redesigning the tree. His tree creates the correct angle of the bars allowing the shoulder hole of the horse to remain open, enabling the scapula to fully rotate under the bar. The bars on a DK western saddle can adjust from a semi quarter horse out to more than a draft cross bar, but also adjust to fit each horse’s asymmetrical shape.

Additionally, Danny would like to explain what happens when there is too much pressure on the withers. Research has shown that the muscle of a horse can withstand 2.5 pounds of pressure [per square inch] over the withers before it becomes damaged. From 2.5 pounds to 4 pounds of pressure we are damaging the muscle. From 4 pounds to 6 pounds of pressure we have restricted blood flow into the muscle, killing the hair follicles. This creates those tell tale white hairs we are all too familiar with. Danny relates, “When I hear people tell me, well, I don’t have any white hairs on my horse, so I’ve never made him sore with my saddle. This statement is incorrect. This simply means you haven’t reached the threshold of 4 to 6 pounds, it doesn’t mean you’re not damaging the muscle.”

Most of us have heard that if your saddle fits properly there should be equal sweat under the saddle pad from front to back. This is also incorrect. Danny explains, “All your girthing power, and your stirrups, everything that holds the saddle to the horse is in the front half. When you have air and heat, it creates sweat. If you’re getting sweat under the front half of your saddle, it means the saddle is moving. The instability is allowing your saddle to shift from side to side over your horse.” On a saddle that fits correctly the front half should be dry and under the back half of the saddle should be wet. The sweat marks over the back half [of your saddle] should be very large and symmetrical. The front third of the saddle should have large, symmetrical dry areas, indicating the saddle is fitting straight and stable over the horse’s withers. If you are seeing small, uneven dry spots under the front of your saddle this is very bad. It’s a sure sign your saddle is bearing too much pressure over a small area. Those white spots we spoke of earlier are typically found 3 inches below the withers. This is where the traditional western tree creates too much pressure at the top of the bars.

Frequently Danny hears people remark that we’ve been using the same kind of tree in western saddles for hundreds of years and it’s been working. Danny responds, “When I walk up to a horse and put as little as 10 pounds of pressure over the withers, or the top line of a horse, and the horse drops 4 or 5 inches [under my touch] from the pain, I say, clearly this is not working!” He continues, “We’re getting by on the willingness of the horse to do what we ask of him. It’s time we stopped taking advantage of their willingness.”
Danny’s fully adjustable western saddles have been out for three years and he has unbelievable testimonials from riders and trainers. The veterinarians and chiropractors that work with these horses are astounded by how quickly the horses’ backs have recovered when worked in a properly fitted saddle.

“The best part”, says Danny “is that horses build muscle in my saddles. They develop more muscle over the withers and top line because of unrestricted blood flow. Better blood flow means more oxygen and nutrients reach the muscle.” The bars can, of course, be adjusted as the horse builds muscle in these areas assuring a proper fit at all times. So, next time you’re thinking about how your saddle fits, think adjustability=fit.  "My Goal is to eliminate discomfort for both horse and rider thereby maximizing performance by increasing freedom of movement”.

Dan Kroetch is a Master Saddle Fitter who travels widely throughout North America, Europe and Asia conducting saddle fitting clinics and giving lectures on the proper fitting of saddles. Dan has a reputation for being able to fit the most difficult horses and his specialty lies in his ability to help those horses that are experiencing pain from their existing saddles. In conjunction with Academy Bartels, Dan was invited to take part in a 15-month study with Utrecht Veterinary University in the Netherlands on how ill fitting saddles affect the horse's movement. The findings were published in 2004."

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Equi Kraft
Ulrika Söderberg
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EquiKraft AB- since 2006
Certified Equine ergonomist (CEE)
Certified Saddle ergonomist (CSE)
Independent Saddlefitter (ISF)
Dipl.Equibodyworker
Dipl. Hästfysio.
Dipl. Sadelspecialist
Elev till JLC "Sience of motion" sedan 2016 ( 2015)