Following earlier post...pics of Murphy's white patch

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bex1984

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I can only think it must be his saddle, but then everyone who has come to look at it says they don't think it is as there's no soreness or bumps or anything there...but they can't think of anything that could have caused it.

Am feeling really guilty that if it is his saddle it might have been hurting him and I didn't know
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Pics...

Murphyswhitepatch005.jpg


Murphyswhitepatch002.jpg


Thoughts/ideas/suggestions/advice very welcome.

If it's likely that his saddle is the cause, do I keep riding him in it while I wait for the saddler (bearing in mind he starts getting fat (and naughty!) without regular hard work, and can only be lunged once a week or he turns into a sh*tbag, and my bareback skills are not up to much
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Bex - hair often grows back white well after any saddle sores have healed so, if this was the cause, the sores could have been caused a very long time ago!
 
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Bex - hair often grows back white well after any saddle sores have healed so, if this was the cause, the sores could have been caused a very long time ago!

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That's something I'm wondering about TBH. It definitely wasn't there last winter, but could have been caused by his old saddle if it turns out that his current one is OK. There's certainly no sores there...someone questioned whether it could be a stain so I scrubbed it - hard! Is definitely not a stain!!
 
Funny this as my beast has a bit of a white patch come with his winter coat, he hasn't had any sores and I check most days while he eats, he doesn't show any signs of discomfort if I rub it, he does get patches every winter where his saddle finishes at the back, he gets these regardless of whichever saddle he wears, it only happens with his winter coat and never in summer, we put it down to his winter coat being more brittle towards the end of winter, we get no patches at all in summer.

He did have a white patch on his shoulder where he was bitten badly by midges/flies this summer, it grew white after the bites had healed, maybe this could be something to do with our beasts mysterious white patches.
 
Merlin had this two years in a row..... one on one side and then the next year on the opposite side (the first side turned black again)!!

For the last three years he has been black with no roaning
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He has had the same saddle for all of this time....

I spoke to a saddler about it and she said it was to do with sweat!!! I washed him down each time I rode him and it went away with the next coat change.

So dont feel too bad.... it may be the same. Merlin had no sores or hair loss etc so cant have been the saddle itself.... more the effect of the temperature on the hair follicles.

Hope its gone away when summer coat comes through
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I spoke to a saddler about it and she said it was to do with sweat!!!


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hmmm that's interesting as he has been dripping with sweat the last few times I've ridden him, and it's been too cold to fully wash him down, which is why I fully clipped him...
 
I would have thought it was his saddle and has either been going on for a while, or has happened a while ago - did he gain weight over the summer or anything?

I did hear one case where white saddle marks appeared in a winter coat, the saddle has been sorted and they've grown back normal colour in the spring - apparently that can happen so cosmetically you might not be left with an unsightly patch - I'd definitely get the saddle checked though.
 
My black gelding is the same as Murphy. It is especially noticeable when clipped out.

Mine first showed itself when I clipped him 3 years ago - not quite as localised as yours but white hairs under the saddle area one side worse than the other.

I have found it only affects his winter coat and is only really noticeable when clipped - each year I hope it won't come back but it does!

I had the saddle fitter out straightaway when I first noticed mine (and he comes every 6 months) my saddle still fitted but he said iin his opinion t could have been caused by a wrinkled up numnah or lack of blood flow to the area when he had been ridden for a long time - we often do sponsored rides taking 3-4 hours. He advised me to hop off for 10 mins or so in the middle of rides to give his back a rest.

Good news is that it does not affect my boys summer coat and there are no white marks for inhand showing!!
 
Does he have any other marks on him?
My old black pony was get random white patches all over her - but mainly her muzzel and around her eyes, especially so in the summer. It was vitiligo, which is basically a lack of skin pigmentation.
I only thought about this after seeing my friend, who has the condition all over his body and asked my vet, who confirmed.
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Though if it is the only mark, then it's likely its from an old saddle sore.
 
franks is a bit bigger and even normally (more triangular if that makes sense) as I said I think poss prolite, or old saddle his current saddle can get a bit tight at the points as we have to allow for the huge shoulders, his dr saddle fits much better for this.

Id take some pics of it for you but wont be clipping it so no use.
 
Def current saddle if they weren't they last winter
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If it was from his old saddle then they would have been there last year, these are new. see my reply on your original post.
Don't feel guilty, horses change shape and therefore unless you have your saddle checked all the time (most done every 6months or yearly) then there isn't a lot you can do unless you are a qualified saddle fitter.
 
My horse has developed similar patches under his saddle this winter, although they are further back where the panels of the saddle sit. His saddle was professionally fitted and it has not gone lumpy or anything and does not even ruffle the hair when he is ridden. Plus all the saddle sores I've ever seen have been near the withers.

I wonder if they are something to do with sweat? He has never had any sores there and all the horses I have seen with old saddle sores have pure white patches, this is more roany. If you look carefully at the hairs some of them are a mixture of chestnut and white, almost stripey.

He is chestnut, but seems to be getting more and more white hairs throughout his coat and also has some other random roany patches well away from any tack or rug pressure points.
 

Thanks everyone.

I've called the (very expensive - sigh!) saddle fitter and they're calling me back on Monday to book in to come out to me. Have no idea how I could afford a new saddle but I have got 2 kidneys so maybe I'll sell one of those. The guy I spoke to over the phone said it sounded like something caused by pressure.

I am wondering about sweat though and will ask the saddler about that.

I did have one thought that a few weeks ago, I didn't realise the velcro strap on his numnah was stuck under his saddle, on that side, and I rode for quite a while that day - felt awful when I got off and realised. I wonder if that could be enough to cause this?

We shall see what the saddler says! I'll keep you all posted. They can't come out for a few weeks as they're really busy, so I guess I'll have to carry on using it (he's not showing signs of discomfort, so I guess it'll be OK?)
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