muscle wastage round withers due to ill fitting saddle

M

mole

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 April 2007
Messages
643
Location
Gloucestershire
Visit site
how do you go about fixing this?

my saddle was too wide and we also used a point strap to girth up with and with a change of coat pressure points have shown up although horse was happy in the saddle.


i got saddler out and point strap changed to normal girthing and also had flocking added to make the saddle clear the withers and fit her shape more. however got saddle back and horse doesnt like it one bit especially canter. she was previously fine before saddle was altered.


i think that it needs less flocking to give horse room to move around and start building muscle again but with sheepskin pad. isnt making the saddle a narrower fitting just excentuating (sp!) the problem? or do i need to get a different saddle altogether?

Please help as saddler returning 2mrw!!!
 
Personally I'd stop riding and spend at least 6-8 weeks long reining long & low before reassessing her muscle atrophy.
 
Surely your saddler should be advising you on this ride the horse in the saddle for the saddler so she can see what happens when you canter. You might not have the correct fitting yet. Also I would get a back person/ pysio out to give your horse a seaso before you start riding work again, they can work wonders, and take advice on how much ridden work she can have as can work wonders for them, then it will be back to basic schooling exercises, some long reing as said above some lunging maybe with a pessoa or similar.
 
depending on how bad the muscle wastage is, it can be very hard to fit a saddle onto a horse with v bad wastage behind withers... because sometimes a sort of 'shelf' is created where the saddle ends up sitting etc etc.

if the wastage is very bad, your saddle fitter might suggest you long rein/lunge for a while until the muscle starts to come back a bit.

did the fitter fit the saddle to the horse after re-doing the flocking?

if you trust your fitter, let them sort it out. sometimes they may do things that seem a bit odd to a non-fitter-person, but remember they are trained, and in theory should know what they're doing.

let them come out and watch her in canter etc. and ask for advice. if you're not happy with their advice, ask on here for a recommended one in your area.

eta: get a physio/back person out too. pref one that deals with muscles rather than a chiro.
 
clipcloppop said:
depending on how bad the muscle wastage is,


did the fitter fit the saddle to the horse after re-doing the flocking?
Click to expand...

the muscle wastage isnt that bad but i think she needs room to move. and the saddler sent saddle back in post and didnt fit it to the horse after flocking done - which i found odd.

im thinking of changing saddles altogether and getting a thorowgood t6 with fish inserts and then i can alter it as and when needed. (hubby said he'd buy me one for xmas :))
 
mole said:
the muscle wastage isnt that bad but i think she needs room to move. and the saddler sent saddle back in post and didnt fit it to the horse after flocking done - which i found odd.

im thinking of changing saddles altogether and getting a thorowgood t6 with fish inserts and then i can alter it as and when needed. (hubby said he'd buy me one for xmas :))
Click to expand...

saddle fitter should really have fitted it, unless there was a reason why? you say they're coming out tomorrow though? that's good. get them to reflock on site if you can (most fittes carry flocking stuff around) so you can have them there whilst you try it.

without meaning to sound like a right proper nag... don't get a T6 without having one fitted, as although they are adjustable, and fit lots of horses very well... they don't fit all horses. it's only the width at the front that's adjustable... not the shape of the tree which is also important in the fitting procedure.

p.s. saddle for xmas? you're spoilt! :D
 
Last edited:
Look at BALANCE International! Their saddling system is designed to avoid exactly this problem or to rehabilitate horses in which it has occurred.
 
Been there with the muscle wastage (ex saddler :mad:) new saddler put flair (air bags) in my dressage saddle and comes every 6months to readjust as necessary. Having the air in the saddle has meant he has been able to build up the muscle where it had wasted away.
What your saddler needs to do is to fit the saddle to how it should be when the muscle has built up and recommend something to use under it which will allow your horse to build the muscle up. If the saddle is fitted to the horse now then there is no option for the muscle to be built up. Does that make sense?
PM Bosworth on here as she is very good at this and will give you some more advice.
 
thanks for your help i'll have a long chat with the saddler 2mrw. hopefully he's bringing a t4 thorowgood and a kent and masters (same tree as the t6) and we'll see if they fit.

what would be the best type of pad to use under a saddle to help my horse?
 
Again - speak to the saddler as some pads can alter the fit of your saddle and make a well fitting saddle not fit. My local one always checks and asks to have the numnahs used with the saddle there so they can fit as best as possible. A big thick wool numnah sounds great but can alter the fit drastically. Sometimes you are better off with just a simple cotton numnah under a well fitting saddle.

Last time I had mine done we went through all the numnahs I have and made sure that my horse had the best I could possibly give him so he is as comfortable as possible. He prefers a wool numnah these days as it keeps his back warmer when we go for our trundles round the lanes - I had the saddle altered to accomodate this so he would be comfortable.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top