saddle/back issue Any advice??

[ChrisRT]

Hi
I am new to this forum, I just wondered if anyone out there has had any experence like this: I have a fantastic mare who is so honest and kind I event her at prenovice level but looking to go novice. Ever since I have had her she has been sensitive in her back although I did not realise this at the time as she was very green.
To cut a very long story short I was persuaded to change saddle approx 17 months ago, to an oversized one with lots of padding , you know the company.... she went really well for a while her stride lengths improved and she appeared more relaxed in her back. After a month or two her way of going wasnt quite right she looked choppy and tense not lame but uneven behind. We changed the padding arrangment and she went well again...for a short while ...changed pad arrangement again and goes well again..repeat repeat several times!! In the end after removing some padding I unwittingly hurt her back. She had a couple of month off. In the end I decided to go back to a conventional saddle Dec 2010. The day I took her to be fitted was amazing, she was fantasitc her trot was fab etc. So I got the saddle took it home and had some excellent schooling sessions. But after about 3 weeks things went down hill again so the saddler came to check it...he couldnt believe it he said it didnt fit her any more and very kindly swapped it for another brand new one!!! Again she went well....for a while then started to detereorate.. which is where I am now!!!!!
She has been checked by physio and mc timony and I have arranged to see the vet next week. Her teeth are done regularly. Its very frustrating . Any ideas would be gratefully received.

 

[soloequestrian]

Did you speak to Balance during the time when you were changing padding regularly (I assume that is the brand you're talking about)? They are really helpful, and will not leave a horse uncomfortable. If you can get Carol or Lesley to come and have a look, I'm sure they would be able to help. I suspect they would be very interested in your unusual case too! They've recently expanded their range of saddles, so perhaps might have something that would suit your horse better than the first one you had.

 

[Booboos]

If she were mine I would start with the vet. He needs to exclude any underlying problem, before the physio and saddler help you further.

If she is given the all clear by the vet it just sounds like she is a very sensitive mare and you will need to keep a very close eye on her saddle fit. I usually have 6 monthly phyio and saddle fitting appointments, but it may be that she needs to be seen every 3 months instead. Also, it might be worth getting out a saddle with a huge variety of different saddles, e.g. air, flock, semi-treed, flexible tree, and even treeless, to see if there is one type she likes more than others.

 

[ChrisRT]

Thanks for your advice, yes the vet is next, but I am puzzled why she can go so well then so bad! If there was anything serious you would have thought it is always bad. As for Balance they were originally very helpful, but one occasion we thought she had muscled up and they advised to have my saddled widened (as she wasnt going well at the time) again after a couple of weeks we went downhill again. Seems like you needed to be an expert in saddle fitting to get the pads right! Then after her back got sore (due to pad arrangment I had to hire a smaller size!)
Thanks x