Horse is aggressive when tacked up, HELP!

[AABBCC]

Hi,
I'm fairly new so I don't know if I am posting this in the right place but we'll see!
I have an 8yo Tb mare who is quite bad when tacking up. She is fine with the bridle but when it comes to the saddle and especially the girth she kicks, bites etc...
I am aware that this could be due to saddle fitting problems and so I've been trying hard to get a saddler out but to no avail however i'll persist because I definitely think it will help her. However I don't think fixing her saddle will solve it 100% as I am convinced some of it is down to someone having been to brash tacking up in the past. Her coat shows marks in evidence of a previously poorly fitted saddle as well.
I've thought of the more natural horsemanship approach of doing things very slowly until she's comfortable and standing still etc but I'm a little skeptical of if this will work since she is quite an impatient horse and also her reaction goes from 0-100 very quickly so I think it'd be tricky...
It's getting to the point that I get very anxious to tack her up because she behaves so aggressively! I'd love if someone could suggest something that might help us
Thanks in advance!
Izzy and Nellie

 

[Red-1]

If a horse is OK to bridle but not saddle then yes, it is usually a pain issue. It may be the saddle, the girth, her back or ulcers. With mares ovaries can be suspect too, as well as pelvis/stifle etc etc etc.

TBH I would not ride any more until you have sorted out the cause, especially if she is bad to the point you are anxious because she is so aggressive. It is her way of communication, and if you ignore it she will have to land a bite.

I would try a treeless to see if that helps, do an advance/retreat, maybe even go back to saddle pad and roller only. If it is not that simple and you suspect ulcers then the vet is the one who can help with that. If a horse is aggressive and not quickly sorted with different tack and training then I would certainly consult the vet. After the vet - a physio.

If her back is hollow she may have muscle wastage that may need building up on long reins, so a trainer could help you be able to do that.

Horses- not cheap!

 

[Amye]

Agree with what Red has advised.

It sounds like it's pain related to me and you really need to be getting to the bottom it. It could be the saddle fit as you said, so this is a good place to start, then you need to check her back. It could also be ulcers. I would consult with your vet to get back checked and discuss the possibility of ulcers. Is this only when you're tacking up or is she sensitive when being brushed etc?

If you do all the investigations and it turns out to be not pain related (though this needs to be ruled out first) then this could be a pain-memory. Maybe she had a problem before that caused pain, that's been sorted but she still thinks it's pain. In that case you need to train her to rethink the tacking up process which, if she's as aggressive as you say she is, I would ask a trainer to come and help you. If you're feeling anxious, then she will pick up on this and will feel anxious herself, making her behaviour worse.

I hope you get to the bottom of it! Good luck.

 

[Dawny]

Not really experienced in this so I may be wrong, but riding bareback may be useful. If she is in pain rather than being just grumpy, then her reaction to this may tell you whether it's her back or her saddle. Either way I'd say you're on the right track with trying to get a saddler out and also a vet visit would be the next step after you've seen them. If it's her back then she would most likely also be sensitive while grooming but not always, so that's something to watch.

Of course, you could also be onto something if it looks like she's had a poorly fitting saddle before but its best to check anyway.

Better to be safe than sorry, not only for the horse's sake but also for your wallet's.

 

[AABBCC]

Thanks for your reply,
At first I did think it was down to her being in season etc but it carried on for the times she wasn't in season too so I wasn't to sure...
We've had the vet and physio out a couple times recently for a different thing but the physio did say she was sore in her back area and so has rented us a tens machine to use after exercise for a few weeks...
I agree with the non-riding but the tricky thing is that the vet and physio have said that it is neccassery that she is still ridden regularly so we can progress with the medical issue we're facing (navicular things).
On the note of the treeless saddle, we're coincidentally trying one out on Friday as I had a quick go in a friends a couple days ago and both her and I went much better with it!

Mmhm tell me about it! But they're worth all of the money in the end!

 

[Amye]

If the physio is saying she has a sore back then it's best to look into why the back is sore in the first place. Sounds like you've started this by looking into saddle fit and trying a treeless

Like others have said, you could always ride bareback if you need to or in a backpad if the saddle turns out to be the issue (until you have a new one sorted).

 

[AABBCC]

I hadn't thought about the bareback option... I've not yet ridden her bareback as she can be rather,"energetic" ,shall we say... but I might look into it whilst we tackle the other problems.
Thanks everyone!!

 

[sbloom]

And think laterally about the navicular, do read up around barefoot etc, then you may be able to let up on her workload, though some work is always better than none for the condition. I agree that it's current or remembered saddle issues, most likely, and definitely best not to ride in the saddle. Go with a fit/fitter you trust, as a horse will usually go better in a saddle that shifts pressure points to somewhere else, whether that saddle is a better fit or not.

 

[dixie]

I would strongly suspect ulcers which could be a secondary factor to pain such as her navicular.
Try looking at this to give you an idea
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr05hMmLCY4

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My mare was sold to me as a biter!
Just changing her browband to a longer one helped but because she remembered it hurting, I still had to saddle her slowly and carefully for several months.
She changed shape a lot after I bought her and we had 4 saddles in 5 yrs. Although she didn't bite me she was always tense when I tacked up but since we got a treeless (Solution) saddle she has been much more relaxed. She is also on an ulcer-friendly diet, including aloe Vera juice.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

My mare was sold to me as a biter!
Just changing her browband to a longer one helped but because she remembered it hurting, I still had to saddle her slowly and carefully for several months.
She changed shape a lot after I bought her and we had 4 saddles in 5 yrs. Although she didn't bite me she was always tense when I tacked up but since we got a treeless (Solution) saddle she has been much more relaxed. She is also on an ulcer-friendly diet, including aloe Vera juice.

 

[AABBCC]

I actually bought her a solutions treeless saddle yesterday as we tried it and she went much better! I think now I'm going to check up with the vet about possible ulcers just so we can eliminate that hopefully and focus on allowing her to realise that her saddle won't hurt her anymore.