is this a conformation fault??

[lisa_lou]

Hello i have a 15.2 5.5yr old irish thoroughbred, she was quite a late developer and very straight backed with hind quaters much higher when i bought her at 3yrs old. she is now working and competing at a local level so far but am having trouble to get a saddle to fit her. I have had numerous master saddlers out and tried over 20 saddles but they all slinde forward up her neck when cantering or jumping. Can anyone please give me some advice as to help a saddle stay in place. Ive tried all sorts of sticky pads/ risers etc?? Also this is prob due to her hind quaters still being alot higher than her wither, do you think she has still got some growing to do or is she too old now? many thanks for any advice.

 

[KingCharles]

She could still catch up at front, but there are some horses that dont and always remain croup high.
There is a horse on my yard in his teens who is built like this, he is very uncomfortable to ride becasue he is very heavy on his forhand becasue of his conformation. There coudl be a chance for your horse yet though..

 

[ester]

our mare was prob a bit bum high at 5 still, she is now wither high but has very narrow shoulders so saddles tend to go forwards especially if she applies ABS!

Her saddle has a point strap on it which helps and we use a gel eze pad

 

[scallywags]

She sounds croup high (basically bum higher than wither) A lot of horses are, (my girl included) she may straighten up, but may also stay as she is, and saddle's slipping forward can be a problem.
How different is the height of her bum and wither ? My girl is about 1inch out
If shes not going to change, you need a good saddle maker, not just fitter, who can fit a saddle to her shape and increase the height of the padding at the front of the saddle (1 inch in my girls case) to make it level on her back, so it dosnt run downhill.
Or if shes still growing, get a shimmable numnah, so you can put the correct amount of padding infront to level the saddle, but if you do this you may need a saddle at least one size wider than she is, as the additional padding will make the saddle narrower

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Agree with scallywags, also might be worth trying a crupper strap (which goes under the tail), to stop the saddle tipping forwards.