Physio's Saddler's Vet's...

[pistolpete]

Can anyone help me with my dodgy little horse! Got im sound now in work again but... saddle rubbing his hair off his back. Tried two different saddles tried gel pad tried wool numnah. Haven't tried two thin numnahs that occured to me today, don't want to make his saddle feel tight. Any suggestions?
General feeling is that it happens because of his slightly bizzare gait. But he is sound I promise!

 

[pistolpete]

Help?

 

[AmyMay]

Where is the hair being rubbed?

 

[pistolpete]

It's at the back edge of the saddle. More on one side than the other. Not sore but is tight. Physio coming back on Friday. Vet saw him today.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

yopu need to make sure the saddle isnt slipping to one side either from imbalance in panels/wonky horse or crooked rider! a stephens gel can help if evrything else has checked out ok
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stephens-..._Equipment&hash=item483a84dfe6#ht_1250wt_1090

^ all the hunt staff horses wear them and its helped stop the rubbing on one hunter by OH who is permantly crooked after breaking his back

 

[pistolpete]

Stupid question! Can you still use a numnah? If so does gel pad go under it? Guess so?

 

[Joanna710]

My boy has two symmetrical rubbed spots on his back, in the same place that you have mentioned. I spoke to his physio and his trimmer about it, they both said that it is nothing to worry about and is most likely due to the saddlecloth rubbing at the hair due to the way his back rolls as he walks (he's has quite active gaits). When I asked why this only started happening recently, apparently it is more common on longer, old winter coats where the hair is dying and brittle.

Pleased to report that my boy is growing in a lovely fresh crop of summer coat where the bald patches used to be... I found massaging a spot of pig oil into the bare patches has helped to stop the skin from drying out, plus it stopped the bald spots from being so obvious as my boy is black

Hope that helps, I know several other horses who have the same issue and they are all also sound

 

[Rachellouise1]

It could well be just cost changing, mine has done it each year just briefly. Then new coat has grown and no further bald patches. Hers did it all round her elbows and girth area - cue major panic first year but once I'd purchased a fur girth sleeve. Problem solved, hope this helps xx

 

[pistolpete]

He has his summer coat now and still the same. The oil rubbed in sounds like a good plan.

 

[Honey08]

I would be very wary of rubbing oil into rubbed skin on the back. Especially if no rugs on the horse and its a sunny day. You could well end up with the area getting burned and worse..

 

[Flame_]

If the saddle's rubbing the new summer coat out it needs altering or changing.

ETA Possibly can be done by altering choice of padding underneath, possibly can't.