The saddle never actually rested on the horse. It stood on a guess, too high and four centimeters left of the middle of the back. It is now measured onto the horse’s own back, a little wider for its barrel, settling into the dip behind the withers and centered, with the stirrups moved out to match.
On a hillside every animal used to lean into the hill; a horse now stands upright across a slope and its legs take up the difference, and riding down a dune its back stays flatter than the ground instead of pitching nose down. Over a jump the legs fold under the body: the front legs tuck under the chest, the hind legs push off and tuck, and the front legs reach ahead to land. Open your pack in the saddle and the character panel shows you standing on your own feet.
