Saddle help?

My_chestnut_mare

My_chestnut_mare

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My saddle has been checked by a saddler and fits perfect but i didnt ride in it when it was fitted i have had it a year and is is the thorowgood T4 changeable gullet so saddler changed gullet for me and i sat on it and was perfect.

But started to ride my mare last week and the saddle kept slipping to the right. I thought that my stirrup leathers were lopsided but they were fine. I also ride with a sheepskin half pad under saddle along with a numnah.So my instructor said to try and ride with out the half pad as it might of been that so rode with out it and it didnt slip as bad but still sliped.

So i phoned my saddler and she said that it is most likely to be that she is more muscle to the right than the left and to put more padding on the left under the saddle.

I was just wondering if there were any numnahs or pads that have removable pads as i dont need padding on the right just the left.
 
saddler should see you ride in saddle.

sorry, it's something I get particularly het up about
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my saddler spends ages with us to make sure saddle fits horse and that saddle fit rider and that the combination works together.
 
Agree with Mrs M on that one.

However, if you do need to raise the saddle Le Meiux do a sheepskin pad that has inserts you can change round. Not cheap though
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Would suggest you have the saddler out to check, see the problem, and fix it
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yes i will get the saddler out again so she can see me riding.

I suppose it was stupid of me not to let her see me riding but just needed a saddle and didnt have a bridle to fit so couldnt ride properly.

will also get back man out just incase there is a problem.
 
Absolutely agree that you need to get your saddle fitter out and have him/her watch you ride. If, as is very common, your horse is lop sided, then it can be reflocked to make adjustments on either side.
 
If the saddle is slipping to the right the horse would have more muscle on the left, not the right. A saddle starts off life as symetrical. If it is put on an asymetrical horse it will move to where there is less muscle, not more. Thats just the laws of physics, so i am afraid your saddler is wrong. By putting more padding on the left the saddle will be even more lopsided.

In my opinion your saddler has made a big mistake. You CANNOT say a saddle fits perfectly without seeing the horse move. Many horses are better on one rein, hence asymmetry occurs. The way a horse moves affects the saddle and you just cant see if it fits perfectly without movement. Was the saddle 'fitted' with the numnah and sheepskin pad underneath it too? Because you should really fit a saddle with nothing then add a thin cotton or wool numnah afterwards. If several pads must be used (usually because the owner wants to rather than the horse needs it) Then the saddle should be fitted with the numnahs to be used. Again the horse HAS to move because a well fitting saddle can easily be made not to fit with the use of pads/numnahs.

I expect your horses left shoulder is bigger than the right, so it pushes the saddle over. And/or the horse could be asymetrical behind the shoulders. If it is a relatively permanent asymetry then the saddle can be flocked asymetrically accordingly.

You have to be VERY careful using pads because they can just transfer pressure points from one place to another and the saddle needs weekly re-assessment.

I personally would get a different saddler out, one that sees the horse move. And one that can tell what asymmetry is. You have a good saddle, it just needs re-assessing to get it better. If you need to use pads temporarily then use a prolite adjustable one or a Korrector air pad (on their own).
 
Yes you can. And the saddle should have come with fish as well so that may help. A different girthing arrangement can also help.

if it was because you didnt have a bridle that the saddler couldnt see you ride thn that is obviously not the saddlers fault. Getting the asymetry wrong is though!
 
no no i know im not blaming the saddler.

Yeah i got fish with thm but they were the small ones so i bought the bigger ones.

Thank you every one i will deffo phone the saddler tomorrow and get her to come back out.

ETS
sorry can i just ask what other girthing i could maybe try?
 
Again, you have to see the saddle on a moving horse to say for sure but generally i would use first and fourth to spread the pull. Maybe even first and fourth on the right and second and fourth on the left but this would depend on wether the whole of the saddle moves right or just the back of it.

Also, use a girth with either no elastic (preferable) or elastic on both ends. Using a girth with elastic on one end only will not help your situation.
 
My boy was asymmetric and my saddler spent two hours checking the fit and seeing the way my horse moved, his shape without saddle standing square and then the same with my saddle on. She recommended leveling him up with the wow korrector pad. Once started using it he changed shape every week and I had to keep adjusting the pad slightly. After two months he levelled up brilliantly.Hope your saddler comes out and spends some time with you sorting the saddle fit this time.:-)
 
somewhere along the line the saddle doesnt fit right. you said the saddle fitted you perfectly and your horse. if it was a perfect fit it wouldnt move or slip sidways. does your saddler still have the template measurements of your horse to recheck and see if he has changed shape? as for using pads think logically if you bought a pair of shoes that pinched you would you put thicker socks on to try to make them comfey? girthing is an option re point straps and balance straps if horse has big/little shoulders, wither shape? you need to get saddler to do a complete assessment ridden and not ridden. good luck, your horse needs to be comfey to perform well
 
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