Saddle changing horses gait

[Nakipa]

I bought my horse about 8 months ago and he came with his allegedly made to measure saddle which they insisted that I took as he had had problems previously with ill fitting saddles.
As soon as I got him home I realised that the saddle was not a good fit and was too low on the withers and that when ridden it was pinching him. He had lost muscle across his shoulder/wither area. I got a saddle fitter out and he checked him and said the saddle was not good for him but could not offer an alternative! I got a second opinion from a friend who was a saddle fitter and he agreed that the saddle was not a good fit but with appropriate padding would be usable until an alternative could be found.

In the mean time I have been trying different saddles including a Bates Caprilli which he went really nicely in and then I tried a couple of Albions (K2 and Selecta) After using the Albions he went very lame in the shoulder. After several weeks of rest, veterinary and osteo treatment he is now ready to come back into work and as yet I have not found a saddle that will keep him sound. The symptoms were that he takes a very short stride on his near fore when the saddle isnt fitting well. He was lame on that leg initially but that is resolved after the rest and osteo work. If I ride him in any saddle but the saddle he came with he steps short again.

He obviously has a problem in the shoulder which is exacerbated by saddles and it would seem that the previous owners have found the solution with the saddle he came with which does keep him sound but doesnt fit well enough.
I have tried contacting them to ask them about this but they are not willing to talk to me about it.

I live in France where saddle fitting is odd because they fit the saddle to the rider in my experience and then pad it out for whichever horse they are riding in it.

I don't really know how to move forward on this unless I buy something like the Caprilli and use it and see if he stays sound.

Has anyone had any experience of horses who are so sensitive to a saddle? Any suggestions?

 

[Firewell]

My horse was a bit like this with his old saddle. I needed to get something that sat behind his shoulder and not on it. This was an event saddle as opposed to a jump saddle, the jump saddles I tried were too forward cut.
Albions were not good on my horse either.
I got a shilouette saddle but a Jeffries falcon hawk event also fitted him.
It might be trial and error.
My horse moves totally even now which is lovely.

 

[CBFan]

Yes, It is entirely possible that saddles are affecting his gait. I think it is trial and error to find one that fits him well. Try some of the event saddles. I like my fieldhouse pro event. Sadly it doesn't fit my horse as he has huge shoulders but it is a lovely saddle.

In the mean time it would be worth you doing some work with him to build up his muscle across his topline - long and low lunge / longlining over poles is great for this.

You may then find saddle fitteing easier?

 

[Nakipa]

Thanks for your input and I will look into your recommendations.

We have a plan in place of lunging, long reining and a steady increase in work which starts tomorrow.

I have rang a couple of saddlers in the UK and they have offered to look at templates and pics and see what they think.

 

[K27]

Yes I've been here too!, my horse was fitted with a saddle that was not wide enough, which altered his stride and as a result the muscle in front of the withers, i ended up getting rid of said saddle, losing 2k in the process!!- as a temp measure i fitted a Bates myself, until he had built up more topline, i fitted it slightly wider than what he needed, padded it out, and within a few months at the most, he felt and looked like a different horse!- i then got him another new saddle fitted by a saddler that fitted him properly, and that he was comfortable in. My boy is also very sensitive with his shoeing and feet too, his foot balance has to be just right, otherwise he struggles- the feet and saddle really go together i think and if theres a prob with one, it affects the other!

My other horse fairly recently took a big dislike to his saddle, and he was running away from it almost, despite it having been fitted by the saddler, i've put him i a different brand of saddle and he's like a different horse- much more even,looser and more built up!

Some horses like one of mine don't like their saddles sitting too close!

It's trial and error really, you will get there though- wishing you luck with your horse!