Saddle slipping... help!

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BigBird146

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My saddle keeps slipping (always the same way) and I can't think what else to try!!
So far,
1) Got a new saddle, fitted by tack shop woman (the old one slipped too by the way).
2) Got one of those saddlecloths (Thorowgood conform I think?) with sticky underside and matching girth, and also placed a non-slip mesh thing between that and the saddle.
3) Saw on a forum that string girths are supposed to work, so bought one of those and it doesn't!
I don't think it's me as I'm so aware of the problem I'm now more likely to be leaning the other way too much if anything. My horse is a Hanovarian x and a good doer (aka fat!
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), so the part of his back where the saddle is is quite flat (always slips at the back not the front).
Has anyone tried a Geleze non slip pad and does it work or not, or any other tips gratefully received!
 
I've just ordered a Gel-eze non slip transparent pad as I've got the same problem. It lies on horses back with numnah/pad on top and then saddle, although you don't need to use a numnah or pad with it.
 
If the saddle is slipping that much, I would consider whether the new saddle fits at all (even though it is better than the last one). Wide horses can be very hard to fit, and you need to make sure that the tree is wide enough. Also, the girth straps may need to be adjusted.

PM me a pic of your horse's back (back and side vies) with and without saddle if you like and I could give you my opinion.
 
No problem Mollywops - the offer stands for BigBird146 too as the original poster!

I dont like limpets. I heard of a woman who wore her's hunting and when she returned she peeled the pad off together with most of the hair on her horse's back. I dont know if she followed the correct instructions re care etc of the pad but anything with the potential to do that kind of damage is scary.

I prefer to use Nuumed Hi-wither saddle cloths - they are very lightweight and give good wither clearance (v important) so they dont mess about with the fit of the saddle.
 
If the saddle is slipping to the same side each time it would be worth having both you and your horses backs checked as that could be the problem.
 
She had been hunting all day but I dont think there is any restriction on the hours of use - I think you can even use them for endurance etc. There is another similar pad, something like Impackt or something, which purports to do the same thing. I havent used either personally, and I have heard that lots of other people rate them.

As Sophie221 says, the most likely cause of slipping is that the horse is one sided. They all are to some extent, but some are more so because of saddle fit or rider position. The flocking in the saddle itself might also become more compact on one side after continual use of the one sided horse/rider.

My Anglo came to me very one sided and it took 3 months to even out the muscles through adjusting the fit of his saddle and doing certain exercises on that rein to build the muscle up.
 
I know he had a tight spot towards where the saddle slips to the last time he had a back checker out (ages ago now though). So, thanks I will check that... I'm starting to have a feeling that getting to the bottom of this problem might end up costing me a lot more than a non-slip saddle pad!!
 
I find that a non-slip pad merely just masks the problem. In some cases it can take quite a long time for the horse to become straight again, and in the process the saddle may not fit perfectly but you need to fit the saddle to the horse on the day. After you have worked the horse correctly and the muscles start to form, the saddle no longer fits again. This could be as soon as 1 month after the initial fit, depending on the horse and workload etc. Of course if you dont sort out the saddle again you are back to square 1.

Other factors that can have an effect is the flocking and rider position. The saddle slipping to one side would have created a pressure point at the base of the wither on that side, and no doubt the muscles on that side are more underdevloped than the other side. So the saddle now has a pocket to rest in which makes the slipping worse. And saddle you put on him will want to slip into that side now until the muscles are evened out as much as possible.

I adjusted my Anglo's saddle initially every 3 weeks then every 2 weeks because once he started moving properly the muscles formed very quickly. I was also feeding him lots of small meals to put weight on him as quickly as possible to support the work and to turn into muscle so he was getting wider by the minute. Of course he came to me almost 100kgs underweight so I actually had the chance to do work on the ground for the first 2 months when I was sorting out his feet, back and also putting as much weight as possible on him. Then I had 3 months of slow ridden work and now faster work in the last 2 months. But that is really just an extreme case. Most horses can be sorted relatively quickly with a properly fitting saddle and the right sort of work.
 
Ok, thanks v much for that. i've just been a 'happy hacker' for the last few years due to other personal circumstances, so not been doing any flat work as i don't have a menage, just hack out 2-3 times a week. Am hoping to get him a bit fitter this summer though and do some fun rides and maybe even give hunting a try next winter. Josh is nearly 16 but fit, healthy and very low mileage so he should be OK if we work up to it. Thinking about it though it wouldn't surprise me if he was one sided as I am (and have had back problems myself) and he's been stuck with me for the last 12 years!!
Anyway, I'll take some digi snaps and PM them to you for your opinion. Thanks.
 
I have a dodgy hip so I know what you mean - I have to make a conscious effort to try and sit evenly on my roly poly horse as the one sidedness becomes more pronounced as I cant open my leg enough at the hip. Of course I have made him more one sided. However I try to minimise the effect of this by the work we do.

I am currently only hacking him as well at the moment but making him work correctly up and down hills has down wonders for his back (and he thinks he is just pootling about and not actually working!)
 
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