My horse - a saddlers nightmare - any ideas ?

[whiteflower]

Im having real trouble with my boy and saddles. Hes in his teens so fully grown but has the conformation of a yak !!! He is extreamely croup high.

The problem is he is also a stress head who when ridden often turns into a pogo stick, his back end does all the bouncing whilst his head comes up - hes not going to change now hes in his twilight years.

Ive tried different saddlers, different saddles to no avail, solving one problem creates another !

With the saddle fitted to him correctly and level, his croup high butt pushes it forwards and up onto his withers. we have tried numerous things including lowering it slightly at the front to get it to sit behind the shoulder blades (no good puts pressure on shoulders and refuses to jump ) adding a point strap (same as last).

He has a VSD saddle to try and give his shoulders clearance but what ever we have tried saddle either travels forwards or digs in behind shoulder blades :-(

saddler and i are all out of ideas. as a last result i was considering using a front riser pad but am concerned about the saddle becoming unlevel and if it is worth trying which one to get ??

anyone else have this problem or any saddle experts out there as before long im going to have to give up and ride my pogo stick bare back :-o

sorry for the essay - this problems has been going on about as long as this post !!

 

[MissTyc]

I used to be very wary of reaching for pads, but these days I don't think it a second thought - I've seen horses that are extremely difficult to fit go right within days of using a riser pad and I'm now wondering if my previous concerns were based on some inner snootiness :lol: ... Pad make it look like you haven't bothered to have a saddle fitted! But actually, they have their place in saddle fitting and you might find that after a few months with a pad, his back/wither shape might actually change enough for you to ditch the pad again. So often the "strange" shapes of horses are actually caused by years of incorrect tack fitting or incorrect riding (not at all implying this is the case here as I don't know how long you've had him!)

 

[tallyho!]

Does he have prominently "high" whithers?

ETS: Sorry, I know you said croup high but what I meant was a prominent whither, where there is very little muscle either side iykwim...

 

[whiteflower]

thanks for the replies - tallyho - he has what i would call 'average' withers, not high but not flat. he is well muscled around the withers (or at least is when i can ride him !!) although he has a mild 'dip' behind the shoulder blades which i assume is due to the way he goes ie doesnt work through his back very well, is very high with his head carriage (which im sure is all to do with the chicken and egg situation with the saddle !!)

Ive had him for years and as he has got older and his back has dipped slightly the problem has become more pronounced. i just cant see anyway out so am willing to try anything as dont want to retire him just because i cant sort out his saddling issue as i'd feel it was such a waste and that i'd failed him, although i am getting to that point now :-(

 

[Luci07]

Does anyone at your yard have one to test? we can normally ask around at ours for odd bits to try out. I have acquiried various pads etc over the years for new/odd shaped horses and they have been very useful. Old lady is currently sporting my geldings wide jump saddle with a full sheepskin pad under it (fitted by my saddler till mare gets more of her shape back)

I have no issue with using pads - riser or sheepskin. Its only when people insist on putting sheepskin pads under a properly fitted saddle that I would query it!

 

[Dawng]

The only thing I've seen used on a saddle that slips forward is a crupper - might be worth a try.

 

[Bosworth]

He needs an offset girth to try and prevent the saddle coming forwards. he also needs the shortest length saddle you can get away with to reduce the length onto his loins as that is where the back rises and will cause the saddle to be pushed forwards. I would also recommend a saddle without rear gussets as that would again reduce the length along the back. At the front you need to have the saddle fitted correctly with the correct clearance over the withers, but you can also have it increased in pad size at the wither to level the saddle out. The key to saddle fit is that the saddle is level along the back with even pressure. Pads won't solve your problem if your saddle is incorrect for your horse, they simply mask the issue. Whereabouts in the country are you - I might be able to recommend someone to help you.

 

[whiteflower]

thank you so much bosworth, what you have said makes total sense and sounds like it is definately a route to look into.

sorry im a bit dim but what is an offset girth, never heard of it ??

sending you pm re my location

eta - also rear gussets ??? - im a total saddling numpty !!

 

[Bosworth]

http://www.adamshorsesupply.com/prodimg/2810168.jpg this is an off set girth. The girth sits forward and then angles backwards. That means it cannot slip forwards and pull the saddle forwards with it. a common problem with horses that are croup high, or narrow around the girth area. mares often are wider in teh gut than the ribs and push their girth forward. so having an offset where the actual buckles are further back than the front part ofthe girth can help enormously.

The gussets - are the extended pad part and the back of the saddle that stick out behind. I suspect that if yours is an Albion they are actually quite deep pads behind. Those can be removed altogether which would mean your saddle actually sat shorter on his back. The saddler would just remove some of the material and reduce the size of the pads.

 

[EstherYoung]

A friend of mine became the UK distributor for Specialized Saddles after struggling to fit a similarly croup high horse: http://www.tyn-y-clyn-bedandbreakfast.co.uk/

They look a bit weird but as you can build them up round the horse they are good for peculiar shapes.

 

[LittleBlackMule]

Have you thought about trying a good brand of treeless saddle. They are not everyone's cup of tea but can work well for many.

By 'good' brand I mean Heather Moffett, Freeform etc. The cheap stuff on Ebay needs to be avoided at all costs!

 

[ozpoz]

He does sound as if he is in some discomfort when you describe his way of going and conformation/saddle issues. Strapping something down in one area usually results in increased pressure somewhere else which is why I'm not in favour of point straps or other similar 'fixes'

I would think about trying a reputable treeless who will fit to your horse.

 

[soloequestrian]

Try Balance International. Their saddles are the best for all horses anyway, and they would be happy to fit a crupper ring if that was what was needed. If it's good enough for the Spanish Riding School....