Kristi Troyna Stübben Saddle Fitter

Unexpected rain? No problem! Ride in your saddle cover. The junior riders love the colorful Stübben covers, but we also still have the traditional navy blue ones. Stübben riders, Team MCRC Equestrian, and some of the Stübben crew will be at Paso Robles Horse Park this weekend if you want to come and say hello.

Amanda keeps us on our toes

Practical test for the stubben_ca fitters last week.

The fitters are required to know the origin, insertion, function, relevance to saddle design and back/body health, and whether the structure is healthy or unhealthy, plus biomechanics and tack design.

This is incredibly important, because if your saddle fitter doesn’t know anatomy and how it relates to saddle and tack design, they won’t know how to protect the horse’s back from injury, identify problems, or come up with solutions.

It also protects the consumer by keeping the brand honest. A brand rep who can critically think about anatomical fit is not going to blindly believe marketing hype, and will not ethically push anything that could be detrimental to the horse’s wellbeing.

Recognizing terrible saddle fit is easy — it is the little things we could miss that create big problems later. Anatomical knowledge is the answer to everything.

Spine, including spinous and transverse processes
Scapula, including all landmarks
Scapular cartilage, including cranial angle, dorsal border, and caudal angle
Humerus
Ribs, including true and false ribs
Sternum, including Xiphoid Cartilage
Nerves, including Lateral Thoracic Nerve, Long Thoracic Nerve, Axillary, Suprascapular
The Nuchal and Supraspinous Ligaments
All the joints and junctions
All the muscles of the Thoracic Sling
Serratus Dorsalis Cranialis and Caudalis
All back muscles, including intrinsic and erector spinae
The Stay Apparatus and the Dorso-scapular Ligament
Spine Movement
Shoulder Movement
Center of Gravity
Center of Motion
Rider position on both the back and the tree
Riding Styles and Pressure Distribution Systems
Issues like asymmetry, saddle slip, ECVM, resistance
Conflict behaviors
Girths and girthing
Half pad design
Breastplate design
The purpose of the tree, the pommel, tree points (length, width, and angle), stirrup bar length, the twist, the rails, the cantle, the seat, sweat flap, billet position and length, gullet channel, panels, and flocking.

If that sounds like a lot, just remember that the saddle is the number one cause of injury in the ridden horse. You — and your wallet — deserve a saddle fitter who prioritizes knowledge to keep your horse safe. Never settle for less.

Our Stübben team had a great time mingling at the Pacific Ridge show over the weekend. It was a bit of a reunion with Amanda and Maggie flying into SoCal and we had a great time. Amanda gave an amazing talk on the anatomy of saddle fitting on Friday evening to a good group of conscientious horse owners wanting to know more about how to make sure their equipment is safe and comfortable for their horses. Would love to have Amanda and Maggie back. I’ll definitely post it if we have another event, but you can see me at the next Pacific Ridge show in October. See you then!

Come join us! Hope to see you there.

If you missed the free custom bridle in August, you can still get a bridle or any other accessories you want with a $500 voucher if you book a fitting in September. Let me know if you would like an appointment. 🤩

Just did a fit check for this new custom Ascend that just came in for a client who made a custom order. It’s so fun to get to go out and make sure everything looks good and see how the saddles turned out on the custom orders. When you order a custom saddle, Stübben guarantees that I did my job right and if anything needs adjustment, they will take care of it. Did you know you could get into a new Ascend for as low as $3995? The Ascend also comes in a Junior model that starts at $3395. Let me know if you want a fitting!

Did you know I can also order products and accessories for you? I can usually get you things that are not always found on the website and I’m in the know of any deals going on. Currently I have body sprays and leather care products on hand. You can buy them from me in person or I can send you a payment link to be shipped directly to you. The body sprays are awesome and they smell amazing. They are $25. The Hamanol is amazing and should be a staple in your leather care routine. A tube is $20.

Don’t forget to schedule your free barn group saddle fitting this month. If you have three or more people in your barn, I will bring out all of my demos for free for you to take a ride in, and I will fit the riders and horses.

New promo for August only! When you order a new custom saddle, you get a new custom bridal for free! This is a huge opportunity. You can save even more by trading in your existing saddle, if it qualifies. Contact me if you’d like to schedule a fitting. 💫