Why it works

The TCS’s unique construction works without applying direct pressure to the horse’s spine by creating a bridge when weight is applied in the stirrups, hugging the horse's lumbar (back muscle) in the process. The TCS is completely flexible and adaptable and therefore fits any horse, during all of their ridden career, from Shetland to Shire. Providing the padding is adapted to the horse, any horse can be ridden in a TCS! 

Pressure testing

Riders who are new to the Total Contact Saddle concept often worry about the pressure it might place on their horses’ spine. As horse lovers ourselves, we take this concern very seriously and have had the saddle thoroughly tested to ensure that the Total Contact Saddle is completely safe for your horse. The saddle has undergone much controversy and testing and has to date shown equally distributed impressions from the rider and the bridging effect both via digital pressure testing done by WOW Saddles and independent PLP Pressure testing done by various body workers, bloggers, Haven Horsemanship platform creator Arielle Krause and of course anatomist and physiologist Saoirse Equine, our padding specialist.

A pilot study into the effect of a GPS and treeless saddle on the temperature of the horse’s back and its freedom of movement was also conducted and results showed that back temperature was lower in the TCS and freedom of movement was also imporved. You can read about this study in detail here.

Science is always evolving and TCS is now keen to conduct more pressure tests and is looking into offering the TCS up for peer-review testing. Please keep checking this page for updated results.

 

Customer Feedback

We also pay close attention to what our clients are saying. The TCS has now been around for over 15 plus years (as at 2025) and the feedback we get is that it helps horses and riders where other saddles can’t. We have reports from body workers & back practitioners including osteopaths, equine physios, McTImoney practitioners, Bowen and others. You can visit our Facebook community page for heaps of unedited reviews and you can read about real rider's stories here.

 

Making the TCS work for you and your horse

All the pressure tests and science in the world are useless if the knowlegde it yeilds isn't applied properly.

If you decide the TCS is for you, you will need to pay attention to the placement, padding and girthing of your TCS, which needs to be appropriate for the needs of the horse you are using it with. This will provide comfort to the horse and a sense of security to the rider. You can find out more about placement, padding and girthing of your TCS here.