Horse prefers saddle that doesn’t fit ??

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Fingerontheneckstrap

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Hello everyone,
This is probably a strange post but I am at my wits end and want to know has anyone experienced this before…

Have a tb mare who I got last year and have been through rather a lot of saddles with her. When I first got her I had initially put her in a random medium width saddle I had from a different horse with a borrowed prolite pad to bulk it up around the shoulders whilst I waited for the saddle fitter. She actually wasn’t too bothered by that setup for the first week but I knew myself that that was an okay temporary solution but not ideal as at that time she was rather narrow! Saddle fitter came out, and said that that setup with the pad was putting a lot of pressure on her shoulder area and restricting her so we got sorted with another saddle that fit her very well at that time but I noticed after a few days she wasn’t happy - back was up when I’d sit on her and would have to trot immediately to get it down, tail swishy, and then would eventually settle after warming up for five mins … fast forward to now and we have gone through about 5 saddles 🙈 she has bulked up massively in this time so new saddles were needed anyway but I have found with all of the saddles she is okay in them for about 1 week and then starts that aforementioned behaviours. In all of these instances I reverted to the old original saddle and prolite pad (to my saddle fitters dismay!) and she never has put her back up once and I totally don’t understand why because it doesn’t fit her!

Her back was x rayed before Christmas as I was worried this was a pain response but vet said back was perfectly fine on x ray - no kissing spines, growths, SI okay, etc, but to monitor it and come back to them for investigations if I feel necessary (which I probably will at this point). We didn’t scope for ulcers so that might be my next port of call but she shows absolutely no other signs so I don’t know if I’m willing to put her through that for a bit of guesswork. She gets a body worker out every month - she hasn’t noticed anything either and says her back is fine, only thing she says she struggles with is tension with her neck/poll. I’ve already tried two saddle fitters and i think I must have to try another because it’s so hit and miss. I know from my other horse how important a well fitted saddle is for their comfort, but she’s clearly telling me she isn’t happy in these fitted saddles, and happier in one that doesn’t fit too well!

I suppose I just want to rant, but if anyone has any advice please share, or if you’ve experienced similar. I just want to make sure she’s comfortable
 
Yes I have had this .
Driving horse being broken to ride at eight horse was thin and under muscled developed quickly saddle fitter was never away from the yard managed with saddles I had ( luckily I had lots ) prolite pads etc etc .
Then had a saddle made after about a year .
Horse hated it , had tree sized up twice and put a thick numah and a memory foam pad folded in half under the back half of the saddle .
Horse was as happy as a king .
In no way shape or form did it fit but he liked it .
I used it like that for the rest of his working life .
 
Our old mare mare was in a serge panelled Saddle Company saddle, with a wool numnah. The saddle fitter hated it and said it didn't fit. We had various saddles on trial for her, but she hated every one of them, so we stuck with the Saddle Company saddle. She never had problems with her back.

Sometimes you just have to accept that your horse knows best :)
 
My pony's back is changing as he gets old. He has a wither now! He is happy in a saddle which is too wide plus double shims in front and single ones in the centre. The saddler knows it isn't perfect but it was obvious that the narrower saddle which 'should' have fitted made the pony uncomfortable. He was very clear about it too.
 
SpeedyPony said:
It might be worth (provided vet/physio are happy with her) asking your saddler if she can be fitted with a polite/sheepskin or similar underneath? It's not traditionally "correct" but perhaps she prefers that extra padding.
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I have thought about this! I know in her past career in racing she would have traditionally had a lot of padding so maybe the extra cushyness is something she simply prefers! That’s a really good idea I might bring up next time, thank you!
 
Cragrat said:
Our old mare mare was in a serge panelled Saddle Company saddle, with a wool numnah. The saddle fitter hated it and said it didn't fit. We had various saddles on trial for her, but she hated every one of them, so we stuck with the Saddle Company saddle. She never had problems with her back.

Sometimes you just have to accept that your horse knows best :)
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I agree, it can definitely be harder to accept when you know it’s a bit wrong or could be better. but she’s opinionated in every other way!! so her not being at all bothered by the saddle shows me it’s not hurting her I guess, and if that ever changes she’ll be sure to let me know I would think 😂
 
The wearer knows best.

When we go to a shoe shop, even the ones in the days of old when our feet were measured and all shoes were available in half sizes if required (my foot is 8 and a half) the customer is asked how it feels.

These days, you can't go into a shop and buy a decent pair of boots in 8 and a half, made of leather, that fit, are comfortable, and are a more or less decent (or even indecent) price. They just aren't there.

[rant over] [steps down from soap box and falls over due to poor shoeing]
 
I too would go with what the horse prefers. I've had this and think that sometimes they are sore in a particular place from a previously tight saddle, so they prefer less pressure there that normal. I would just keep an eye that the horse isn't preferring a new pain to the old one, so keep the fit under review.

I also think that sometimes, when they get a well fitting saddle, they can change dramatically in musculature in a very few rides. They can go well for a few rides in a new saddle, then nope, it no longer fits.

This is the thing I hate most about a young horse - the new saddle years! Then, when they get to about 7 years old suddenly it never needs changing again!
 
I've got a collection of saddles that used to be on my smallest cob and that doesn't count 2 rejected on trial. On a whim I put my big mare's old WOW on her - much, much too big. She loved it. She now has one that does fit but is very clear that she likes the air bags very squishy.
 
SpeedyPony said:
It might be worth (provided vet/physio are happy with her) asking your saddler if she can be fitted with a polite/sheepskin or similar underneath? It's not traditionally "correct" but perhaps she prefers that extra padding.
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That tradition is extremely outdated, sheepskin pads or high tech materials can benefit most horses as long as the saddle is adjusted as necessary to accommodate them. Anyone who says a well fitting saddle only needs a cotton numnah is doing an ostrich :). Many horses with previous saddle fit damage will only go in such a pad, no matter what the saddle.

Pearlsasinger said:
I would always believe the horse over the saddle fitter's opinion.
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To an extent yes, and their opinion must always be taken into account, but a fitter has the right to be cautious and to suggest to the customer what problems may occur with the less well fitting saddle over time, and how to catch them early. Some horses can't tolerate a well fitting saddle, or some aspects of it, and I hate to say but it often turns out to be an undiagnosed issue, though can also be a hangover from previous events too.

sollimum said:
My young cob has had 4 saddles so far, he much prefers the thorowgood over his fitted leather saddle and will sniff the saddle to check before you put it on, I appreciate that it is lighter.
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Horses so often know which is their saddle and which is different, and it's a really good thing to let the horse put their nose to the saddle before putting it on. It gives a bit of agency and more of a chance to assess their behaviour in anticipation of being tacked up instead of getting on with it pdq and missing the reaction.

There are so many aspects to saddle fit, it might even be that the saddle the horse likes actually puts you in the best place and makes you easier to carry. I would want, as mentioned above, a checklist to be using going forward to make sure that any issues are picked up as soon as possible. I would also recommend seeing if you can shim the front up without having shims actually on the shoulder blade, get a cheap exercise mat to experiment with before trimming an prolite pads though! So you'd be shimming into the rear of the front pocket, and cutting off just as much of the front shim as you need to that it's not sat on the shoulder blade itself. See if she prefers that even more...she might not, it may not work, but it's a cheap way to try it, and lifting the very front of the saddle with shims can be problematic.
 
For years I rode a favourite RS Connie. She was narrow shouldered and I dont think her saddle ever fitted because when I cantered ahead of my RS escort she said she could see daylight between the saddle and the back of the horse. The plan was for me to buy her and buy her a new saddle but she had melanoma where the bridle went and had to be retired.
Knowing what I know now, I think that if I had bought her, I should have bought her existing saddle as well.
 
Barton Bounty said:
Sniff the saddle! It honestly amazes me just how smart they are ☺️
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Yes, both have been fitted to him but he prefers the synthetic, so will sniff and then stand to be tacked up. He moves away from the leather. He knows he has both and I obviously only use the synthetic now but he always checks to make sure. He is much smarter than me, I can be a bit slow off the block sometimes!
 
I had the same with my old mare. I had a Falcon GP that was left over from my previous horse that technically was not a good fit on her. I got the saddle fitter out and purchased a saddle that fitted her by all conventional thinking however whilst she never went badly in it she made her preference for the Falcon saddle perfectly clear and spent the rest of her ridden career in it.

Both saddles were very dark brown but if I came out of the tack room carrying the new saddle she would put her ears back and move away even before I put it on her back but if I came out carrying the Falcon she exhibited no such evasive behaviours.
 
Mine prefers to have extra space around his shoulder/wither and, technically speaking, means the saddle isn't a "perfect" fit but is close enough. He really could do with some extra padding there to take up some of the space but he has been very, very clear that that is a non starter for him.
 
My old horse always preferred a saddle that was a size too wide with a pad under. I tried about 3 different saddle and one saddle in 3 different sizes. Saddler was happy to go with this as it’s what the horse wanted.
 
I had a horse that preferred a too narrow saddle… only discovered as I had 2 identical saddles in different widths for different horses … by accident I put the narrower saddle on him and went to school him and he went the best he’d ever gone… when I untacked I realised what I had done and felt awful… the next day put him back in his own saddle and he was not through his back and not very forward … gave him a few days off and tried again … just the same as an experiment put the narrower saddle on and he just flew … sometimes the only person who can tell you if it feels right is the horse
 
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