The original january 2000 ftc presentation

Measurement protects the

Consumer

Agenda The Problem Federal Regulations Basic Physiology Scientific Solution

Current

Misleading & Deceptive

Saddle Fitting

What is the Problem?

The saddle will show signs of wear before the horse will show signs of trauma from the saddle.

Catch 22 The saddle customer cannot determine saddle fit prior to purchase

Can’t See Under Saddle The consumer is forced to determine The functionality of the product despite

Misleading labeling, Deceptive trade practices, and the lack of measurements, standards, or methods to determine functionality

VENDOR Responsibility When the consumer pays for the product It is the vendor’s responsibility to be sure the product can function in the manner it was intended to be used

Fuzzy Logic We do not know the sizes of the saddles We know that they are all different But, we know that they fit all horses

Misleading labeling “Narrow”, “Regular” & ”Wide” “Flat”, “Sway”, “High” “Full Quarter Horse” “3/4 Arab” The horses backs & saddles are 3 Dimensional Surfaces RELATIVE TERMS ARE MISLEADING

It Takes Two to Tango

“Arc” is more critical than “Width”

No “Arc” Measurement

A miss is as BAD as a mile

Everything , except “Arc”

No way to relate saddle shape to horse

Form reveals Function

There are no measurements for the “Arc�

No Common Language Treemaker Saddlemaker Distributor Retailer Consumer Everyone is InjuredHorse

Century Old Problem 1897

“It was found that as high as 45 per cent of the trees on hand furnished by some Contractors during the (Civil) war had to be rejected�

ODUS C. HORNEY, Lieutenant, Ordnance Department, U. S. Army.

Consumer Injury Can NOT use the product

Ft. Riley, KS 1941

Auburn,Ca 1998

Secondary Injury Poor Saddle Fit can cause the horse to compensate, Leading to other Physiological injuries As well as Behavior Problems That can injure the Rider

Financial Injury Saddles Cost Between $500 - $5000 Times 2x – 3x – 4x – 5x – 6x – 7x Saddles Many People Spend More Money on Saddles than they did for the Horse And still do not know if the saddle fits

Reality Check

Considering only 2 different shapes at (1,2,3,A,B)

2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 32 combinations.

3 shapes cannot fit all horses?

No Sweat The claim is: the saddle cuts off blood flow to tissues so they cannot sweat.

So poor saddle fit can be seen on the horse.

All saddles cut off blood flow If the theory was correct all properly fitting saddles would have uniform dry areas under the saddle

Oh, my aching back !

Some horses can perform badly without suffering from a back problem.

Some horses can perform adequately despite having a back problem.

Spontaneous recovery from many types of back problems is quite common.

The

Emperor has no Clothes

The horse can not speak, Sizes are meaningless, If you can not see, and You do not measure ANY CLAIMS OF SADDLE FIT

ARE PURE SPECULATION

Measurement is the Solution

Who is Kidding Whom?

The Saddle Industry Rejects Measurement Period

Measurement would permit “value comparisons� between competing saddles

Federal Regulations Fair Packaging and Labeling Act 1451 Congressional Declaration of policy

“Packages and their labels should enable consumers to obtain accurate information as to the quantity of the contents and should facilitate “value comparison”

Federal Regulations Title 15 Commerce & Foreign Trade, Sec 16.3(F)

“The term performance characteristic means a performance characteristic of a consumer product that can be measured in an objective manner�

Federal Trade Commission Act - Section 5 “The underlying legal requirement of advertising substantiation is that advertisers and ad agencies have a “reasonable basis for advertising claims” before they are disseminated”

Consumer Protection The goal of consumer protection law is to permit the consumer to understand what they are buying and to make

“value comparisons” The consumer must be “FULLY INFORMED”

Deceptive Trade practice Suggesting to try the saddle on the horse, is deceptive because the customer believes if they do not see any mark on the horse that the saddle fits.

This may not be true, because it takes Longer for the horse to show signs of Trauma than it takes to scuff the saddle

Mislead the Customer There must be a representation, omission or practice that is likely to mislead The lack of any measurement, misleading labeling and deceptive claims are likely to mislead the consumer, because they have no way to make “value comparisons�.

No way to determine Fit Examine the practice from the perspective of a consumer acting reasonably The lack of any measurement, misleading labeling and deceptive claims prevents saddle consumers from making “value comparisons� or permit them to determine saddle fit prior to purchase of the saddle.

Customer Beware Will the act or practice affect the consumers conduct or decision.

If the saddle consumer understood that Labeling was misleading and there was no “objective� basis to claim that a saddle fits, they would be more cautious

Saddle Sales Disclosure The saddle will show signs of wear before the horse will show signs of trauma.

Saddle Labeling is misleading The weight of the rider has an effect on the shape of the saddle.

3-D and “objective� Saddle measurement is available

Voluntary Product Standard Permits the Saddle Industry to come into “compliance with the law through voluntary and cooperative action by private companies in response to nonbinding staff advice, formal advisory opinions by the Commission, and guides and policy statements delineating legal requirements.�

National Institutes of

Standards & Testing “acts as an unbiased coordinator in their development, provide editorial assistance in their preparation, supply such assistance and review as is required to assure their technical soundness, and to seek satisfactory adjustment of valid points of disagreement.�

United States

Saddle Standard Nationally recognized requirements for saddles and their fit to horses Saddlemakers, Distributors, and Equestrians can contribute to the development of “Voluntary Product Standards�.

Low Hanging Fruit Plaintiff’s Attorneys can easily Win a class action law suits on behalf of Equestrians who have been mislead Because there is no defense The Downside: Plaintiff’s Attorney will only accept cash The saddle companies will never survive

The Gentle Giant The Federal Trade Commission action against MISLEADING LABELING &

DECEPTIVE TRADE PRACTICES

Will protect consumers and vendors While promoting a “Voluntary Product Standard”

“No one will do anything unless they are sued” Dan Deweese Past Editor – TacknTogs Saddlery Trade Journal Circulation 25,000

“You’re Job is to wake the Sleeping Giant” Dr. Mathew Mackay-Smith Medical Editor – Equus Magazine Largest U.S.Equine magazine Circulation 250,000+

Measurement protects the

Consumer

Scientific

Saddle Fitting

Scien tific M ethod ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾ ¾

Identify the Problem Probl em S tate the Hypoth esis Hypothesis Coll ect the Data Co nfirm/Reject Hypo thesis Co nclusion ncl usion

What is Saddle Fit ?

“SADDLE FIT” means that the shape of the saddle panel that is in contact with the horse’s back is the same shape as the MOUNTED horse’s back.

Fit, Rock, Bridge, Twist

Why is it so complicated ?

1. The weight of the rider, affecting the 2. Saddletree, affecting the 3. Panels of the saddle, affecting the 4. Saddle Pad, affecting the 5. Capillaries in the Skin of the horse, affecting the 6. Capillaries in the longissimus dorsi muscle, affecting the 7. Curvature of the spine of the horse, affecting the 8. Horse’s range of motion, affecting the 9. Performance of the Horse, affecting the 10. Behavior of the horse, affecting the 11. Attitude and performance of the Rider.

Management of pressure There is no way to eliminate saddle pressure We only need to understand what the horse’s tissues require to remain healthy’ With that knowledge we can intelligently administer pressure to the horse’s back without injury.

Capillary Closure Pressure

Is the critical issue in preventing saddle related trauma

It doesn’t take much TO STOP THE SHOW

The effect of external pressure on blood flow using a radioactive isotope illustrates that

60% of the blood flow occurs below .25 PSI.

In goes the Good Blood OUT GOES THE BAD BLOOD

“Reactive Hyperemia” - The tissues starved of arterial blood are flooded with oxygen.

Internal Pressure Pressure inside the tissues can be 3 - 5 times more than on the surface.

Muscles are more susceptible to trauma than skin.

INTERNAL TRAUMA IS NOT VISIBLE

Pressure over Time CAN CAUSE TRAUMA

The damage is function of the intensity of pressure and how long it remains.

What do we REALLY know ?

Pressure is not distributed evenly throughout tissue Internal tissue pressure is 3-5X surface pressure Muscle is more susceptible to damage than skin.

Tissue damage is a function of pressure over time CONSTANT INTERMITTENT FLOW OF BLOOD is required for tissues to remain healthy.

Goal of Saddle Fitting To achieve an even pressure throughout the saddle contact area Remove the saddle every few hours to permit blood to flow to the tissues.

Sc ien tif ic M ethod ¾

D Do oes es tth he eS Sa ad dd dlle eF Fit it??

¾

T Th he eP Pr ressu essur re e is is u un nifo ifor rm m

¾ ¾

M Mea easu sur ree S Sa ad dd dlle eP Pr ressu essur ree T Th he eP Pr ressu essur re e is is u un nifo ifor rm m

¾

T Th his is S Sa ad dd dlle eF Fit itss tth his is h ho or rse se

Measurement is Good The primary purpose of a system of measurement is precise description.

In practice, the method of securing precision that has proven to be overwhelmingly superior is SPECIFICATION BY NUMBERS.

What are we Measuring?

The Saddle Contact Area Only

The “Low“ Tech Solution

Measure the Horse

Measure the Saddle

English Measurements

90 0

110 0 15 0 Wither

120 0

140 0

50

10 0

Back

Loins

Arcs

Angles

Western Measurements

Angles

90 0

110 0

15 0

120 0 50

Wither

140 0 10 0

Back

140 0 10 0

Loins

Arcs

As Above, So Below, Ain’t so The weight of the rider causes the horse’s back to bend.

Therefore, the measurements of the “unmounted” horse need to be "corrected" to determine the proper shape of the ”mounted" saddle.

Ferrand’s Formula Weight Compensation Factor

Rider Weight

Calibrated Standard

Horse Weight

RW - C

WCF = ----------------B Patents Pending

Incremental Standard

Calibrated Standard

HW - Z

+

--------------Y Incremental Standard

Calibration is the accurate comparison of any measurement instrument to a known standard.

Without numerical values there is no way to "calibrate" or compare shapes.

The “High” Tech Solution

“Objective” Saddle Measurement

The Buck Stops Here

Saddle Fits

Saddle Bridges

English Formula

Western Formula

In the Ball Park

Rock

Match

Bridge

Formula for Every Barn Breed, Discipline, Condition will also effect saddle fit.

The performance of the horse can be "scientifically" measured and correlated to the subjective observations of the riders.

Horse Vs saddle 100 0

130 0 25 0

Horse

100 0 Saddle

140 0 10 0

130 0 20 0

00

50 140 0

10 0

00 50

140 0

00 00

(Arcs)

140 0 00

(Angles)

(Arcs)

00 50

(Angles)

(Arcs)

(Angles)

10 0 is Measurable

Pads Do Something, But not Much

No Pad

1” Fleece

1” Fleece 1/2 Foam

1” Fleece 3/4 Foam

How to measure a Saddle Without the Horse

Angles

Arcs

Balance

Adjustable Jig Saddle Tree Alignment

Quality control

Measure Horse

Glue Panel

Secure Fork

Weight Compensation

Shape Panel

Verify 3-D Measurements

Adjust Jig

Clamp Panel

Verify Saddle Fit

Scientific Saddle Fitting 1. Measure the Horse 2. Compensate for weight 3. Recalibrate Measurement 4. Match Saddle to New Measurements 5. “Objective� Verification of Fit

Measurement protects the

Consumer