Saddle fitting advice for after injury lay-off please!

[BeckyD]

Got the go-ahead from vet today to bring Ronnie back into walking exercise twice a day (!) - slight problem is that during his box rest and time off he's lost muscle behind his shoulder and there's now a gap there (half to one inch) with his saddle on...

What's the best way of filling this gap? Sheepskin? Prolite? Front risers?

My saddler has just gone on 2 weeks' annual leave so can't have her to check it or make a recommendation, and vet keen for Ronnie to get walking right away.

Suggestions on a postcard please!

 

[kate081]

If he's not going to be a psycho then I'd walk in hand / long rein until you can get the saddle sorted. You don't want to cause further complications.

 

[Governor]

Personally i'd go for a sheepskin or maybe a very thick polypad or prolite.

I have used, but i'm not a fan of, front/back riser pads. I find the thickest padded/riser bit isn't continuous enough past the point of tree which always seems as though it could cause pressure points.

 

[CBAnglo]

I would use a prolite and a sheepskin.

Prolite because his back muscles will be soft and the spread the pressure. Sheepskin to help fill in the gaps where the muscle wastage is, but be careful to ensure that the sheepskin is fluffy - it compresses a certain degree after being ridden.

I would stick to flat ground as well to minimise any slipping from going up and down hills (although he probably isnt up to hill work yet anyway).

 

[BeckyD]

Eeek the expense. Thank you, my saddler always recommends prolite but I thought in this case it wouldn't be enough, but with the sheepskin as well it should be enough to fill the gap. Don't worry won't be doing hill work yet! Apart from the slight slopes on the track around my yard...

 

[BeckyD]

Walking him in hand not really an option without heavy sedation, he's already tried to kill me a couple of times! Will be safer on board. But I obviously don't want to do him any harm in the meantime.

 

[BeckyD]

Ok, thanks for the guidance. I'll steer clear of the riser pads.

 

[CBAnglo]

Using a prolite depends on the horse. My youngster hates them - he hollows and gets angry when I tack up. Without it he is fine. I fitted his saddle to accommodate the prolite etc but he just hates them - always has. I do insist on one for jumping though as you need to make sure the weight is evenly spread around.

Sheepskins are good for bringing back into work. One of mine has to have a sheepskin for medical reasons so I have about 100 (as I am really lazy when it comes to washing them). The ones I am recommending to clients at the moment are the new cottage craft merino wool ones - they are by far the softest and come out really well in the wash and are about £30. There appears to be a shortage of them in some online stores though - not sure if this is directly related!

If you dont already have enough pads, you can use a thin numnah underneath the sheepksin to keep it clean longer - I use mine directly on the horse though to get the full benefits.

 

[BeckyD]

Well I'll see how the sheepskin goes and get a prolite too if it looks like it needs it. I'm not planning to ride until tomorrow to give me time to sort the saddle out. I found the Roma merino wool ones at a local tack shop but can't find cottage craft anywhere (someone else recommended them!). Mattes are supposed to be very good as well.

Yikes, he's only had 3-4 weeks off but I think he's going to find riding again very exciting.