It has been said that a correctly fitting saddle is as important to an equine athlete as correctly fitting shoes are to a human athlete.  In fact, proper saddle fitting is important for both horse and rider. The saddle on our horse’s back is our connection to the horse when we are riding.  Anatomically, that region consists of the skin, with thousands of nerve endings, the epaxial muscles, the spinal vertebrae, and the junction of the ribs and vertebrae. If a saddle does not fit a horse properly, pain, performance issues, and behavior problems can result.  Signs of saddle fitting problems include but are not limited to obvious sores; white hairs under the saddle; swelling under the saddle; sensitivity to palpation or grooming of the saddle area; “cold backed;” resistance to work; tail swishing; not traveling straight; general bad attitude; difficulty with collection; and many other subtle performance issues.

There are hundreds of brands of saddles and as a professional, I have been fortunate to sit in a wide variety of saddles. My favorite dressage saddle for my body type and horse comfort by far is Trilogy Saddles. Trilogy Performance Saddlery is committed to providing the correct saddle and fit to every client and horse. These saddles are built in England and Trilogy Performance Saddlery has saddle fitters around the USA that are highly trained in their field. Courtney Pfieffer is one of those saddle fitters.

Courtney Peiffer is an in-demand and respected saddle fitter in the Mid Atlantic. Warm and cheerful, she is known as a tenacious hard worker with infectious enthusiasm.  Courtney won’t quit until she knows the saddle is right for both horse and rider. Being a saddle fitter is a physically exhausting job, yet Courtney somehow finds the time to ride, train, and compete in dressage. And to top it off, she also runs her own farm in Union Bridge, Maryland.

Courtney’s journey to becoming a saddle fitter began with a pony that was very difficult to fit. It was the process that enamored Courtney with the possibility of making horses more comfortable so they could increase performance. It was after developing a relationship with Debbie Witty, the founder of Trilogy saddles and a certified saddle fitter that Courtney got to see first-hand as a client how important educating her clients about the fit of their saddles was to Debbie.  Courtney thought,” if she educated me this much about saddle fit as a client, imagine how educated her saddle fitters must be! ” So, when the opportunity presented itself, Courtney was excited to be offered the position! Debbie Witty has not disappointed Courtney, the training and education offered through Performance Saddlery are unparalleled in the industry. 

Mac is extremely lucky to have Courtney on his team as he makes progress towards the Thoroughbred Makeover in October. With his Trilogy saddle properly fitted as he grows, I am certain we will have years of enjoyment from this lovely saddle. If you are interested in learning more about Trilogy Saddles or want to find out more about Courtney more information can be found at https://performancesaddlery.com/