Lumps under saddle

[SlumDonkey]

I have a little cob, just backed last year and going nicely, bought a saddle for him, had it fitted and checked and thought everything was good, then in the new year I noticed he was developing lumps on one side of his withers, couldn't see anything, but could feel something like hard skin under his fur, got saddle fitter back, he said saddle was fine and the lumps were nothing to do with the saddle. I thought maybe the cob had got a bit sweaty, so made sure he was thoroughly washed off after each ride. In the spring, my cobs fur started coming out in tufts, over the lumps, leaving a raw patch of skin, so cob had a couple of weeks off (white hairs have appeared on the opposite side of his withers) and I had the saddle fitter back, he said the saddle didn't fit and sold me another one.

I thought everything was good with the new saddle, and the fur has grown back over the raw patch, but the poor pony is still very sensitive in that area and now I think I can feel a new lump forming !

I am reluctant to get the saddle fitter back as I'm sure he'll just say it's nothing to do with the saddle like he did last time. I tried to book an appointment with another very experienced saddle fitter BUT he says seeing as the saddle is less than 6 months old it must be checked by the original saddle fitter !

I have discussed this with my vet but she just says she's not a saddle fitter and doesn't know what's causing it, but it must be connected to the saddle as it's under the saddle.

I think it must be to do with pressure and possibly friction/movement as when I had a close look at the cobs skin it looks almost like a graze type scab.

I just wondered if anyone has had anything similar and had any ideas as to what is causing this ?

 

[Wizpop]

so sorry you’re having these problems!
my horse had small bumps in the saddle area which went away when I stopped riding him ( lameness issue) they don’t sound like your though, small nodules which were mentioned by vet at vetting as small collagen lumps and harmless. It would seem that mine were caused by the saddle.

I know that might not be much help, but it would be interesting to know if your cob’s went away when not ridden for a while- for me that would be pretty conclusive. As he is so young and is still sensitive in the area, probably the time off would help him forget the soreness and rebuild his confidence too.

If they don’t then possibly not saddle , although my strong gut reaction is that it must be!
If they go away, I’d be very tempted to draw a line under the experience with the first saddle fitter, sell the saddle and start again- if finances allow as I realise you’ll have spent a lot already. Whatever you do, don’t be tempted to buy another saddle from this saddle fitter!

 

[Sossigpoker]

Where the hair has come off and grown back white , the tissue in that area has been damaged by the saddle. That doesn't happen as a result of sweating and blocked pores.
I'd definitely get a different saddle fitter from now on.
Firm bumps under the saddle can be caused by blocked pores or even a reaction to a detergent , but the hair only turns white as a result of a trauma.

Make sure that, once you have a fitted and fitting saddle, you wash the numnah regularly and use a detergent that's not very perfumed. I wash mine after every 3-5 uses but if the numnah is wet from the sweat I will wash it after every use
Mine gets blocked pores very easily otherwise

 

[Red-1]

I agree that small pea like lumps can be not a fault of the saddle, but a raw patch followed by white hair, and more white hair the other side of the wither, sounds like a saddle issue.

I would call a different saddler. You can use whichever saddler you choose, you are not tied to just one. You will likely have to take a financial hit though - 6 months is too long to prove a saddle didn't fit when fitted and they don't come with a lifetime guarantee. I would not trust the first saddler though.

 

[L&M]

My cob also had mysterious lumps come up in random places under his saddle and definitely not related to saddle fit as were more like cysts - we put it down to some form of bacterial infection and treated them with hibiscrub and sudocreme. I also bought a foam pad to go under his saddle, then cut holes out where the lumps were, so when we rode him the lumps weren't aggravated.

He only had them once in 10 yrs of ownership, but coincidentally got them the same year that he had his only bout of mud fever - so I put it down to a certain bacteria in the soil where he was at livery. Once he left that yard we had no more problems....

 

[Barton Bounty]

Put your saddle on itself bare, no numnah, stirrups or anything. Have a look for any bridging and any parts that may be causing the pressure. Get the original fitter out again as he has sold you a saddle that’s not fit for purpose ??‍

 

[Highmileagecob]

If your cob has only been backed a year, is he a youngster? Cobs do change shape as they mature and develop muscle, and you may not find a good fitting saddle until he is eight or nine years old and finally levels out. Please don't take this the wrong way - but are you the correct weight for your cob? Very easy to get a perfect fitting saddle that cannot distribute the weight it carries.

 

[SlumDonkey]

Highmileagecob, no offence taken ! He's 5 and only tiny, 13.2, and I'm 5'5'' and about a size 12, so not huge, but yes we don't have as much leeway as a bigger horse and smaller rider, but saddle fitter should be able to fit saddle to compensate, or just tell me I'm too big !

Thanks for your comments everyone, to reply to a few points.................
This is the second saddle I've bought and had fitted in the last year, the first one caused serious problems, this one hasn't yet, but I'm sure it isn't right.
I am very fussy about clean numnahs and make sure they are well rinsed.
I'm sure he wouldn't have problems if he wasn't ridden, but that's not what we keep horses for is it ? (I do have 2 retired happy lawnmowers) and that's why I'm frustrated that someone who is charging me to keep my horse comfortable isn't doing what I am paying for !
I can't see anything obvious wrong with the saddle, but then I'm not a saddle fitter.
I am sure this is going to cost me ££££, and at this point I don't care, I need this problem fixed and my horse comfortable.

I'm thinking could it be something like, the kind of tree in the saddle (shape or springy-ness) doesn't suit that shape of horse and is causing more movement/pressure than there should be ?

I need a real expert to help, but I've had so many bad experiences with saddle fitters, these days they all seem to be tied to one brand and just want to sell you that brand. I'm waiting to hear back from the one who seems most experienced in my area, but when I tried to book an appointment his assistant told me the Association of Master Saddlers prevented any saddler from seeing a horse that had been fitted by one of their members within the last 12 months.

 

[SlumDonkey]

Sorry, not 12 months, I should have said 6 months.

 

[Highmileagecob]

You are possibly on dangerous ground if you are expecting the saddle fitter to tell yo that you are too big for your cob.....! Do you have a trustworthy friend or reliable instructor who could give an honest opinion? And bear in mind that your cob won't have the developed topline of an older horse to help pad him out a bit. I am thinking along the lines that his movement and lack of muscle will not 'hold' the tree as it would later on, and the saddle points may be causing a pinch point. A good treeless saddle might fit the bill until he has built some muscle - would that be something to consider?

 

[planete]

Sorry, not 12 months, I should have said 6 months.

Yes, I have just experienced this. No comment from me as it might be a tad controversial. The saddle made for my pony and for which I waited nine months is no longer suitable for him. The carefully chosen tree is no longer right for him. I realised this and called an independent saddle fitter I trust. My pony cob got this saddle last February rising nine and has now changed shape with work to the extent the space between his front legs looks twice as wide than it did last year. I am waiting for a trial of a Solution Smart saddle in the hope of not having to go through this with another treed saddle. If you were anywhere near Hampshire I could recommend somebody for treed saddles.

 

[Barton Bounty]

You are possibly on dangerous ground if you are expecting the saddle fitter to tell yo that you are too big for your cob.....! Do you have a trustworthy friend or reliable instructor who could give an honest opinion? And bear in mind that your cob won't have the developed topline of an older horse to help pad him out a bit. I am thinking along the lines that his movement and lack of muscle will not 'hold' the tree as it would later on, and the saddle points may be causing a pinch point. A good treeless saddle might fit the bill until he has built some muscle - would that be something to consider?

That was going to be my suggestion, heather moffat does a lot of treeless saddles that are for short coupled horses, might be worth a try

 

[SlumDonkey]

You are possibly on dangerous ground if you are expecting the saddle fitter to tell yo that you are too big for your cob.....! Do you have a trustworthy friend or reliable instructor who could give an honest opinion? And bear in mind that your cob won't have the developed topline of an older horse to help pad him out a bit. I am thinking along the lines that his movement and lack of muscle will not 'hold' the tree as it would later on, and the saddle points may be causing a pinch point. A good treeless saddle might fit the bill until he has built some muscle - would that be something to consider?

I think I'm fat (what woman doesn't !), but honestly I'm not, I've given up weighing myself, too depressing, but about size 12, and yes several people have also told me I'm not too big for him.
I've been wondering about treeless, I have one which I hate (Barefoot Cheyenne) but maybe something with an English type "twist" would be ok ? Will have a look at Heather Moffat saddles.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I think I'm fat (what woman doesn't !), but honestly I'm not, I've given up weighing myself, too depressing, but about size 12, and yes several people have also told me I'm not too big for him.
I've been wondering about treeless, I have one which I hate (Barefoot Cheyenne) but maybe something with an English type "twist" would be ok ? Will have a look at Heather Moffat saddles.

Heather moffats are really comfy

 

[SlumDonkey]

Yes, I have just experienced this. No comment from me as it might be a tad controversial. The saddle made for my pony and for which I waited nine months is no longer suitable for him. The carefully chosen tree is no longer right for him. I realised this and called an independent saddle fitter I trust. My pony cob got this saddle last February rising nine and has now changed shape with work to the extent the space between his front legs looks twice as wide than it did last year. I am waiting for a trial of a Solution Smart saddle in the hope of not having to go through this with another treed saddle. If you were anywhere near Hampshire I could recommend somebody for treed saddles.

Wow ! That sounds expensive ! (your saddle experience I mean) I know horses change shape, I guess I'm just a bit cynical, I've had some bad experiences with saddle fitters.
Actually I'm not a million miles from Hampshire, just over the border in Wiltshire, so recommendations would be great thanks.

 

[planete]

I will pm you but I do not know how far she will go.

 

[sbloom]

SMS fitters have to refer back to the original fitter in cases like these, in theory you can go to the SMS themselves if you're having problems but I'm not sure that always yields results. It does sound like it's probably a saddle issue, for anything on one side of the horse it's almost always to do with the saddle slipping to one side, which may be fixable through adjusting the saddle, may be fixable with a different saddle, but nearly always has a significant component of wonky horse and rider. I would look to work on both of you separately as well as getting the saddle sorted - my usual recommendations Rider Reboot, Wild Magic LLC for rider and horse in that order.

It's VERY hard for fitters to tell riders they're too big - imagine, a customer comes to you, they've had the horse vetted for them, they have a regular trainer, they have a bodyworker for the horse...and none of them have said the rider's too big. Bane of my life, as a specialist fitter for wider horses and ponies, frequently bought to be weight carriers, but usually short backed!

 

[SlumDonkey]

Thanks, but what does "Rider Reboot, Wild Magic LLC for rider and horse" mean ?

Original saddle fitter coming out this afternoon.

Also, yes, I see lots of photos of larger ladies riding, well riding all sorts of horses, I am not a "fuller filly" !

 

[sbloom]

If you Google each term you'll find them, FB pages too.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Wow ! That sounds expensive ! (your saddle experience I mean) I know horses change shape, I guess I'm just a bit cynical, I've had some bad experiences with saddle fitters.
Actually I'm not a million miles from Hampshire, just over the border in Wiltshire, so recommendations would be great thanks.

I'll PM you with a recommendation for a saddle fitter

 

[SlumDonkey]

If you Google each term you'll find them, FB pages too.

Ok, Thanks.