With your left hand lift the corrector and Envelope  pad up into the gullet of the fork.  This will work down to the horse after you get on, very quickly.  It simply lets the saddle get well down-around the horse while girthing.  Then while looking at the rear of the horse on the near side, push against him with your left hand.  When he pushes back against you, pull out and up on the latigo with your right.  Repeat this one more time and use your shoulders as you pull with your right and push with your left.  I've shown this to world champion roper Dee Pickett, and he said,"Gee, that would work with any saddle"!

The point is ; to cinch Quick, tight, & without pinching, while the horse is concentrating on pushing back against you!  You're no longer jerking him around and this eliminates most behavior problems while cinching.  Run a tight girth to begin with, it's sure to loosen AFTER A FEW MINUTES IN THE SADDLE. Tighten again if it's not snug. You can do that from the saddle. 

Cinch well forward, about 2 to 3 inches behind the elbow.  This positions your saddle better and the girth doesn't slip forward and loosen later. You're girthing on the STERNUM and it won't affect you horse's breathing. While the saddle is often pulled forward, the CorrecTOR will MOVE IT BACK TO ALLOW FOR FREE SHOUDLER MOVEMENT! Too loose a girth promotes SADDLE ROLLING as does OVERPADDING.  Rolling causes; sore/ unhappy animals at the girth, under saddle, and often ruins performance and behavior. 

     I find more saddles today that are too curved in the center of the bars. If the rear of your saddle bars are not firmly on the horse after adjusting the front balance shim, put in the 2 rear shims on each side. It takes pressure off the center of the bars and gives room for the horse's back to round. That means he gets under himself in the rear & takes longer strides. The saddle is stablized and there's less loin rubbing.

    The low withered horse often brings his back up like a mule's and it's actually "ROUNDED".

     A saddle is like a rocking chair at that time and your saddling problems are multiplied. Even a straighter bar bites into the center of the back on these animals. You should have firm contact at the rear of the bars when riding at a walk. With a relaxed back at standstill you always have pressure back there. That's why it does no good to check the standing horse for saddle fit.

     I prefer pads that don't trap in heat.  Anything over 1 inch is too thick.  Fleece is true padding, I rode 3,000 mi. on 2 layers of fleece under my saddle.  MY SOCK works fine but it can still let your regular pad above it be pushed around by the horse. Flat pads are bindingly tight while Contoured pads often bunch-up in the center when the back is up while riding.... The Elliptical cut of the Envelope pad & ProTecTOR lets them move  from "flat" to "Contoured" and every shape needed } inbetween!

     This center "Cut" is so functional it's Patent Protected. The Envelope keeps your pad from walking back and you only have 1 unit to fool with when you saddle up.  If you've got 3" of the Envelope Pad out in front of your saddle, after riding, you're doing OK.   The Cut at the top of the Corrector is repeated in the Envelope Pads. With them, Contoured Pads are no longer needed.. 

How does the ProTecTOR work? Why doesn't it have SHIMS in the middle to Prevent BRIDGING I'm amazed at the 2 Major saddletree makers selling what amounts to body-armor to go under their trees to protect the horse.  Talk about LOSS of CONTACT!  It's amazing to me that they haven't figured out how the horse's body functions while riding, the only time tree fit can determined! The middle of the horse's back comes up 1"minimum at a walk and much more at a trot.

 Any saddle fitted, while the horse is standing, to relieve pressure on the ends of the bars will; create too much pressure on the middle of the back during riding!

     What's called BRIDGING is the horse contracting his back from pain, usually from the front of the bars or the out-side rear edge of the bars. You see rubbing, dry spots in mid-back and think: BRIDGING". NOT SO, JUST THE OPPOSITE. These problems are  what the 4 molded protective shields in the CorrecTOR are designed to prevent, with as little resistance to the saddle as possible!

     Now a little more about checking your horse to monitor his condition and progress.  If you're into reading dry spots, bring along a crystal ball.  Old damage, no contact, good firm contact with no movement, or an actual fresh small pressure area, can your Vet. tell? 

     Palpating the muscles is the only way to determine what's going on.  Extreme sensitivity after unsaddling is usually friction soreness. With pressure added this causes  fluid to rush to the area of damage, which shows as a roaning of hairs next coat change. Pressure soreness can best be checked before saddling.  Palpate under the saddle area.  Lift the front leg at the knee and check the shoulders where they interfere with the tree bars.  You may find the lower rear of the right scapula sore, as well as the upper left wither.  This is common in left-lead horses ridden a lot.  Shorten the right stirrup and lengthen the left for starters and use balance shims on the right only (read the note below). 

     Using the ProTecTOR, it still takes weeks to remove all the soreness from really damaged muscle tissue.  The facia in the shoulder area takes much longer to recover.  One ride without protection [as before] can reinstate the original damage!  Use the ProTecTOR everytime you ride! Consistency is the name of the game.

     This is a start on keeping track of your horses progress.  If you are competing at top levels it has to be a science. That's what I've done for Veterinary Universities in the US. and a group of 22 Vets. in EUROPE that paid for my services.

     Next, try riding the ProTecTOR without any pad and see how it's working as your horse moves.  I remember when I put the expert cutter Leon Harrel on an O/F saddle with no pad. He was intently watching the front of the saddle as he did turnbacks, stops, spins, & so-on. I was impressed because he used no visible que's or aid's, [much better than any dressage pro I know]. When he finished he said, "I never knew a horse moved that much". I told him,"they don't under just a saddle."

     Cutters, Barrel Racers and Reiners that couldn't get used to the; loss of contact, shock absorbtion and re-bound of the O/F system will love the ProTecTOR. I designed it without any bounce and very close contact! Enjoy

     Every ProTecTOR comes with 1/4" felt shims with velcro that sit above the molded shields. There are 6 front balance shims,(3 on each side) and 4 for the rear,(2 on each side) The Western rear shims are sewn together. If you need them at all, you'll need both of them.  Balance Shims are used for one-sided horses, straight backed horses and mules ridden with a regular western saddle, also for increasing wither clearance or balancing the seat of a saddle for the rider by lifting the front.  The left lead, rt. handed horse can be balanced by lightening the rt. fore and burdening the left (using all shims on the right only). It then makes him work his lazy left hind more, but that's a deep subject, just go to page 11 on this website for a full explanation. Thanks, Len

Saddlepads; what they really do under your saddle!                                                                                                

     Padding a saddle is the most misunderstood and abused area of horsemanship. Overall, there is an infinite number of padding combinations which develop thru trial and error by every horseperson with few actually understanding why their special combination works. I will try to define padding, explain it's actual use and value, and give you a simple base of knowledge to draw from as you go about choosing the right pad when saddling your horse even if you don't use the ProTecTOR.

1. Let's define true padding as a material that compresses  1/2 it's thickness at pressures below that assumed to cause loss of circulation with sustained use. Let's assume this pressure is 2 lbs / sq. inch. Fleece compresses at 1/2 to 3/4s lb /sq. inch. It is true padding.

2. Neoprene foam that feels soft to the touch, compresses 1/2 it's free standing thickness @ 40 P.S.I. or more!

3. Navajos compress on your bathroom scales with a 1''x 1" board at hundreds of P.S.I., it is not padding! 

4. Only the softest of felts and foam could be considered to meet our definition of padding.

5. I'm often ask about the heat or pressure sensitive foams(slow recovery) types! They are too slow, the changes in shape are happening much faster than any of these foams can react to. They then have spots that remain compressed in use! They are an improvement over most of the above however.

Let's define the typical felt, navajo, and foam pad as A STRUCTURAL COMPONENT placed under a saddle !

     If 1" of structural component is placed under a saddle, it raises the saddle in the REAR, 1 inch.

     It raises the front of the same saddle 1&1/2" to 1&3/4" depending on the angle of the shoulders & withers.

     It therefore RAISED THE FRONT of the saddle and put the riders weight back into the seat. You can say it narrowed the saddle by 2" or widened the horse by 2", but only in the front. This took the riders weight out of the stirrups [&off the front of the too wide saddle] and improved the saddling situation. So long as excessive roll isn't developed on the low withered horse, or excessive pinching isn't developed on the high withered horse, you may have improved your saddling situation.  

     Fleece won't do the above, it just lightly pads the contact that is present without affecting balance.

     MY STATEMENT; "get the most comfortable saddle for you and let the ProTecTOR make it that way for your horse", is very important. The ProTecTOR pad isn't thick enough to change your balance.  

When using the ProTecTOR, it will move your saddle just out of the way of your horse's shoudlers. This can drop your saddle too low in front, therefore putting you out of balance. It will not be as good as "being in a comfortable, neutral, and balanced seat". A comfortable rider sitting relaxed evenly distributes pressure throughout the tree.

     Continual "extra" pressure front will sore a horse, even under the ORTHO-FLEX panels!

     The ProTecTOR will position your saddle just back of the horses shoulders. If this drops you too low in front, add balance shims needed to lift you back up to where you're most comfortable. YOU COULD CORRECTLY SAY, "I AM ADJUSTING FOR THE WIDTH OF MY SADDLE WHEN PADDING MY HORSE "!

To reduce pressure at the front of the saddle, YOU SHOULD NARROW IT. Isn't that what the old saddles did? It also keeps the saddle from sliding up/over the shoulders so easily. Add the full forward rigging of the older saddle and you have a much more positive saddling situation!

     With a full forward rigging; many of todays saddles are too wide (sitting behind the shoulders where they should), for good rider balance. Move the rigging back to 5/8s, pull the (too wide) saddle up over the shoulders and balance the rider better.

Did I just describe your saddle?

     The ProTecTOR will hold your saddle just back of the shoulders regardless of where the rigging is positioned on your saddle. It does this with leverage, using the horse's shoulders to lift & bend the front shiels. They are FLEXIBLE LEVERS held in place by the pressure from your tree bars.  Front Balance Shims then can adjust the balance, as needed. 

Balance is very important to the rider and horse, being necessary for the comfort of both. It can only be experienced not described. As I have always said; until you have been to both ends, you won't know where the "middle" is! The middle is what you want, if you are to be balanced. I hope this has helped you understand padding & saddling better.

Thanks, LEN  

     Caution, if you ride treeless saddles for Endurance or Competitive Trail, I recommend you PRAY. Please consult a higher power, for your problems will be eternal and I don't want to be the continual customer service dept. for the opportunist producing or selling these things. They are all made in Pakistan or India and sell for $45 to $65 new. Neither of the major brands are made in Germany or Italy as claimed. I've taken them apart and the junk rug stuffing isn't even the same color side to side.  Thank you, Len Brown

     If you just trail ride and have a fat horse with recessed spinous processes, your own well padded derriere and you don't put any weight in the stirrups. Then you might have a chance if you include the following: Don't use too much padding so side to side roll doesn't sore in the girth area, don't tighten the girth too much unless it's a NearTight of mine, ride with short stirrups and a bend to the knee, don't ride too fast or hard. Initially the warning; "made for training and exercise, not intended for extended use or competion" was in the literature on this copy of a centuries old concept. If the manufacturer's of these would read a history book they'd learn how the Indians and Barbarians made and  used such without damaging the horse. 

     I have Treeless Saddle Owner requests wanting to know if : the corrector will stop the fluid bumps and raw spots on the spine, if it will fix the spots of white on the horses back under the riders seat bones, if it will stop the rubbing at the loins, and finally, if it will stop the pressure and dry spots at the withers?  The Corrector will take care of the pressure under the fork: (arch) (Pommel) (head) (brace), and your seat bones.  It also lessens or stops the rolling problem on the low-withered horse..It will NOT STOP STIRRUP STRAP PRESSURE ACROSS THE BACK. It will let you balance yourself as in a regular treed saddle.  YOU CAN'T USE SHIMS TO BALANCE YOURSELF ON A TREELESS SADDLE. EITHER THE HORSE SITS YOU IN A BALANCED P0SITION OR YOU RIDE DOWNHILL. DOWNHILL PUTS THE PRESSURE IN THE STIRRUP STRAPS AND FOLDS THE TREELESS POMMEL BACK TO YOU. THE PRESSURE ON THE REAR EDGES OF THE POMMEL AT THAT TIME ARE GREATER THAN UNDER ANY REGULAR TREEED SADDLE. Being tilted forward at the pelvis and having too much pressure in the stirrups will sore withers with any saddle, thru any system like OrthoFlex or the Protector / Corrector. Balancing the rider is a must for a comfortable horse: and Rider.  Len Brown     

     A number of the testimonials on the feedback pages are TREELESS SADDLE RIDERS using just the std. Western Protector. They think it fixes everything, it only fixes their major problems.  

Dear Len,

     We have been using the Corrector for several months. The roaning on our chestnut mare, that was due to poor saddle fit on the sides of the withers, is almost TOTALLY GONE... She also is much more comfortable going down hill with a rider. Her saddle before was pressing on her shoulder blades and she really would go slow. So thankyou so much for making these problems go away in such a simple solution and so affordable. We really didn't want to get rid of our custom made $2,000.00 saddle so Soon. Now we don't have to! 

     - Thanks again - Pat & Dane Schlaich, Glendale, CA.

Jonell Baker, Kunkle OH.> In her own words!

"I only use a wool blanket over mine, Mosely loves it and NO WHITE HAIRS THIS YEAR!! " to read the rest of Jonell's story go to CUSTOMERS TELL IT THE WAY IT IS! on the Navigation bar above left.

Dear Potential Customers,  

     There is a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on the ProTecTOR for U.S. customers. Since it doesn't work to ride with a liner under it, any pad returned is going to resale as used. That and my time is why I charge a 20% restocking fee. I've had no complaints and few returns... Thanks,  Len  P.S. please call for a return authorization Number.