Saddle slipping sideways - help!

[MrsHhorses]

Hi, I got a 12yo cob in July and her saddle keeps slipping to the off side.
I don’t know what to do.
Even before I mount, if I walk her it shifts 2” over.

Saddle fitter says saddle is a good fit & even padding etc.
Other saddles we tried did the same.

chiro checked her out and nothing notable to cause it.

vet can’t see or feel anything to cause it & she isn’t in any discomfort.

Ive been lunging to check & can’t see any stiffness etc.
When the saddle is on it still slips to the off side.
When I hack I have to continually level the saddle by putting weight down the near side stirrup & put my offside up 2 holes.
So I’m riding wonky in effect which doesn’t feel at all good, I’m not balanced, it can’t be good for her and probably isn’t very safe either.
It’s getting frustrating because riding feels like a battle of the saddle so I’m not getting to bond with her at all.

I’m a competent, confident rider but not hugely experienced.
If the pros don’t know what’s causing it then I have absolutely no idea what’s wrong & I don’t know how to try and fix it.

would a 5 point breastplate help?
I know traditionally to stop saddle slipping back but would it at least help keep it balanced?

Thank you so much for any advice x

 

[Lois Lame]

Are you sitting with more of your weight to one side?

It seems odd that the saddle slips 2" to the side even before you mount. This is to the same side as when you are on board, is that right?

Any chance of posting photos of the saddle on your horse with nothing underneath the saddle and before she has moved?

ETA: 'When the saddle is on it still slips to the off side.' Is this when lunging on the left rein? What if you lunge her only on the right rein?

E(again)TA: What if your partner or someone watches from the ground? What do they see when you are on board?

 

[Barton Bounty]

If The saddle is a good fit and padding is even there is no harm in trying a breastplate to steady the saddle! It may well work ?. You also get acavallo non slip gel pads for under the saddle, maybe someone you know has one you could try? It works for my friend with a big cob, she had the same! Saddle moved slightly because his back is so wide! I mean he hurts your thighs and groin if your not used to it lol.

 

[Barton Bounty]

This is the one she got

 

[Birker2020]

Here are some threads about saddles slipping sidewards including advice from our resident saddle fitter S Bloom.

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/saddle-slipping-sideways.811291/

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/saddle-slipping.789813/

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/saddle-advice-for-wide-flat-backed-cob.796689/

https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/saddle-help-nothing-fits.777894/#post-14043497

 

[Gloi]

Saddles that always slip to one side can be an early sign of hind limb lameness, often hock arthritis.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

I have a pony who due to stifle problems pushes his saddle and rider to the right. Saddle was made to measure and he has been under vet and physio supervision. Anyway lots of working with him to get him moving straighter has finally started to help. Saddle is also girthed up with front and middle straps on right and front and last strap on left. When I say front I don't mean point straps btw. I also use a Professionals Choice Ventech anatomical girth which helps to stabilize. But you are right when you say it isn't healthy working a horse with the saddle over on one side. My pony would get lots of sore backs until we managed to get him working straighter and truer, which in turn allowed the saddle and rider to sit straighter. Touch wood he has not had a sore back in months, is now schooling nicely and is pretty well balanced but it has taken years to get here! He has a long flat back and tiny withers, with a barrel shaped belly.

Edited to say the hind limb lameness as Gloi mentioned is bang on. Obviously my pony's stifle issues had to be diagnosed and treated first before we could start working with him!

 

[Birker2020]

Hi, I got a 12yo cob in July and her saddle keeps slipping to the off side.
I don’t know what to do.
Even before I mount, if I walk her it shifts 2” over.

Saddle fitter says saddle is a good fit & even padding etc.
Other saddles we tried did the same.

chiro checked her out and nothing notable to cause it.

vet can’t see or feel anything to cause it & she isn’t in any discomfort.

Ive been lunging to check & can’t see any stiffness etc.
When the saddle is on it still slips to the off side.
When I hack I have to continually level the saddle by putting weight down the near side stirrup & put my offside up 2 holes.
So I’m riding wonky in effect which doesn’t feel at all good, I’m not balanced, it can’t be good for her and probably isn’t very safe either.
It’s getting frustrating because riding feels like a battle of the saddle so I’m not getting to bond with her at all.

I’m a competent, confident rider but not hugely experienced.
If the pros don’t know what’s causing it then I have absolutely no idea what’s wrong & I don’t know how to try and fix it.

would a 5 point breastplate help?
I know traditionally to stop saddle slipping back but would it at least help keep it balanced?

Thank you so much for any advice x

I am wondering if your horse is asymmetrical. Therefore your saddle will always slip.
I would get a physio to have a look. If she is underdeveloped on the one side a shim may help until the muscle is built up.

As an example my horse Lari had no thoracic trapezius muscle when I had him and was very undeveloped so the saddle fitter sold me a 'fish eye' gel pad to pad the area until the horse could develop muscle in that area through groundwork exercise and correct riding from the pro I was using. When he did develop muscle we removed the pad as it was becoming tight, so its a temporary fix. So something temporary might work, but like I say a physio might be able to tell you more.

A breastplate won't make diddly squat difference in my opinion, but I'm not a saddle fitter.

Do you have any photos of her stood square taken from behind?

 

[Trouper]

I would certainly be investigating the horse, before you or the saddle, if it happens as soon as she moves off. You need a good diagnostician like Tom Beech (The Osteopathic Vet) to see what is happening with her movement and where the imbalance is coming from.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Inspect the underneath and back of the saddle and how it's stitched on like is it even.

I had a saddle where the back of it was stiched on unevenly ever so slightly you could see one side of the bits that touch the back were slightly different to the other side.

 

[Polos Mum]

I would get second opinion physio and second opinion saddle fitter and

really have a good look yourself about her symmetry and the symmetry of the saddle. Maybe video her walking in hand and see if you can spot what's making it slide.

Less extreme but for minor slippage I have great success with a stud girth - cheap to buy second hand and they increase the surface area of the girth in contact with the horse's belly and really help side to side roll.
Interestingly lots of the new fancy anatomical girths are much bigger under the belly

 

[Highmileagecob]

Can you photograph your horse from above, to see if there is any discrepancy in muscle development? A non slip saddle pad may help, and also go for a girth with elastic inserts on both sides. Make sure the girth is fastened no higher than three or four holes up from the bottom, otherwise you are losing the anchoring ability for a flat back. Is your horse balanced or does she drop a shoulder or hip? The photo from above may help to decide this one. Cobs are difficult to fit to saddle, I hope you can solve it. Maybe try a treeless saddle to see if it still happens.

 

[J&S]

Check her walk from behind, video it, she may have a "hip hike". This means every time she walks the hip on one side goes a little higher than the other hip. This will cause the saddle to move even in the first few steps. I would suggest physio and then specific exercises. Bowen therapy, Masterton Method etc can all be useful.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Also check her feet for thrush, old abscess holes, any sign of uneven wear.

 

[SmallPony]

I think I'd be getting a different saddle fitter to have a look - I'd question how they can say it fits when it is moving enough to disrupt your riding. I had a similar issue with a saddle slipping up horse's neck and the fitter swore it was fine - I tried to get back in touch a week later after nearly coming out the front door and funnily enough couldn't get hold of her.... (she never charged me either, and I've still never heard back from her... make of that what you will!)

It might be worth having a go bareback in the school to see if a) you still slip to the side b) she goes any differently without her saddle on and c) if you can feel anything with your seat that might help. You might feel with your seat bone on that side that she doesn't feel like she's stepping under enough to support you, which if vet says all fine might be something you can improve with schooling.

I'd also get yourself looked at by physio/osteo/ person of your choice - if you weren't wonky to start with (and I think most of us are!) then you might be as a result of this and don't want to compound the issue.

Best of luck getting it sorted - I know it's such a frustrating situation when you just want to enjoy your horse!

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Is she over weight at all? I had this problem when my mare was over weight and the saddle would slip sideways.

Since she’s lost a lot of weight (2 months on) it doesn’t move at all! Fitter last week changed gullet down and she’s lost over a inch either side of her back.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Hi, I got a 12yo cob in July and her saddle keeps slipping to the off side.
I don’t know what to do.
Even before I mount, if I walk her it shifts 2” over.

Saddle fitter says saddle is a good fit & even padding etc.
Other saddles we tried did the same.

chiro checked her out and nothing notable to cause it.

vet can’t see or feel anything to cause it & she isn’t in any discomfort.

Ive been lunging to check & can’t see any stiffness etc.
When the saddle is on it still slips to the off side.
When I hack I have to continually level the saddle by putting weight down the near side stirrup & put my offside up 2 holes.
So I’m riding wonky in effect which doesn’t feel at all good, I’m not balanced, it can’t be good for her and probably isn’t very safe either.
It’s getting frustrating because riding feels like a battle of the saddle so I’m not getting to bond with her at all.

I’m a competent, confident rider but not hugely experienced.
If the pros don’t know what’s causing it then I have absolutely no idea what’s wrong & I don’t know how to try and fix it.

would a 5 point breastplate help?
I know traditionally to stop saddle slipping back but would it at least help keep it balanced?

Thank you so much for any advice x

Have you had the ponies back checked and saddle checked?? my horse kept throwing the saddle to the right, so we had to get a prolite and put different inserts on that off side and had horses back checked which was pelvis out.

Now we have a K&M saddle and use back strap on that side and normal the other, problem soplved.

 

[Widgeon]

Is she over weight at all? I had this problem when my mare was over weight and the saddle would slip sideways.

Likewise - my saddle rolled much worse when my horse was fat. However ultimately the saddle didn't really fit brilliantly well. Horse is now slimmed down and in a different saddle and this one doesn't shift even when we've scrambling up and down steep slopes out on the moors. However if you say that other saddles are doing the same thing then I'd agree that a really close look at how your horse moves is probably the way to go. Even if a gel pad does help, you might just be masking the root cause. Would be worth getting a physio to take a look and check for wonkiness, even if the vet can't see anything obvious. Sometimes you just need different eyes on a problem.

 

[huskydamage]

I had this issue with my pony who moves a bit weird and throws her hip out to oneside. In canter/gallop the whole thing would shift so much i had to lean to straighten it. I had the saddle reflocked with pad built in and balance straps added, never had an issue since. I also use a pad snd sheepskin

 

[Goldenstar]

Saddle slipping to one side usually equals a hock problem assuming of course nothing has happened to the saddle .

 

[sbloom]

Saddle slipping to one side usually equals a hock problem assuming of course nothing has happened to the saddle .

This might be your experience but honestly, it really doesn't. 14 years of up to 20 horses a week and a lot of slipping saddles.

It shows that something in the horse-saddle-rider equation, or more than one element, is crooked/off As it's a cob I presume it's wide and will suggest having a wide horse specialist fitter give you a second opinion, I'm happy to look at photos as per https://www.ahsaddles.com/photos-for-a-saddle-adjustment, though I understand you may not want to, and it can only ever be a very basic opinion, seeing if there's anything obvious amiss. A video of you riding, from the middle of a circle and/or from behind on a straight line may also be informative but again completely understand if you don't want to post them!

Vets and even bodyworkers are not always working with the lens of posture, and "compensatory movement patterns". All horses are crooked but some minimally so )rare) and others more so, moving crookedly, especially when carrying a rider, is not good for long term soundness. I would start reading around and seeing if you can find a bodyworker that DOES look at movement (Cat Dachtler in Suffolk, the lady than runs PKW Events in Sussex, and Anita Miles in Somerset all spring to mind in case the locations suit you).

Please don't ride in a wonky saddle, there is TONS of groundwork available, some for free, and it is almost certainly going to be part of what you need to do with her going forwards if she is crooked. Much easier for a horse to learn to move better without carrying us, let alone a very wonky us/saddle.

Do you have your own bodyworker? All riders should be seen at least occasionally or when obviously wonky/uncomfortable, then doing something to help strength and straightness in between. As soon as we ask a horse to carry us they are an athlete, and even if we're a happy hacker so should we be. Rider Reboot is the FB group I recommend, the guy that runs it has an amazing skill set, he's also expanding to be able to offer more 1 to 1s across the country. He has inexpensive offerings, and the exercises given are never excessive.

There are things - 4 girth straps and switching between them, and shimming (I only really like the Mattes and Invictus shim pads) - that could be set up by your saddle fitter. If they've not discussed these with you then I'd definitely be looking at not just a second opinion but a more helpful fitter.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

@sbloom you're so knowledgable to have on the forum

 

[sbloom]

Blush

 

[Meredith]

It shows that something in the horse-saddle-rider equation, or more than one element, is crooked/off

This^^^^
I have damaged my back /hip area once to my knowledge. It was over 15 years ago.
Recently my aches and the moans of my friends “ your saddle is lopsided again” induced me to see an osteopath who immediately saw how wonky I was.
My pony is regularly seen by both physio and saddler but I had forgotten to look at myself.
I hope you can find a solution.