There's no question in my mind that our Tad Coffin saddles have improved our horses' ability to handle the fitness questions of our sport. You might not think that a saddle could positively impact your horse's stamina and recovery rate. In most cases, you look at those things to be merely a reflection of your horse's conditioning, the difficulty of the track, or even his pedigree. But imagine running a race in an uncomfortable shoe, one that disrupted your natural rhythm and stride. Would that not fatigue you faster? I'll never forget the first big class I ran in a Tad Coffin saddle. Both my horses ran easily within the time allowed on the xc, and it felt so effortless despite being a 4*S track. It was a warm day and yet their temperatures at finish were sub-102, and their respiratory rates normal within 2-3 minutes, and these weren't thoroughbred horses! Even the vets in the finish area were impressed. And my horses weren't at peak fitness by any stretch, as it was early in the season. It was really fascinating, as the only real difference was my saddle. In my mind, there's no question it made the horses more efficient in their way of going, and simply made their job easier.
Here are Tad’s comments about this:
“In our iterative and ongoing research, I look for observable patterns of equine behavior and performance, universal and consistent across time. Will’s observations are completely consistent with those we have observed for the past 6 years in our test horses.
From these observations we search existing science for possible or plausible explanations. In some cases, innovations get out ahead of mainstream science, in which case we're left with hypothetical explanations until more research is done.
Here is my best and most concise theory regarding the phenomena Will is observing:
Professor Gerald Pollack, University of Washington, has done important research on fourth phase water. He explains his work in numerous presentations available on YouTube. According to Dr. Pollack, fourth phase water is what is largely in our bodies (horses and other creatures as well) and has properties not found in the other phases. One of these properties is 'charge differential' created when water is split into separate zones, one negatively charged, the other positive. This charge differential creates a ‘water battery’ that fuels much of our existence. According to Dr. Pollack, the 'water battery' is recharged with light, specifically infrared light.
MIT researcher Dr. Stephanie Seneff, in her wonderful Ted Talk, explains her hypothesis regarding the importance of fourth phase water in driving and optimizing cellular functioning.
We have many reasons to believe that the SmartRide Rx technology in both our saddles and Thera-Trees is producing infrared light in a spectrum capable of generating fourth phase water, recharging the body’s "water battery" and optimizing cellular functioning. This allows equine athletes to 'run cooler' and recover more quickly.
This explanation is based on my 'well tutored intuition'; while plausible it is certainly not proven. We continue to look for more ways to tease this out. In the meantime, for whatever reason, Will's horses, ours, and those of our customers are enjoying less stress and quicker recovery.” -Tad Coffin
Here are some links:
Gerald Pollack-- The Fourth Phase of Water
Gerald Pollack – Water, Cells, and Life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9UC0chfXcg
Stephanie Seneff – The Mineral Power for the Body’s Electrical Supply