really fed up - need help re Pidge's sensitive back

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Pidge

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Ok so did the walk and trot dressage tonight which was a disaster
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got just over 51% as Pidge lost the plot 3 times or more during the test
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the bits he did well he did very well but he was so tense and we ended up cantering sideways several times
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So schooled him some more outside after the test and he eventually went well.
So here's the bad mummy part - He has worn some of the hair off under the back right of his saddle and has a small (imagine the size of a small insect bite) open sore bit there too
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which would explain why he was worse on the right rein
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Admittedly he is fully clipped and has rubbed his chest, neck, top of dressage girth area which have all got worse recently, though I don't know why as he had his second clip well before Xmas? so he has been having copious amounts of aloe vera on daily.
So what can I do guys? He has a bib on under his rugs (one 200g indoor and a 100g breathable outer) and when using his dressage saddle I use a mattes saddle cloth with or without a thermatex exercise sheet depending on how cold it is, and with his jump saddle he has a griffin high wither wool numnah again with or without the exercise sheet. The jump saddle is a tad wide as its a 29 and my new one is a 28 (just arrived today) so have been using it with extra padding at the front on saddler fitter advice as the 29 is just on loan. Could this be why its rubbed at the back?
Just feeling really fed up as had to stop halfway through the dressage and would have retired had it not been for friend telling me to continue and I so could have burst into tears at the end of it. And then when I untacked him and found his back like that I felt like the worst mum in the world again
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I have put some sudocrem on it and it was obviously sore as he dipped his back slightly when I put it on or could that just have been because it was cold?
Was hoping to go to Somerford Park with sis, Mooch and friend on Saturday as its mine and sis birthday but I guess that's kind of off now? How long do I leave it before I can ride him again and how can I stop more hair rubbing off?
Major cookies if anyone gets this far but I really do need some help as I am now seriously fed up of unintentionally hurting my horse
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It may be worth having a look at his feed if his skin has only recently become sensitive, it is possible to develop problems even with feed that has not changed. This can be made worse by illness and/or medication. Just a thought and having had two now who were very odd with certain foods and a third who had "mud fever" which got better when taken off alfalfa and absolutely awful when given seaweed I have become obsessed
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food is the same but he has stopped his NJS as he is on a trial of a new joint supplement and this will be week 4 of it.............................. wonder if its that that's making him more sensitive
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I'd be tempted to get a second opinion on your saddle. Also, when I had mine refitted (new tree, reflocked) last summer it rubbed, saddler came back to check and said it was because of my elastic girth and told me to use a different type. Never rubbed again.

I'd give him a few days off so the rub heals fully and then have your saddle checked again.
 
I bet it is, you should have seen the big girls legs break out after three days of the seaweed, what a disaster after spending the sinter keeping them clear. The stupid thing about that was that we had a problem with some years ago, but felt that it would be a good idea as both of the younger two are on no hard feed. We will learn eventually. If you can stop it his skin will probably calm down again, if it's only a trial I would give up with it. We use eqimins flexijoint for our old lady who had stiffend and it works well for her.
 
If his skin has become sensitive the aloe vera may not be helping. You might be better treating the sore and rubbed areas with saline solution which might also help to toughen up the skin a bit.
 
thanks, proper saddle came tonight and saddle fitter is coming out on Tuesday to see how it is, she wanted me to have a play with it first but guess that's not on now
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I'd talk to her and explain the soreness, and ask if you can maybe book her for a couple of weeks time once it's had time to heal fully. My saddler came out with my altered saddle, checked it on him, then came back a month later to check it again and altered it some more. Can you do that instead?
 
think I will stop it as he's never been this bad before and the bib has always stopped him rubbing but he's awful at the moment
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I feel really sorry for him
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and just wish his hair would grow quicker!
 
yes she's been brilliant, far better than last saddler
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and Pidge loves the flair in his dressage saddle
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will ring her tomorrow and see what she says.
 
Hi
You will often see patches of lost hair at the back of panels on flair saddles as the way it works it moulds to horses back almost like a squeegy on glass - does that make sense....This pushes the hair out at moulting times (like now). Flair themselves say this hairloss is no problem but it shouldn't make a sore. What sort of numnah are you using have you tried one with a THIN layer of proper sheepskin as this seems to work well on sensitive ginger horses!!
Don't beat yourself up about it - you are doing everything to try and sort it out, these things happen on occasion.
Just to mention as well, my friend had this happen to her horse - only ever on the left side of his back, the problem was in his hock making him move crooked and putting the saddle and rider off centre.
 
Ah that explains it then! Yes he is a very spoilt horse and only has proper wool numnahs
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The sore is very tiny like a small insect bite and he has quite a few in different places so may be unconnected to the saddle after all. He did flinch this morning when I put some more sudocrem on but then he flinches when I put it on a bite on his neck, so its obviously the fact the cream is cold!
Hock makes sense as he has hock spavin in his off hind
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don't feel like quite such a bad mum this morning, just annoyed with myself for blaming him for his bad behaviour last night when it was probably a little sore on his back - I tightened the girth an extra hole and he got crabby so I slackened it back off again pre test, so I need to pay more attention to what he is telling me
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Amymay, always sheepskin my boy has expensive taste
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Don't think I ride him heavy and do sometimes do some sitting trot but not a great deal.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Amymay, always sheepskin my boy has expensive taste
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Don't think I ride him heavy and do sometimes do some sitting trot but not a great deal.

[/ QUOTE ]

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If the saddle is too wide it will be moving about and no mater what padding you put underneath it will cause rubs. Having bald spots under the saddle area is really undersirable - I know this because due to a botch up Farmkey gave one of my horses a bald freezemark on his saddle area. It took 6 months for the wounds to heal before I could even start working him from the ground and a further 3 months before I was allowed to even sit on him, in walk, for 5 minutes every other day.

If there is an open wound I wouldnt put sudocream on it. I would be trying to dry it out with salt water. After it has formed scabs, you will need to make sure that the skin doesnt toughen up (and thus will be rubbed again) by putting on something like cornucrescine.

I would definitely not be riding him at the moment. Cant imagine it would be much fun for either of you any way. Most horses will flinch when a fly lands on them, so he may not necessaryily be sensitive there. You need to place a bit of pressure with your hand to be able to determine if he is displaying any sort of sensitivity.

Also, I am a little surprised that your saddler suggested that you have a little play with the saddle before she had even fit it?
 
Will take a picture tonight as it really is tiny but I get paranoid about anything
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Saddler did fit original saddle - she brought load out to try and I had a good play in several while she was on site. She left me with this one whilst my proper one was being ordered otherwise I'd have had nothing to ride in at all - my dressage saddle was away being flaired
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The only difference with the loan saddle to proper one is the loan one is a 29 width and the proper one a 28.
Apologies if I hadn't made that clear?
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