Saddle fitting

[Jazz18]

I had my horses saddles checked at the end of May only to discover that both dressage and jump saddle are both extremely tight and sitting low on the wither. He is now very sore in his back and wither. I've had a chiropractor out who has told me it is the result of the ill fitting saddle. This is the third saddle I have bought for him as this seems to be a recurring problem. How often do you need to have your saddles checked? Can the horse change shape so much in a month? Have I just had poor saddle fitters? The horse is not particularly difficult to fit as far as I'm aware but he is bouncy with a big movement.

 

[be positive]

They can change shape in a few weeks for many reasons, as an owner you can learn what to keep an eye on regarding saddle fit, start to monitor the condition of the horses back and musculature to ensure it does not cause an issue when it changes, you may have used a poor saddle fitter so the more aware you are of what to look out for and questions to ask the better service you should get.
A sore back is not always caused by a poor saddle even if that seems the most obvious cause so if it is a reoccurring issue or is not easily resolved do get a vet in to look because it can be caused by issues elsewhere, a chiro cannot diagnose and may go for the most obvious reason as the cause of pain.

 

[Shay]

Make sure you are susing a saddle fitter who is both qualified and of good reputation locally.

 

[oldie48]

Depending on the work you are doing they can change shape quite rapidly. I had a new saddle back in December and it has been adjusted twice now but my mare had no muscle when I bought her. she's also had some soreness in her back, partially caused by the saddle but mainly by the change in work. The change in shape is very visable and she looks a different horse to the one I bought.I f your horse has put a lot of weight on recently that will also affect the fit of the saddle, if it's tight on the wither it's probably tipping you back slightly so you are sitting at the back of the saddle and this in turn could cause soreness as your weight won't be distributed as evenly. However, I think I may be questioning how good your saddler is as yourtime frame is very short.

 

[sbloom]

Has the horse lost a lot of weight? If not then I'd be a little concerned about the horse becoming narrower, as that means lost muscle. It CAN mean throwing up a wither, but then the tree doesn't usually become too wide, it just tips the saddle back to begin with. I would go back to the first fitter and ask them if the flocking could have collapsed that quickly, sometimes it happens, or perhaps they didn't quite lift it enough to begin with. If I choose not to narrow a tree (if that was one option in May) then I have that discussion with the customer, it has an upside if the horse fills back out again as you don't need to widen the tree as you never narrowed it, but if a horse loses weight or muscle for some other reason then it can end up like this, with the saddle too low and too much pressure on the top edge of the panels.

 

[Wheels]

I'd be concerned about this, one of mine got narrower due to losing topline - not because of the saddle but bilateral lameness hind leg lameness - might be worth a deeper check

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

There is a so-called "saddle fitter" in the South West of England which if I mentioned the name on here everyone in the SW would know it!! She's as batty as a hoop and has the "one saddle fits all" philosophy. Amazingly, people still use her.

She is known for "fitting narrow"....... I say this because it might be that your "saddle fitter" who you've used, has an eye inclined to do the same. Just offering this as a thought!!

 

[TotalMadgeness]

I had a similar problem - wither and back pain - loss of topline etc. After different saddles physio chiro and vet we eventually discovered his hocks were causing the back pain. We treated the hocks, did a lot of unridden rehab and replaced the saddle and thankfully no more issues. As for regular saddle checks I go for twice a year. My youngster went through 4 saddles in his first couple of years due to work/feed. He changed shape rapidly!

 

[little_critter]

There is a so-called "saddle fitter" in the South West of England which if I mentioned the name on here everyone in the SW would know it!! She's as batty as a hoop and has the "one saddle fits all" philosophy. Amazingly, people still use her.

She is known for "fitting narrow"....... I say this because it might be that your "saddle fitter" who you've used, has an eye inclined to do the same. Just offering this as a thought!!

can you PM me her name please. I'm in the SW and would like to know who to avoid.

 

[Trouper]

Please don't take this personally but do you have any back issues?? Sometimes we are so engrossed in considering the horse's diet, workload, conformation, potential medical conditions we forget that the person actually sitting on the saddle may be making a contribution to the problem too and horse owners are the world's worst at looking after themselves!!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Please don't take this personally but do you have any back issues?? Sometimes we are so engrossed in considering the horse's diet, workload, conformation, potential medical conditions we forget that the person actually sitting on the saddle may be making a contribution to the problem too and horse owners are the world's worst at looking after themselves!!

^^^^ This. If your horse needs physio/treatment, then so do you, and vice versa.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

"little_critter" I have PM'd you.