Last Monday, June 3, it was already time for Empire’s third dealer day at Kim Noordijk’s beautiful location in Galder. Almost all the dealers were present and it was clear that we have grown considerably in recent years. What began as a small club has now grown into a large, enthusiastic group.
The day began with a bit of theory on filling saddles, as it is always good to refresh the basic knowledge. Then we got down to a practical exercise: one horse was saddled from head to toe. We looked at everything from tree shape and balance to tree size and padding. Of course, we also observed how the horse moved under the saddle and how the rider sat – balanced, unimpeded, with proper seat size and perfect wrongs. It was very nice to see that even with a young horse that has only been under saddle for 6 weeks, we got a big difference in the movement mechanics when testing with different saddles.
After a well-deserved lunch break, during which we socialized, the saddlefitters went to work in three groups with different rider-horse combinations. This gave everyone a chance to put into practice what we had discussed in the morning. We saw all different types of horse backs pass by, which made for interesting and educational moments.
It was a day full of valuable experiences and new insights. It was great to see everyone engaged with such enthusiasm and commitment. All in all, it was a very successful dealer day and we are already looking forward to the next one!
