CFD and Schleese Saddlery Presents
Ride Pain Free Symposium

Photos by Dee Forstner and Ann Chartier

Registration (Susan Croft and Diane Delmain)	Attendees	Attendees	Attendees
Attendees	Jochen Schleese lecture	Jochen Schleese lecture	Dr. Miles Hildebrand lecture
Dr. Miles Hildebrand lecture	Attendees	Dr. Miles Hildebrand lecture	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo
Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Attendees
Dr. Miles Hildebrand demonstrating toe dragging	Dr. Miles Hildebrand demonstrating gait irregularity	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo
Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Leigh ann and Sundae
Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Dr. Miles Hildebrand Chiropractic demo	Jochen Schleese Saddle fit demo
Jochen Schleese Saddle fit demo	Jochen Schleese Saddle fit demo	Linda Thompson with Schleese Saddle Pad	Jochen Schleese and Dr. Miles Hildebrand
Jochen Schleese, Hannah Johnson, and Dr. Miles Hildebrand

CFD and Schleese Saddlery Presents
An Educational Symposium and Demonstration Clinic
May 26, 2010

40 attendees turned out to Wind Song Farms in Apopka to listen to Jochen Schleese and Dr. Miles Hildebrand present information, discussions, and demonstrations on saddle fit with an emphasis on recognizing the signs of pain in both the horse and the rider as well as a detailed lecture on the function of the horse's back and pelvis including a demonstration of chiropractic work.

Jochen Schleese started the lecture with some basics of the male and female pelvis and how the differences affect the way they 'sit' in a saddle. Jochen explained that a majority of the riders and competitors were at one time mostly men and saddlemakers were men, so saddles were designed for the comfort and effectiveness of the male pelvis. Later, as more women came into riding for pleasure and competition, saddle design needed to change to accommodate this new new female riding group.

Jochen next outlined the various signs of bad or poor saddle fit on the horse such as sore sensitive back or tight back, dry spots under a wet saddle pad, cold backed or cinchy, lack of engagement, rearing or bucking under saddle, or white patches of hair in an otherwise solid color coat under the saddle area to name a few.

Dr. Miles Hildebrand next did a presentation on equine hip and back pain in the horse, causes of hip, pelvic, and back injuries, and benefits of chiropractic work.

The seminar then moved to the outdoor arena where Dr. Hildebrand did a hands on demonstration of chiropractic work on Leigh Ann's horse Sundae. Dr. Hildebrand worked on Sundae starting at the poll then moving down the neck (cervical), back (thoracic), lumbar, and sacrum area. He demonstrated various ways a horse might move if they had a chiropractic problem, and adjusting Summer where it was needed.

Using the same horse, Jochen next drew lines with chalk on the horse's back to show where the optimum weight bearing area of the horse's back is, and then demonstrated poorly fitting saddles and good fitting saddles.

Jochen outlined and demonstrated saddle design features riders should look for in a saddle such as a wide channel between the panels to allow freedom for the spine and insure the saddle does not rest on the spine itself, the saddle must be the appropriate tree width and angle for the horse, the saddle must not be too long for the horse's back and the saddle must not interfere with and should accommodate shoulder movement.

The lecture wrapped up back inside the Wind Song Mane Hall with both Jochen and Miles giving us some personal insight into their passion for proper saddle fitting and correct equine chiropractic treatment. Then they did drawings from names of the attendees for door prizes of Schleese products and saddle fitting sessions. All attendees who filled out their cards with correct answers to the lecture topics received a free Schleese saddle pad.

Many thanks to Lori Wubker and Wind Song Farm for allowing us to have this symposium at their location.

A very special thanks to Hannah Johnson who coordinated this event and Jochen Schleese and Dr. Hildebrand schedule for this lecture. Thanks to Jochen and Miles for coming out to do this lecture symposium and demonstrations for us.

Lastly, a great big thanks and kudos to all our attendees for coming out and participating in this lecture. We hope the educational information provided this night was both useful and helpful to you. We know we enjoyed it!