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BALANCE International, was established in the UK in 1993, by Maureen Bartlett who came from a media background but had
owned and ridden horses for many years, together with Carol Brett and Lesley Ann Taylor who were both horse trainers and
riding teachers. Their original aim was to set up a network of like minded individuals who would encourage, the then,
unusual aim of creating more 'Whole-istic environments in which horses could interact with their human partners.
Nowadays, this concept is no longer seen as so 'alternative' or unusual, it is instead being regarded as the aim of the
'enlightened' horse owner. The word Holistic is also now commonly used as a highly effective marketing buzz word.
Before the BALANCE organisation was even formed, Carol and Lesley had become involved in a project which was to change
their lives as well as the lives of countless horses and their owners. This project started out of the desire to find
out why horses at liberty moved so much better than ridden horses in terms of freedom, suppleness and co-ordination.
Both Carol and Lesley, considered that Natural Movement in the horse was the most reliable base line to use, because
it is when the horse is able to move as Nature intended him to move, that he will be at his most comfortable, most
efficient and most aesthetically pleasing. It appeared that these qualities were usually lost as soon as the horse
was ridden. The use of bareback riding made it clear that the rider often had something to do with the problem, but
it also made it obvious that the biggest negative influence on the horses Natural Movement was, very often, the saddle.
This set Carol and Lesley off on a path that was to uncover certain major flaws in the practice and theory of both
saddle design and saddle fitting:
 was the fact that all
of the saddles then on the market contained design features that interfered with the horse's Natural Bio-Mechanics.
 The way saddles were
being fitted (and still are) which BALANCE refers to as 'conventional saddle fitting' also took no account
of the horse's dynamic posture, muscle activity and movement.
When BALANCE went public with the findings of its early research back in 1993, the shock waves reverberated
through both the horse owning public and the saddle industry in the UK
Antony Wakeham the Secretary of the British Equestrian Trade Association wrote in the British Equestrian
Directory (1993) "The standards of Saddle Fitting could have been transformed thanks to BALANCE".
Also, Tony Russell, Chief Executive, at that time, of the Society of Master Saddlers wrote in Horse & Hound (Nov 4th 1993)
"I believe the horse, the rider and the saddle industry will benefit enormously [as a result of BALANCE's work]".
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But BALANCE is about far more than saddles as you will see as you browse around this website. Because
Carol and Lesley come from a training/riding background, BALANCE has produced a book, hosts workshops &
clinics and have even designed teaching aids that help riders to become the kind of partners that their
horses would vote for!
All in all, their maxim is that the time we spend with our equine partners is time for play, time for fun
and time for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual learning. BALANCE supports and actively promotes ways
in which horse owners and riders can achieve this aim.
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