Bodily tensions, back problems, and gait asymmetry of the horse during riding can occur due to bad fitting of horse saddle and girth. During dynamic movement, such as trotting and galloping, substantially higher loads occur on the back and the shoulders of the horse as compared to standing. While the assessment of the fit of different saddles and saddle girths on a standing horse can only be assessed subjectively, a dynamic measurement allows an objective evaluation by representing the pressure distribution during movement and therefore a better understanding of the dynamic interaction between horse and saddle. Harmful pressure points that arise from poor saddle fit can be recognized and corrected. 

The pliance horse saddle system is a highly accurate and reproducible system for measuring dynamic pressure distribution under the horse saddle. It uses a thin elastic sensor mat with capacitive sensors which are individually calibrated. The measurements are wirelessly transmitted to a PC or laptop using Bluetooth technology, and can also be recorded and stored on a SD card, allowing for long-term measurements. 

Using pliance® recorder software, the dynamic pressure distribution can be directly compared to synchronized video pictures.

The pliance software operates as a Windows application and displays dynamic pressure distribution on screen as a 2D or 3D color picture. The pictures can be printed in their original size to allow the user to relate the pressures precisely to the horse’s anatomical landmarks or to the saddle. The software enables a comprehensive analysis of the collected data with various parameters.

The pliance software operates as a Windows application and displays dynamic pressure distribution on screen as a 2D or 3D color picture. The pictures can be printed in their original size to allow the user to relate the pressures precisely to the horse’s anatomical landmarks or to the saddle. The software enables a comprehensive analysis of the collected data with various parameters. 

The system is specifically designed for saddle check and fitting. It is the result of long-term research on pressure measurement on soft surfaces and is used by scientists and veterinarians for research and clinical applications as well as by saddle manufacturers and saddle fitters.  

It provides the most accurate pressure distribution measurement on the market and is worldwide used e.g. in the UK, Switzerland, USA, Spain, and Germany.  

The starter package of the pliance horse saddle system includes the pliance-16 measurement hardware with accessories, the sensor mat with connection cable, and the pliance Basic software. The software package can be upgraded to allow ASCII export of all data and synchronized video recording that can be displayed on the same screen with pressure distribution data. Advanced scientific analysis software is also available. 

The pliance system can also be synchronized with other instruments, such as motion capture systems, and also allows monitoring of pressure distribution in different areas simultaneously, such as under the saddle and saddle girth.