Reasons for saddle slip, bit of an accident this morning...

[Girlracer]

Well i'm now laid up in bed missing work after parting company with Major this morning! I was having a canter through one of the fields this morning, in a forward seat a pheasant thought that was a good time to fly out at us, cue pony darting left very quickly! He's done this a few times and i've always managed to re-gain control and clamber back into the seat, but this morning my saddle slipped big time, i had absolutely no chance and landed hard on my lower back and am in agony with it now.

But what reasons are there for the saddle to slip like this? He wears a 5 point breast plate, and girth was as tight as it would go, i wonder whether maybe the elastic in the girth stretched? But really i have no way of knowing.

He's a thoroughbred and although isn't particularly high withered i wouldn't imagine it should be so easy for the saddle to slip to this extent?

Any ideas gratefully received!

 

[Lanky Loll]

Does seem a bit odd - hope you're not too sore.

What sort of saddle is it? Racing saddle or GP/Jumping style?
If it was a pad might be worth using an overgirth?
Also could be the numnah moving maybe?

 

[buzzles]

This happened to me a few weeks ago on my highly sensitive youngster! My own fault though as I put on a leather girth with elastic on one side instead of his wintec, I thought it would be ok as I did up the elastic on the off side and it was fairly tight but not overly so. Anyway he got a spook and kind of threw his weight into his near shoulder and pissed off, next minute I'm hanging off the near side dangerously close to the fence and galloping around the arena. Came to a sudden stop and I landed on the fence. Luckily apart from an impressivly colourful bruise at the top of my thigh I was ok but he was quite shook up. I think as he got the spook he breathed in really quickly, elastic went loose, he threw his weight to one side, saddled slipped and then when he breathed out again elastic went tight, as it definitly wasn't loose as I opened to get it off him to straighten it.
Moral of the story don't use one sided elastic girths, I now use a shaped one with elastic on both ends or else a wintec!

 

[Tempi]

Id get a saddler out to check the fit of the saddle

 

[Girlracer]

Does seem a bit odd - hope you're not too sore.

What sort of saddle is it? Racing saddle or GP/Jumping style?
If it was a pad might be worth using an overgirth?
Also could be the numnah moving maybe?

Here's a photo of it...

It's a close contact jeffries flyover. I always use a saddlecloth and half pad, and have never had this problem before?

 

[YasandCrystal]

Hi it could be a sharp intake of breathe by Captain. I had a saddle do a 360 degree - different and sad circumstances - it was pain induced the horses leg broke, but I assume that the surprise/shock can do it.

 

[AmyMay]

Try using less underneath it so that the fit is not compromised....



But saddles will slip because they're not done up properly, do not fit the horse, or the shape of the horse makes it difficult for 'a' saddle to fit.

As with Tempi's suggestion - get your saddler out to check it and go from there.

 

[Lanky Loll]

Hmm so much less likely to slip under normal circ's than a pad! It could well be as others have suggested that he took a deep breath as he swerved but I'd want to check if the numnah and pad could have moved as well. - As Amymay's said the pad is stopping the fit from being as close as it should be - so that could well have contributed.

 

[*hic*]

I'd get a saddler out to check the fit of the saddle and advise on whether the half pad is necessary - saddle seems to be very high off his back.

 

[Girlracer]

Okay, i'll remove the half pad, and think have a girth change and go from there. The saddle has been recently checked but i suppose it won't hurt to have it checked. Thing is when i finally caught up with him the saddlecloth etc had gone with the saddle and were perfectly in place under the saddle. I also mounted from the ground with no problem?