Horse that forces saddle over to one side

Flame_

Flame_

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 November 2007
Messages
8,218
Location
Merseyside
Visit site
It also finds canter hard on the left rein and breaks easily. Looks totally sound to me and is a lovely willing ride in general. So is it a vet bill waiting to happen?? What do you think?
confused.gif
 
Not necessarily. Patches used to be terrible for having her saddle roll to the left. She was always tighter through that shoulder too, which I assume had something to do with it. It was more apparent after her tendon sheath surgery on her left knee, which I assume is what caused the stiffness in her shoulder.

Lots of work on transitions and lengthening and lifting on the left rein and her left canter has become as easy to maintain as her right. Saddle no longer rolls left like it used to. She also looked sound and felt ok to ride, even cleared by the vet. It was the instructor who noticed it more.
 
My saddle always goes to the right, but its me that drags it over I think....... I ride heavier in my right stirrup and have even stretched it half a hole
blush.gif


Dont know why I do it, but merlin seems to cope ok.... he hasnt got a bad back anyway!!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
It also finds canter hard on the left rein and breaks easily. Looks totally sound to me and is a lovely willing ride in general. So is it a vet bill waiting to happen?? What do you think?
confused.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

have a Bowen therapist check it out..

JM has similar on-going problems..he has a problem with his muscle around the shoulder area...which receive regular Bowen "checks"...

worth £40 and cheaper than a vet!!!
 
The saddle goes right with anyone who rides her. Or do you mean the regular rider could have caused the horse to become one-sided?
 
Check the saddle before you rush into vets etc - hold the cantle and rest the front on your feet, look down the gullet to check that the padding is even on both sides, turn it the other way up and look closely at the padding at the front and across the panel. You will be suprised that even a new saddle can be uneven, it is not always the horse or the rider!
 
My horse was doing this. I have had a balancing strap put on my saddle and my saddler has padded the offside shoulder area out a bit.

She has nothing wrong with her back but as she has got fitter she is naturally built a bit wonky!!
 
I agree re checking how even the saddle is, but also, have you stood directly behind your horse and checked if there is any muscle wastage anywhere, this is the most usual cause. it doesn't have to be much.
 
She's not mine. I might buy her, she's cheap and I like her. But not if she's lame. I have looked at her from in front and the left shoulder is more built up than the right. I suppose the question is, its not right but how likely is it to be an un-fixable serious problem?
confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It's lame right hind.
S
grin.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously, I'm never sure when its you?
blush.gif

You're probably right though.

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously.
I'll bet she canters nicely to the right, reluctantly to the left, but is stiff on right rein circles., taking more weight in the right rein, too. I'll also bet that if you stand her up square and look at her from behind, you'll see either the pelvis is unlevel (look at the points of her hips) and/or her muscle development is very uneven. Walk and trot her up on a hard surface, and listen - is it truly four beat and two beat?
I wouldn't buy it without a vetting. And if she's been ridden like this for a while, then she will have learned to compensate so will be assymetric in front, and probably stiffen her back muscles - more long term problems.
On the plus side, if she's a willing ride even though lame behind, you can't fault her honesty, and she deserves to have a chance.
S
grin.gif
 
I had this exact problem. Ive got a sound 16.2 ISH and the saddle was a brandnew frank baines top of the range with monoflaps. It came with him & as far as i know has always dropped to the left. Saddler (Brian from TDS for those who know him , Lovely chap!) Had physio check him, found nothing, works well on both reins etc. Brian tried very hard to stop the saddle slipping but in the end came to the conclusion that this saddle just does not work with my horse. He is just slightly bigger through thr right shoulder which was causing the saddle to be pushed over. Some saddle designs just dont suit some horses! He now has an albion which was fine, never budged, & Ive just bought a Passier which is fab too.
 
Thanks Shils. You are spot on as usual.
Thanks to everyone else, opinions greatly appreciated. I have to say I was concerned about the canter.
 
My mares saddle became uneven when her neck was stiff, causing her to develop stiff uscles on her right shoulder, just a thought.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks Shils. You are spot on as usual.
Thanks to everyone else, opinions greatly appreciated. I have to say I was concerned about the canter.

[/ QUOTE ]

blush.gif
You are making my green scales blush.
S
smile.gif
 
Going with Shils as it seems almost text book. Yes, a sliding saddle CAN be saddle or rider related but if the problem is related only to that horse . . . well, sounds like a diagnosis to me. These things can - and usually do - have multiple parts anyway. An unlevel horse can twist a saddle, an uneven ride can hurt a horse enough to make it chronically unlevel etc etc

Another good test is to longe the horse without tack and REALLY watch, comparing gaits in both directions. I usually look for the bit that looks "wrong" or does not seem to be moving as I expect. Sure, horses have dominant and non-dominant sides but anything wildly different makes me very, very nervous.

How big a change can be made in one ride? Has she had any sort of examination/therapy? Does the situation improve if she is treated/medicated?The answers to those questions MIGHT give you some idea of the extent and nature of the issue.

I'd agree the horse deserves a chance if she's otherwise worth it but I honestly wouldn't put an enormous amount of faith in a vetting unless your vet is a very good horseman and knows a fair bit about functional anatomy. I've ridden more than one horse that was definitely "not right" and yet vetted sound. Obviously a vetting is worth it and something on an x-ray or obvious to palpation is a pretty major clue but I wouldn't assume all systems are fine just because nothing shows up. The horse is "telling" you there is a problem, unless you can really pin down what it is you may very well simply be waiting for the other shoe to drop.
 
I have read somewhere recently (cant remember where) that a horse has a stronger hind leg than the other (like us being left or right handed) therefore their hind action pushes the saddle and potentially rider over to one side (could also be a rider position fault so the horse pushes the rider over lop sided.

It sounds like the direction the saddle slips is muscle wastage and they are weaker that side so if its the left side, the horse is pushing with its stronger right hind leg and building up tight muscles that side..
Probably makes no sense what so ever!
Id say work the horse more on the stiffer hollow rein to strenthen and even up that side (the side that the saddle slips too) and be very careful as a rider that you sit straight..
 
This happened to me and my youngster when I first got him. The saddler said there was uneven muscle development with less on his right side. Also, every horse has a weaker and stronger hind leg and his weaker leg was the right one.

The saddler built up the flocking slightly on the right side and I've been working on eveness. The last time he came for a saddle check he said the muscle development was much more equal - and the saddle is staying much more central.

Throughout this he's always been sound - and as a 'bred to compete' dressage horse has had a lot of experienced trainers look at him - as well as a very thorough vetting and lameness was never an issue.
 
Thanks. I've just sacked my vets largely because they are worse at telling when a horse is lame than I am, and obviously from this case I'm not the greatest!!! I just won't buy her, I've got enough lame horses.
smile.gif
 
I've had several young horses who would push their saddles right in left canter for the first few months of being ridden - otherwise being very good and no stiffness, just a strength thing. I simply don't ask them to stay in canter for very long, readjusting the saddle to the centre, keeping my weight down into the inside stirrup, flexing their poll to the outside and letting it back (once they understand the aids) to help them straighten through their shoulders and doing (straight) transitions, gradually building the length of time they stay in canter. They all improved to the point where the left canter was better than the right and the saddle stayed in the middle.

If an older horse was doing this I'd be concerned, but if they've never been trained to take the weight behind more and straighten up then they may just need careful schooling. If you've checked for fairly even muscle on the back and quarters (I always find it easier if you can stand above them somehow and look down to see how they're using their back muscles) and you've checked them on the lunge and for even footfall and they can also jump off both reins, then it may be worth seeing if schooling will resolve the problem. I have schooled older horses with dreadful canters who improved remarkably quickly, much more than I expected in a short space of time.
 
Also if you lunge the horse look to see if one hindleg crosses over more than the other on a circle, this is the strong pushing leg...
 
QR - my arab mare was the same, threw her saddle to the right. Tried everything - numerous vets out, over night stay at vet hospital, physio, custom made saddle, instructors and nothing worked.

By chance there was a McTimoney- Corley practioner on the yard who had a look at her and seen straight away that her pelvis was rotated (not wanting to get in an arguement, I know that the spinal structure doesn't move, that's just the best way I can describe it). She also spotted a lameness that hadn't been picked up by anyone else. As soon as it was pointed out it became the most obvious thing ever.

She got regular treatement from McT-C and we went back to basics long reining over raised poles and things like that to strengthen her back. She came back sound and after the "re-starting" her saddle barely moved.

re elasticated on one side girths. My saddler said to use one the "wrong way round". I think the elasticated bit should be on right side but since my saddle slipped right I was told use an elasticated girth with elastic bit on left side.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top