Introducing Lindeza (lin-day-za)

Steerpike said:
I would be cautious getting an Arab, I have 10, some live off fresh air whilst others need feeding up, also some ride like tanks and are wide whilst others ride more like a TB.
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This is very true I have 2 one is a slightly better doer so not too difficult, both are built like barrels in xx wide saddles but I am used to it and like a wider horse.

I have been around Arabs for years and they vary so much in build width and weight.
 
Feeding is going well, pulses are clear, and looks like we definitely have some weight loss going on, hips are emerging, but whether she stays or goes might be taken out of my hands.

Since having the lesson with the biomechanics orientated instructor on Thursday who pointed out I was sat to the right, I am checking and constantly readjusting to sit level. Now I have hip and knee niggles. If those don't stop, then I just can't sit level on her. I have checked her over carefully today and I can see atrophy on the right hand side of her back under the saddle. Clearly, if I can't sit level without pain and she is damaged by it, then the option to keep her is out the window, for her own sake.

I spent 25 years effort and stress and thousands of pounds changing saddles to fit horses. 15 years ago I found WOWs, which I absolutely rate for their flexible twist and adjustability. Because of how freely horses usually move in them, I swore i would never put another horse in a fixed tree. Changing saddles is not an option I want to consider. I don't believe it would help with this problem if I did.

For the next month I'll be concentrating on sitting straight and monitoring her back and my pain levels. Then I'll take stock of where we are at.
 
ycbm said:
Feeding is going well, pulses are clear, and looks like we definitely have some weight loss going on, hips are emerging, but whether she stays or goes might be taken out of my hands.

Since having the lesson with the biomechanics orientated instructor on Thursday who pointed out I was sat to the right, I am checking and constantly readjusting to sit level. Now I have hip and knee niggles. If those don't stop, then I just can't sit level on her. I have checked her over carefully today and I can see atrophy on the right hand side of her back under the saddle. Clearly, if I can't sit level without pain and she is damaged by it, then the option to keep her is out the window, for her own sake.

I spent 25 years effort and stress and thousands of pounds changing saddles to fit horses. 15 years ago I found WOWs, which I absolutely rate for their flexible twist and adjustability. Because of how freely horses usually move in them, I swore i would never put another horse in a fixed tree. Changing saddles is not an option I want to consider. I don't believe it would help with this problem if I did.

For the next month I'll be concentrating on sitting straight and monitoring her back and my pain levels. Then I'll take stock of where we are at.
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I haven't sat in a WOW for a long time, but they used to be really chunky. Would it be worth, if she's *just* that bit too wide, trying a close contact? Or a slimmer saddle?
 
DiNozzo said:
I haven't sat in a WOW for a long time, but they used to be really chunky. Would it be worth, if she's *just* that bit too wide, trying a close contact? Or a slimmer saddle?
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Thank you for trying to help, but paragraph 3 answers that question.
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ycbm said:
Feeding is going well, pulses are clear, and looks like we definitely have some weight loss going on, hips are emerging, but whether she stays or goes might be taken out of my hands.

Since having the lesson with the biomechanics orientated instructor on Thursday who pointed out I was sat to the right, I am checking and constantly readjusting to sit level. Now I have hip and knee niggles. If those don't stop, then I just can't sit level on her. I have checked her over carefully today and I can see atrophy on the right hand side of her back under the saddle. Clearly, if I can't sit level without pain and she is damaged by it, then the option to keep her is out the window, for her own sake.

I spent 25 years effort and stress and thousands of pounds changing saddles to fit horses. 15 years ago I found WOWs, which I absolutely rate for their flexible twist and adjustability. Because of how freely horses usually move in them, I swore i would never put another horse in a fixed tree. Changing saddles is not an option I want to consider. I don't believe it would help with this problem if I did.

For the next month I'll be concentrating on sitting straight and monitoring her back and my pain levels. Then I'll take stock of where we are at.
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Fwiw I totally understand about the saddles and if she is wide putting a narrow twist saddle on is often detrimental, and if it's the issue of your knees then no saddle is going to change how wide she is that far down.
 
Aw, I've not been on this thread for ages and I've just read the last couple of pages. Sorry to hear things aren't working out well.

FWIW I would, and do, feed hay not haylage and I'd get a sound straightforward saddle - innovative ones are "the solution" on some horses and an absolute nightmare on others (I have a beautiful, super comfy, great for my back reactor panel sat in my house because horse prefers the rock hard, ancient, yellow GP off ebay).
 
ycbm said:
Feeding is going well, pulses are clear, and looks like we definitely have some weight loss going on, hips are emerging, but whether she stays or goes might be taken out of my hands.

Since having the lesson with the biomechanics orientated instructor on Thursday who pointed out I was sat to the right, I am checking and constantly readjusting to sit level. Now I have hip and knee niggles. If those don't stop, then I just can't sit level on her. I have checked her over carefully today and I can see atrophy on the right hand side of her back under the saddle. Clearly, if I can't sit level without pain and she is damaged by it, then the option to keep her is out the window, for her own sake.

I spent 25 years effort and stress and thousands of pounds changing saddles to fit horses. 15 years ago I found WOWs, which I absolutely rate for their flexible twist and adjustability. Because of how freely horses usually move in them, I swore i would never put another horse in a fixed tree. Changing saddles is not an option I want to consider. I don't believe it would help with this problem if I did.

For the next month I'll be concentrating on sitting straight and monitoring her back and my pain levels. Then I'll take stock of where we are at.
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Surely, if she slims down then that should also solve your "too wide" problem also? The majority of my Spanish horses have been quite wide (I go for the old fashioned type), and I have only recently - in the last year or so - started to get twinges in my hips (old age in my case, I think: never had a problem til I hit 60).
 
ycbm said:
Thank you for trying to help, but paragraph 3 answers that question.
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I completely get your reasoning - you have a tried and tested way BUT tbh you are closing off ways of potentially solving a problem and WOW saddles cannot possibly suit every horse. If they did, that is probably all the market would offer (and similar cheaper versions too). I have gone from a really narrow horse to a really wide Welsh D and worried that I might struggle but thankfully my saddle fitter was able to find something that works well and I haven't really even noticed the hopping from pretty narrow to super wide. If it really is too difficult for you to resolve though, you may have to sell the horse. :(

ETA - I just wondered if you had thought of riding her in something like a Christ Lamfelle bareback sheepskin to see how that works for you. It would help you to see if the muscle atrophy was rider or saddle derived. I have done this and found it a bit of a revelation in the past tbh!
 
Cortez said:
Surely, if she slims down then that should also solve your "too wide" problem also? The majority of my Spanish horses have been quite wide (I go for the old fashioned type), and I have only recently - in the last year or so - started to get twinges in my hips (old age in my case, I think: never had a problem til I hit 60).
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That's what the month is to find out. I have had doubts about her width since I first started to ride her. I'm 62, I first noticed a problem with wider horses at 59.
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Guys, really, I will change the horse before I go back on the merry go round of eternal saddle refitting that I can't do myself. I won't put a horse in a fixed tree, and I don't like treeless.

I know it sounds odd to some people but changing horses is fine by me, I've been doing it for over 40 years.

I know you are trying to be helpful, and I'm grateful for that, but it isn't helpful to have to keep repeating myself to answer your suggestions.

My plan is as I said above, ride straight for a month and take stock of her back and my pain levels then. We had a lovely hack this morning but both my hips are now twinging in a way they haven't done since I sold my cob.
 
I have owned multiple horses and have never had such rigid needs as yours, in my experience horses need some flexibility ie management styles, saddlery, feeds ect, as I said in an earlier post I have 10 Arabs and a TB, all are different in their management needs but I don't pass them on because of that.
Edited to add 30+years
 
Steerpike said:
I have owned multiple horses and have never had such rigid needs as yours, in my experience horses need some flexibility ie management styles, saddlery, feeds ect, as I said in an earlier post I have 10 Arabs and a TB, all are different in their management needs but I don't pass them on because of that.
Edited to add 30+years
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Well, people are all different and they do different things.
 
I can see ones needs becoming more "rigid" especially as we get older. It'd be ideal to pick the perfect horse the first time, but we don't live in an ideal world.

I'm willing to do a lot to accommodate my horse, but I'm still relatively young, not so creaky, and energetic. I imagine this changing as I age! Life is too short to spend it with the wrong horse (or people, for that matter).
 
Steerpike said:
I have owned multiple horses and have never had such rigid needs as yours, in my experience horses need some flexibility ie management styles, saddlery, feeds ect, as I said in an earlier post I have 10 Arabs and a TB, all are different in their management needs but I don't pass them on because of that.
Edited to add 30+years
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I am not arrogant enough to believe that only I can give a horse as good care as I can. I see no issue with letting horses which don't match what I want to go someone whose life they will enhance. I've sold two horses and a tiny pony in 6 years and each new owner has written saying they are their horse of a lifetime.
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I'm not arrogant to believe I am the only one that can give good care, maybe I am just lucky that I have got on/been able to manage all the horses that have been in my care, I actually enjoy figuring out their quirks. As yet I have not had to sell one of mine.
 
It does seem bonkers to me (in a cheerful way, not horrible way), but I’m sure it seems utterly bonkers to you that I would still have my little lunatic after all his challenges, and that I would give up my riding future in order to keep him as a pet. You don’t need to justify to us why you don’t want her anymore, what’s important is that you find her a good home, which I’m positive you will.
 
BBP said:
It does seem bonkers to me (in a cheerful way, not horrible way), but I’m sure it seems utterly bonkers to you that I would still have my little lunatic after all his challenges, and that I would give up my riding future in order to keep him as a pet. You don’t need to justify to us why you don’t want her anymore, what’s important is that you find her a good home, which I’m positive you will.
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Bonkers your horse is the luckiest boy alive, I could not have done what you have done for him.
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ycbm said:
Guys, really, I will change the horse before I go back on the merry go round of eternal saddle refitting that I can't do myself. I won't put a horse in a fixed tree, and I don't like treeless.

I know it sounds odd to some people but changing horses is fine by me, I've been doing it for over 40 years.

I know you are trying to be helpful, and I'm grateful for that, but it isn't helpful to have to keep repeating myself to answer your suggestions.

My plan is as I said above, ride straight for a month and take stock of her back and my pain levels then. We had a lovely hack this morning but both my hips are now twinging in a way they haven't done since I sold my cob.
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you said somewhere that shorter is not how you want to ride. Nor presumably any different to how you ride now. It may be the case however that you have to, nothing to do with the horse but as you get older it may be necesary to accommodate your changing body shape, muscle strength and all the other horrible things that happen to us as we get older. :D:D
 
BBP said:
It does seem bonkers to me (i cheerful way, not horrible way), but I’m sure it seems utterly bonkers to you that I would still have my little lunatic after all his challenges, and that I would give up my riding future in order to keep him as a pet. .
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to me that just seems normal. :D I have done that with every horse I have ever had. Some easy, some not but every single horse required me to adapt to it not the other way round and to find my way around managing and riding it.

I don't think age makes you more rigid in your methods. In fact it does give you a bit more wisdom as to what might work better. It is still a case of working around that particular horse's peculiarities.
 
paddy555 said:
you said somewhere that shorter is not how you want to ride. Nor presumably any different to how you ride now. It may be the case however that you have to, nothing to do with the horse but as you get older it may be necesary to accommodate your changing body shape, muscle strength and all the other horrible things that happen to us as we get older. :D:D
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It's nowhere near happening on Ludo, Paddy, I've just gone longer on him. I'm in the use it or lose it camp at the moment :)

I already ride Deza shorter than him by a fair margin to allow for her rounder barrel. .
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