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September 2025
I hope this enewsletter finds you and yours well. I am feeling great and very grateful. Thank you all for your love, support and prayers. I am especially grateful for the opportunities that have come up as a result to help others. I believe God is using me to glorify him.
Baley and I are going to Red Horse Ridge near Huntsville, AL on October 13-14 for fittings. Let me know if you want to be on the list. This trip is usually every 3-4 months.
We are starting a list for Oak Mt. Park in Birmingham. When we get enough people on the list, we will make a second trip.
Stretches For Better Balance
A huge part of the saddle fit is rider balance. This month I want to share with you 3 stretches that will help improve your balance in the saddle. We can have a fitted saddle but if the rider is off balance the saddle will also be off. If your leg is not under you, you are off balance. If you are off balance you are more likely to fall off and you are making it harder on your horse to carry you. Start with the horse standing still and work your way up to doing them while walking.
1.Touch your toes. Lifting the front of your foot will help you out. Use the right hand for the right foot. Bend over, look at your knee for just a second, touch your toe and come back up. If you don't have a huge swell then you can do right hand to left foot or close is good too. The important part besides the stretch is that the leg on the other side stays in position to hold you on. This is a great muscle memory exercise and helps you to get your leg in the proper position. Click on the pictures to see the videos.  2. Stand up in the stirrups. Stand up while keeping a little bend in your knee and ankle. Use just a finger or 2 to balance yourself. It is important that you put a finger on the horse or saddle to help you balance and not hold on with the strength of your arm. It changes the muscles that we are using. This exercise is about getting the leg under the rider and lowering the center of gravity to help us stay in the saddle. It will be easy when your stirrups are the correct length and your leg is under you. This is a great muscle memory exercise to help your leg stay under you.  3. Touch the ears and the tail. Once you have mastered standing up in the stirrups, now you can reach up and touch the horse between the ears. Then sit back down and turn around to look at the dock of the tail, then touch it. Keep your leg under you, don't let it swing forward. This is a great exercise for opening up the hip joints, lowering your center and lower leg muscle memory. If you struggle, get someone to hold your leg in position for the first few times.  Click on the pictures to see the videos of the exercises. This is my little rockstar, Rippy. I am super proud of the horse he is becoming. I would recommend doing each one 8 times with the left hand and 8 times with the right. You will see a noticeable improvement in your balance if you do these exercises before each ride..
As always, thank you for reading and sharing the enewsletter. I sincerely appreciate each and every one of you. Have a great fall riding season.
TTYS & God Bless,
Terry Peiper, Fit Right Saddle Solutions
“Standing on God's promises”
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