Help with saddle fitting pls

[MrsNorris]

Hi all
Have had the physio out to check over my cob and she found slight tightness behind the saddle, nothing much but needs sorting. She suggested his saddle may be sitting too low at the back and needs a re-flock.

Saddle fitter is booked, but can you clever lot take a peek and see what you think?

As it is now, I use a thin numnah for riding.

And raised at the back using a teatowel, just for comparison.

I think it looks right raised at the back, but its hard to tell when you see it all the time.
It was fitted when new 6 years ago and has been checked a few times, but not for about 2 years now

Thanks very much

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

It does look as if when raised at the back you would be sitting in the centre of the saddle, which is where you should be sitting. But your saddle doesn't look flat in the panels at the back, as if it needs reflocking. If extra flocking is squeezed in where there's no room the panels would become very hard and unyielding, which would be uncomfortable for your horse.

Saddles which tilt towards the back sometimes do so because they are too narrow at the front, the raised pommel (pushed up by the shoulders) causing the rider to sit towards the back of the saddle. By raising the rear of the saddle with a tea towel, or extra flocking, you alter the balance of the saddle and may be causing the points of the tree to dig in behind the shoulder blades. It may be that you need some flocking removed from the front rather than added in at the back, or you may need a wider saddle.

It's hard to tell from a photo though and of the saddle is new it may be that the flocking has settled causing the panels to flatten slightly and that you need some extra put in.

 

[MrsNorris]

Thanks S and S, I think that if we went wider it would sit too low on his withers, there's not that much clearance as it is with a rider on board, only about 2" I would say.

He does have quite a dippy back though, so do you think I should try a rear riser pad in the meantime, whilst waiting for the saddler?

 

[kaiserchief]

I also think it looks too narrow so would be inclined to wait for the saddler to come out before riding in it again. I suspect that if you put your hand underneath it with the saddle level (ie with the tea towel under the back as per your last photo) there'd be a huge gap between the middle of the panels and his back (ie it would be bridging) and you'd be unable to run your hand down the front of the saddle as the points would be digging in to his shoulders.

Do you have any photos of the horse without tack on? It may be that he has a degree of muscle wastage, in which case having a saddle fitted slightly too wide and padding up (as per Balance saddle principles) may be a useful way to allow the muscle to regenerate and would also enable you to remove padding as this happened until the saddle fitted nicely with just a thin cloth.

 

[MrsNorris]

Thanks Kaiserchief, here's a pic of him untacked, not side on I'm afraid but you can see his dippy back and high quarters.

He has just seen the physio, who said that he was well-muscled considering he is only hacked, and she had no concerns about his back other than a very slight tightness behind the saddle.

 

[sbloom]

Balance needs to be relative to the ground, so you need the ground in your photo . Take a pic of the whole pony. My instinct is that it's better with the rear riser, but you really can't say until you see the ground level. Also then further check how it is with a rider.

 

[MrsNorris]

Thanks sbloom, havent got any pics with the ground in, never crossed my mind, must be a bit dim!
Saddler can't make it out until the 31st so I've ordered a cheap rear riser to try in the meantime.
It will only be used for low-level stuff, short hacks and schooling, just in walk though.
If he shows any sighs of not being comfortable in it, I guess I'll just have to ride bareback for a bit, havent done that for many years!