FAQ

1. Help the horse: A saddle should help a horse carry the weight of a rider safely and comfortably,
   while not impeding a horse’s natural movement, regardless of the maneuver being
   performed.
2. Help the rider: A saddle should aid the rider in maintaining the proper position to
   effectively communicate with their horse.

Because a rider can use their knees and ankles as shock absorbers to maintain a balanced position, which helps the horse, but a saddle is essentially dead weight strapped to the horse's back.

So the horse doesn’t experience any discomfort or get injured. In training, an ill-fitting saddle can make the correct thing (certain maneuvers for example) feel like a punishment.

Because the horse's back changes with movement. For example, a reining horse's back during a rundown will be flat, but then becomes extremely round during the sliding stop.

A lot can be done with a pad if one is knowledgeable; however, it can make things worse if done improperly or the wrong kind of padding is used.

Because the EVA foam that it's made of has the ability to conform, getting thinner where there’s more pressure and filling in where there's a void.