Heavy Friend on my skinny horse....help! :/

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Samantha008

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Today my lovely friend rode my horse, hes a 16.3 ISH, ive only had him for 10 days so is still very new to me and on the day that he was coming i dislocated my knee and ripped the tendons, meaning im out of riding and life in general for a while. So....i asked around my friends (im on a riding club) to see if there was anyone that might be interested in riding my horse for a while whilst im out. I can manage looking ater him, though it takes me ages i just cant ride. The only girl that got back to me is an old friend of mine, however, she is 6ft4 and although very slim, is still of a stockier build. I asked her how much she weighed and she told me 12st. Which is great, i weigh 11 and half so thats fine for my boy. However, she sat on him, and he hollowed his back so much that i cringed and couldnt look. She rode him for a few circles in walk and trot and he looked lame, swishing his tail and refusing to go on the bit. I asked her to get off and my friend whos my weight jumped on and although he then looked sound he was still swishing his tail and ater a few mins she got off and i had a poke around his back and hes sore where the seat of the saddle is.I really think my friend has got her weight very wrong and not weighed herself for a number of years :/ Is it possible that this girl just really hurt him and hes sore from that? How should i treat him? Just give him rest? Or should i do more? I have bute but dont want anyone to ride him. equine touch? Any help is greatly appreciated :)
 
Oooh that's a bit of an awkward situation to be in :(

Get someone out to check his back asap, and don't ride him until then. They'll probably treat his back, tell you to give him a couple of days off, and then have you work him in straight lines for a bit.

If your friend who's your weight is happy to keep riding him I'd probably make some lame excuse that as she's most like you he won't notice such a difference when you take the ride again?!
 
Sounds like he had a pre-existin back pain tbh. He won't be sore from one ride, particularly a short one. half a stone is no different. Get your horses back checked by vet and saddle checked. Physio might be useful if vet is happy to refer for that.
 
It sounds as though he has problems with the fit of his saddle, or his back perhaps. But it sounds more like the saddle wasn't good.

A 16.2 ISH should be easily able to cope with a 6'4 rider who weighs more than 12 stone. You said she looked slim, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Has anyone ridden him since he came? Was he vetted? I'm wondering if this problem came with him?

In your headline you say that he is skinny - do you mean condition? Does he need more muscle building up?
 
I definatly wouldn't bute as you don't want to hide any problems.

I don't think it will harm him having some time off until you're fit to ride and then you can build a relationship with him on the ground so when you do ride he will be a lot more trusting in you.

Perhaps keep an eye on his back for the next day or two and if it doesn't get any worse or better get a back person out but if it looks like it is getting better your probably better saving your money and doing streching exercises in hand.

Best of luck with whatever you decide :)
 
Doesnt sound like anything to do with your friend's weight tbh. Def get his back checked as soon as possible. You say he is skinny? Does he lack muscle too? He might be weak in the back too but i'd definitely say he's got back pain from something before your friend rode him.
 
He is undermuscled yes, but not to the point of long walks only. Hes been sound up until this day however and my friend weighs more around the 13 and a half mark i think if not more :/

Yeah a few days then a back man sounds good. Poor boy :( No i didnt have him vetted as hes a loan, but my instructor camre with me and said he was perfectly sound!
 
Don't mean to be rude but 12st should not be a problem for a 16.3hh ISH. Even a couple of stone more should not really be a problem. You say you have only had him 10 days and you haven't ridden him yet due to your injury. Was this 'heavy' friend the first one to ride him since you took delivery of him? There may be an underlying problem with him. Wouldn't have thought that someone just doing a little bit with him would cause a problem so quickly unless there was a problem there to start with. Could I also say that if instructors were qualified to say a horse was perfectly sound we would not pay vets but get the BHSAI down the road to vet our horses - a lot cheaper.
 
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No, hes been ridden one day on one day off since i got him by the friend who's my weight. He hasnt hollowed once before and certainly hasnt looked lame. She was only riding as a favour until i found someone to ride him for me until im better though.
 
burge said:
Don't mean to be rude but 12st should not be a problem for a 16.3hh ISH. Even a couple of stone more should not really be a problem. You say you have only had him 10 days and you haven't ridden him yet due to your injury. Was this 'heavy' friend the first one to ride him since you took delivery of him? There may be an underlying problem with him. Wouldn't have thought that someone just doing a little bit with him would cause a problem so quickly unless there was a problem there to start with. Could I also say that if instructors were qualified to say a horse was perfectly sound we would not pay vets but get the BHSAI down the road to vet our horses - a lot cheaper.
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My instructor is a retired equine vet. :/
 
I have a 16h and 17h ISH who happily have my 14 stone husband ride them without any problems. I'd be worried that there is more to this. Discuss it with your ex vet-instructor and see what they think... Was the rider a heavy rider, or heavy handed?
 
He could very well have rolled awkwardly, or the saddle fit has caused a sore back hence change from non sore back to sore back.
 
My horse has to have a week off as last Friday he displayed odd behaviour and vet said his back is sore she thinks it's his saddle (I'm 7st 10 and he is 15.2hh tb x Appaloosa so has some bone and the vet said it's most likely his saddle

I would definately not ride till checked and I was told not to ride for a week and then a few days light riding he is also on painkillers so i would deffs get vet and get te saddle checked as a starting point as and then take it from there

Hope he gets better soon :)
 
yeah she is quite a heavy rider. his saddle isnt a perfect fit but hes been ridden in it for years and its always been fine (apparently)

Can i also say he is a particularly skinny ISH, i have two, one looks like a draft horse and one like a tb. He looks like a tb!!!
 
One of my old horses was bought with a months trial. She arrived with no saddle, I was told some story that the previous loaner hadnt returned it, so I used my saddle which was an ok fit. The saddle over a week or so made the poor horse tender under the seat, so I called the owner and she somehow managed to magic up the horses dissapeared saddle. The fit of this wasnt much better so I gave the horse time off. She seemed perfect apart from this so I bought her and found out later she had been out of work for almost a year and being an Anglo was really thin skinned and had hair that rubbed off with my reins, legs etc. She was also in soft condition so wasnt used to a months trial from 12 mths off! It turned out she had navicular which is why she'd not been ridden.
Im certainly not saying theres anything wrong with your new horse but a few circles by a heavier rider shouldnt cause so much tenderness in so little time. Do you know the people youve loaned him off? If not then sadly you cant always believe what they tell you. Id be getting his saddle checked first, then if he doesnt improve with a week or so off and a saddle that fits then you may need to dig a bit deeper to find out the cause of his tenderness.
I hope it works out for you.
 
Yeah, his saddle isnt a perfect it but its not that bad i dont think, however i will get it checked and hopefully get a new one, im just a bit wary of buying a new saddle for a horse ive had a week then got back trouble. If that makes sense? Its not like they come cheap :/ especially ones that are fitted right!
 
Samantha008 said:
Yeah, his saddle isnt a perfect it but its not that bad i dont think, however i will get it checked and hopefully get a new one, im just a bit wary of buying a new saddle for a horse ive had a week then got back trouble. If that makes sense? Its not like they come cheap :/ especially ones that are fitted right!
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That was my problem too. I only had a months trial so didnt want to be paying for saddles etc. What Im trying to get at in the nicest possible way is that if its the saddle causing a problem then great it can be sorted (strange though if this is the saddle theyve said they have used for a long time) but if not sadly there may be an underlying problem like I found out after buying her.
Was the horse in work before he was loaned to you? If not, it may just be that he is in soft condition, undermuscled and not used to suddenly coming back to work.
Fingers crossed its nothing bad.
 
No way he should have any problem carrying 13-14stone. When you put it in context Point to pointers carry 12stone for 3 miles galloping and jumping and they a a much smaller framed horse than an ISH. I would be very certain that there is a pre existing condition. Was horse vetted in addition to you instructor looking at him. I know he is a retired vet but would just wonder where you stand insurance wise if there is an issue requiring treatment and retired vet is the only cert you have.
 
I dont think its anything too bad. He hasnt been in much work and in hindisght my friend was perhaps asking too much of him compared to what hes used to. Ive seen horses with back trouble and hes not like that, he just sort of moved away from the pressure rather than actually react all that badly to it. I think ill give him a while with this saddle and less work. If that doesnt work and the vet/saddle itter thinks its the saddle ill get a new one but im not making that decision unless his back becomes ok. I know how awful it is with horses and lameness, my other horse i bought a year ago and she, bless her bloody heart, has been diagnosed with wobblers after passing a vetting with flying colours and has been turned away for 2 years. Im very aware of just what can be out there, which is why im trying to be so careful with my new boy, as hes a gem in every other way and ill happily buy him a saddle if thats the only problem!!! Fingers crossed for him :)
 
I didnt have him vetted as in my experience vetting are sh**e and only show you how the horse is on the day (as mentioned above!!) He most certainly wasnt in pain when i got him and i checked his back thoroughly. Yeah i think my friend perhaps just made it more obvvious as it was more weight than hes used to. Bless him, ill get him sorted though :)
 
TBH I don't think you sound all that experienced and a veterinary opinion of this horse (or possibly physio-a properly qualified one) and a saddle fitter visit, even just to get current one better fitting, is the answer here. give it a few days to let any acute injury settle down, then call them out.
 
Samantha008 said:
yeah she is quite a heavy rider. his saddle isnt a perfect fit but hes been ridden in it for years and its always been fine (apparently)

Can i also say he is a particularly skinny ISH, i have two, one looks like a draft horse and one like a tb. He looks like a tb!!!
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First, NO saddle is 'fine' for years - unless it's regularly reflocked.

And second, an ISH can throw to the TB and be a light weight - or throw to the Draught and be a Middle or Heavyweight! A HW CAN be skinny - a LW is not necessarily so. Are you saying this horse is THIN - or that he is a Lightweight? If he's skinny - and lacks back muscle - then he will be prone to a sore back (often from the saddle sitting too low - and a heavier rider will push the saddle even lower.)
 
Samantha008 said:
Yeah, his saddle isnt a perfect it but its not that bad i dont think, however i will get it checked and hopefully get a new one, im just a bit wary of buying a new saddle for a horse ive had a week then got back trouble. If that makes sense? Its not like they come cheap :/ especially ones that are fitted right!
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I think you may have just answered your problem there! If the saddle isn't a perfect fit then issues could build up over time, meaning what should be an easy job for a horse of that size a hard one!

Hope you get it fixed asap and I would give hiim some time off until you get his back sorted as it isn't fair on him!
 
SusieT said:
TBH I don't think you sound all that experienced and a veterinary opinion of this horse (or possibly physio-a properly qualified one) and a saddle fitter visit, even just to get current one better fitting, is the answer here. give it a few days to let any acute injury settle down, then call them out.
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SuzieT, if i was claiming to be all that experienced, i probably wouldnt be posting on here...:rolleyes:

Im asking for help as i want the best for my horse. We cant all be veterens who have had horses for 40 yrs.....???
 
Samantha that's such a shame you got injured just as he arrived, must be so frustrating for you. I definitely think it would be worth getting his back and tack checked out as I too don't believe a heavier rider sitting on him for such a short time would have done that. There are lots of things you can do to help once you know what the issue is, massages, walking up hills, in hand work etc to help build his back as well as ridden work. (Obviously be guided by your chiro/vet/whoever you call out, these are just things we've had to do over the years with various horses).
 
How old is he and what sort of work routine was he in before he came to you? What sort of physique was his previous rider.

They can easily twist themselves by rolling in a stable or having a charge around the field and stopping abruptly or going down so it may be something very simple that has caused this. BUT saying that if he is uncomfortable, for whatever reason, you owe it to him to just try to get to the bottom of it. Just because the problem isn't noticeable all of the time doesn't mean it isn't there. Maybe finding this now will help to prevent more serious problems further down the line. If you can very gently long-rein or lunge for just a few minutes to see if/when/where his movement is compromised without the added challenge of a rider.

Have a look at the saddle he came with very carefully. Is the flocking hard, uneven, flocked more on one side(this might indicate a pre-existing back problem or not). Is the tree twisted? A small problem in the saddle area can be immediately magnified with more weight.
 
Sounds like saddle to me. you already know it isn't perfect so when heavier rider sits on it makes it worse.

once saddle fits right, get back done, build up muscles then should carry weight ok
 
Well he could of just pulled something in the field somewhere so it could be something quite simple that is causing some discomfort somewhere, so you have a choice of either giving him say a week off and try him then or just get his back checked along with his saddle checked or the vet if he's intermittently lame, either way you'll get to the bottom of it, certainly won't have anything to do with your friends weight.

Unless your horse is dog lame and you’re doing it to ease a lot of discomfort, I wouldn't give him any bute until you know exactly what it is, if you have the vet or the back person, they need to see the horse through his paces to diagnose what and where the problem is.

Good luck.
 
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