If your horses back and numnah looked like this.....

M

mole

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.......after a long sweaty ride. would you be worried that your saddle doesnt fit?

Opinions pretty please

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dry patches mean too much pressure in that area - is that right?

i have just phoned a master saddler (who fitted my saddle) who told me - when i explained the situation - not to worry about it and to carry on riding. personally i think thats a load of rubbish and im getting another second opinion.
 
Those dry patches are the exact shape of the tree aren't they? And I bet I know the saddler you rang. Good for you getting a second opinion xx
 
skewby said:
Those dry patches are the exact shape of the tree aren't they? And I bet I know the saddler you rang. Good for you getting a second opinion xx
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maybe.

bad thing is i have already had two saddlers look at it as didnt believe the first saying it was ok and the second saddler said it was fine too!! it was only me saying that it didnt fit but who am i to question two master saddlers eh?

grrr hate saddles when they dont fit.
 
yes, that would concern me... the lack of sweat on patches and also looks like rubbed hair where the points of the tree would sit...

a master saddler isn't trained to fit saddles, just make them (unless they are also a 'qualified fitter' with the SMS). some master saddlers don't know a thing about horses. they're just good at making things out of leather...

poor you, what a toughy. i'm sure there must be someone recommended in your area?

good luck! :D

eta: just looked at pics again, it actually looks like hair is rubbed a bit where the stirrup bars are... is there anyway the bars are digging in? is it easy to get a finger underneath/put leather on etc? if you push hard from underneath, can you feel them through the panels?
 
if i used a prolite front riser pad would it make the marks better or worse do you think?

im inclined to think itd cause more pressure as you are narrowing the saddle is that right?
 
Don't bother with pads IMO. Just find a qualified saddle fitter who actually knows what he is talking about.

I was taught that patches where the horse doesn't sweat means that the pressure in those areas has killed off the sweat glands, and is certainly cause to re-examine the fit of the saddle.
 
Naturally said:
Don't bother with pads IMO. Just find a qualified saddle fitter who actually knows what he is talking about.

I was taught that patches where the horse doesn't sweat means that the pressure in those areas has killed off the sweat glands, and is certainly cause to re-examine the fit of the saddle.
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thank you! thats what i was always told too.

first saddler says dont worry about keep on riding and the other says i should use a prolite front riser

do you know what? i think im just going to buy a new saddle and fit it myself!
 
We had similar but not as severe at the front, was digging in a little and there was more pressure at the front - this was with a new saddle fitted, and showed saddler the dirty numnah when she came back 6 weeks later to re-adjust. From memory she reflocked it to make the front rise more? Re flocked anyway, she took it off to her van, and we no longer get the same marks at the front of the numnah.
 
this is how her sweat marks used to look like....

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i only got the saddlers out as had white hairs come up on the small dry patch and now i have a massive dry patch!! on a saddle that they says fits
 
So, on this subject, can anyone upload pics of a sweaty/ used numnah from a saddle that is correctly fitting please? Not sure exactly what the pattern of wear should be on it? Ta. :)
 
I often check the numnah to see if b's saddle is ok. I do brush the mud off him, but other than that, he's not the most groomed pony in the world unless he is off to a party.

I wouldn't go by sweatyness, but would use a white or very pale numnah and look at the dust/grease residue left on it, which should show more consistently than sweat marks.

there should be a uniform saddle shaped mark, with no very dark or missing patches except for along the spine obviously. Your shows a lot of pressure behind the wither and the back of the saddle as well.

And those ruffled patched of hair on either side of his withers show it's an ill fit for a start, B occasionally gets that if he's lacking muscle or condition, I can use a prolite as a temporary fix, but it certainly warrants a check.
 
Hello,

After nearly three years and so many saddles that I lost count, I
invested in a Port Lewis impression pad. It turned out cheaper
than buying and re-selling a quality leather saddle. Some
people are now hiring them and some back people are also
using them to help diagnose fit.

This pad helps identify pressure points when that rider rides
in that saddle on that horse on that day. Sometimes pressure
points are fit-related, but I also discovered I leaned forward and
left ever so slightly in rising trot, and that was also contributing
to uneven pressure.

I now use this pad every four months or so to check fit and
also to check my own position.

Good luck -- dene
 
My saddler said if there is no sweat in one place, and loads in another, it means there is un-even pressure, where there is no sweat, he implies it may be due to the saddle not touching that area at all? So yes, get it checked
 
Tennessee said:
So, on this subject, can anyone upload pics of a sweaty/ used numnah from a saddle that is correctly fitting please? Not sure exactly what the pattern of wear should be on it? Ta. :)
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Just uniformly dirty/sweaty all over. :) A saddle which doesn't stay in contact with the horse's back may only show sweat on the front half, or one which is too tight around the stirrup bars/points of the tree may show a lack of sweat in those areas, as shown in the OP. Its one of several indicators you can use to assess the fit of your horse's tack.

mole said:
do you know what? i think im just going to buy a new saddle and fit it myself!
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I don't think thats such a bad idea if you know enough and know your own limits, otherwise you could be throwing more good money after bad if you continue to invest in your local saddlers and if the results are coming back like this. Only thing is that if your current saddle fits in all other ways apart from the flocking, you'd be missing out on the opportunity of keeping that one and having the flocking adjusted (properly!).

re: the port lewis pad - I think its a useful tool for the toolkit, but I think one of the major drawbacks of it is that it doesn't show the dynamic changes - only an overall impression of everything which has happened, from mounting (which relies on pressure on one side) through the ride to dismounting. Obviously the sweat/chalk/dirt methods don't either. There are electronic systems which can, but I presume they are at a cost. I think that good old fashioned examining of the saddle and the horse's back is still one of the most reliable, cost effective and widely available (ha ha) methods around.
 
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See if Bridlepath International come out your way.

I've had more saddlers (Masters all of them....) than one can shake a stick at. Finally I've found one that the horses like, as in the saddles fit, and I like, as in they explain everything and they don't try and sell me what I don't need :)
 
Where in Glos are you? If you're on the western side I'd highly recommend Graham Butt at Llwynon Saddlery. You have to go to him though and it might be a bit of a trek depending on where you are - he's just west of Brecon. He does any work there and then and you toddle off a couple for hours later with a saddle that fits very well.

He's much better with horses and saddles than he is with people though. Just nod and smile is the best approach.
 
annagain said:
Where in Glos are you? If you're on the western side I'd highly recommend Graham Butt at Llwynon Saddlery. You have to go to him though and it might be a bit of a trek depending on where you are - he's just west of Brecon. He does any work there and then and you toddle off a couple for hours later with a saddle that fits very well.

He's much better with horses and saddles than he is with people though. Just nod and smile is the best approach.
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im going to try and borrow/try as many saddles as poss and fit it myself or go for a new saddle and get someone out to fit it
 
To me it looks like the saddle is Bridging, so touching in the sweaty areas but not on the dry area, put the saddle on with no saddle cloth and lift the flap slightly then look under the flap and see if the saddle is touching all along the back. If not it may mean the saddle is to long or to narrow or the wrong shape tree :-)
 
Thanks, Naturally, I thought as much. My numnahs are always uniformally dirtied after a ride, with no one patch particularly darker or lacking compared to the rest. However, whilst the front is fine, the back sits to the right. Ive had more thsan 1 person ride, and this still happens, and tried another saddle, which sat to the right completely, front and back. I know I need it looked at, but cannot decide if she needs to get fit and muscled first as she is a bit fat and unfit now.

Problem is I Need to work her to ensure she's the right shape when saddle is sorted, new one or old one sorted, but don't want to use it too much because I think she might develop unevenly due to possibility of saddle being twisted (tree was squeezed in slightly by saddler as it was a bit wide)

Will NOT be using previous saddler......... :rolleyes: :mad:

ETA think numnahs are uniformally dirty as they move to the right with saddle, and so dirty areas are as would be if saddle sat straight, if that makes sense........
 
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