Feel awful!! Moral of the story is...

[jsr]

check your saddles!!!!

I've been moaning that my cob hasn't had the same bounce recently. He's always been very forward going and enjoys his work, but recently it's all been hard work and I could tell he wasn't having a good time. I had his back checked and his poll was slightly out but that was sorted, then my farrier redid his shoes and said his feet were top notch (which they always are luckily!!) so I just put it down to general lethergy after a hard winter and him not being fit. So this weekend I noticed some white hairs on his back and this sent me into meltdown!!! I have been trying to find new saddles for him because I wanted to go back to a treeless and him being so short backed I was struggling. BUT I'd not thought to check the reason he was being unenthusistic could have been the saddle!!! I changed the gullet sunday morning (from x wide to xx wide ) and went for a hack in the afternoon...well cob went BOUNCE BOUNCE BOUNCE!!!! My old boy was back and happy, he was almost smiling I swear!!! I felt awful, he'd obviously been uncomfortable but being a good lad he hadn't told me in clearer terms that he was hurting!! Never thought I'd say this but I wish he would buck or give me more clues!!!

I most definately will be checking his saddle fit every week now and be listening to him better. I just wish I hadn't been so slow and used my brain earlier.

 

[Humble]

Life would be so much easier if they talked!!!!!!!

 

[Ladylina83]

Life would be so much easier if they talked!!!!!!!

Oh yes except that my mare would tell me to F Off all the time and possibly get us chucked us of yards with her divaish demands .... perhaps if they could just write notes in the mud !

Glad He's back to his happy self !

 

[asmp]

Know how you feel - had a master saddler out on Friday only for her to tell me that the saddler who I'd used last year had over padded out one side of the saddle hence it was all lop sided and that it had caused poor horse to lose muscle on one side (the first thing she asked me before looking at saddle was - had he been lame - which he hadn't) Now feeling very guilty that poor horse must have been in discomfort for so long.

 

[Joyous70]

At least you have sorted the problem, and hopefully no long term damage done.

When i had my boy I had a saddler out to fit me a saddle, well chuffed with it really nice Barnsby saddle. Anyhow nearly 5 years later, he had developed a scab under his saddle area, I started to use a sheepskin cloth against his skin, assuming it had been an insect bite - only to be told by another saddler that this wasn't the case, the saddle panels were too small coupled with an assymetrical pony the saddle had rubbed his back causing the scabby patch, and i ended up buying my poor poor boy a new saddle - he never once complained and i actually cried in front of new saddler when she told me

 

[jsr]

At least you have sorted the problem, and hopefully no long term damage done.

When i had my boy I had a saddler out to fit me a saddle, well chuffed with it really nice Barnsby saddle. Anyhow nearly 5 years later, he had developed a scab under his saddle area, I started to use a sheepskin cloth against his skin, assuming it had been an insect bite - only to be told by another saddler that this wasn't the case, the saddle panels were too small coupled with an assymetrical pony the saddle had rubbed his back causing the scabby patch, and i ended up buying my poor poor boy a new saddle - he never once complained and i actually cried in front of new saddler when she told me

Oh that's just awful!! We only have 1 saddle fitter near us and I don't trust her at all (heard horror stories) you hear so many horror stories about saddles fitted badly you just don't know who to trust!!