Karen Rohlf, new Ansur Distributor in FL

Ovation, my 6 yr old Holsteiner/Paint

... started and ridden exclusively in the Ansur

... the only saddle he likes!

photo by www.danarasmussen.com

Ansur welcomes Karen Rohlf as our representative for the Ocala, Forida area.

Karen has trained over 20 years in dressage with Anne Gribbons ('O' dressage judge, International Grand Prix trainer and competitor) and studied Parelli Natural Horsemanship (‘old’ Level 3 Graduate) directly with Pat and Linda Parelli.

Not only has Karen trained students to upper level dressage, but she has represented the US four times on the Young Rider team, passed the "L" judging program with distinction and has been accepted into the USDF "r" judging program.

Karen gives clinics worldwide and when not traveling, trains and teaches at her Temenos Fields facility in Ocala.

Karen is the author of a book, DVD and a video series:

Dressage, Naturally: A guide to the basics of dressage from a natural perspective.

Results in Harmony Video Series

So all you native Floridians and visitors to Florida, give Karen a call and get a demo ride in an Ansur Saddle! Karen will also be representing Ansur's sister company, Northwestern Saddlery*, which produces the Westernaire for those who love western saddles and want treeless comfort for their horses and themselves.

Dressage, Naturally: Creating healthy biomechanics and stronger partnerships through combining principles of natural horsemanship with the art of dressage.

Karen's website is: http://www.dressagenaturally.net/

* Ansur and Northwestern Saddleries are in the same building under the watchful eye of CEO, Carole Weidner. Carole's office has a window looking into the shop in which the saddles are made for both companies.

Supplemental padding--do I need it?

First, evaluate the conformation and muscle development of your horse's back from all angles, looking for differences in his size and shape from side to side.

When you evaluate you horse from the rear (depending on how tall both of you are, you may need to stand on a stool or a bucket – (just be careful and don’t scare the bejeebers out of the horse and get yourself kicked into the next county) and look for any differences in the shape of his body. Some horses are more developed on one side than the other or have muscle atrophy from a previous saddle. If that's the case, then you may just need shims to fill in the gaps until the muscle grows back.

Now, ask yourself the questions below.

• Does he slope from the croup downwards towards the withers? Then you need to use a front wedge or riser pad to make the saddle sit level and keep the rider from tipping forward or struggling to sit up correctly in balance.


• Does he slope upwards from croup to withers? Does the rider struggle to not fall backwards in the saddle? The solution for this problem is a rear wedge or riser pad which will level the saddle and enable the rider to sit in balance.
  
• Is the horse a swayback? Then padding needs to be in the middle to fill in some of the sway and enable the rider to sit level. If he is table-top level...a regular saddle pad or even a thick bath towel will suffice.

Every horse is not the same shape or size all the time, so take a good look at your horse regularly to determine his/her needs.

We have found that the newer models of Ansür Saddles with the gullet ususally do not need additional padding. These pads are used mostly for Classics and older models of the Carlton and Konklusion.