WHY BUY RP SADDLES?: Dynamic Fit

Good fit begins in the barn aisle, but it shouldn't end there. The challenge in saddle design is retaining a superior fit on the moving horse.

ReactorPanel Saddles' flexible panels and shock-absorbing discs follow the changing contours of the back in motion. The front and rear edges of the panels flex the most dramatically, because the shoulder and loin have the greatest articulation and movement. The saddles flexible panels undulate with the back under the center of the saddle. Because they are independently attached, each panel can compress and flex on either side of the horse's spine in response to the back in motion.

SHOULDER FREEDOM

When a horse is in motion, the scapula and the muscles and cartilage surrounding it slide under the saddle during extension of the foreleg. If the front edge of the saddle tree is too tight, the horse must force his shoulder under the tree with every step he takes.

It's not possible to place a saddle far enough back that the shoulder never encounters the saddle. To test this, watch while a friend picks up your horse's front leg and gently pulls it forward as though the horse were extending the limb. You may be amazed at how far back the shoulder and its surrounding muscles travel.

To provide shoulder freedom, ReactorPanel is designed so the front edge of the saddle's panel deliberately rests over the scapula and the tree points are specially shortened to end above the bony mass of the scapula on most horses. The front edge of the panel is not weight-bearing, but since the scapula is already beneath the panel, when the shoulders rotate backward, they slide easily under the saddle's flexible panels without encountering resistance.

A number of riding tests demonstrate the difference in your horse's additional range of motion from newfound shoulder freedom.

Read more about the benefits of ReactorPanel Saddle's flexible panel design.