Seasonal saddle problems , help needed

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dilbert

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Long story short, I have constant saddle problems with my cob, not helped by the fact that he has EPSM and gets a sore back from the grass growing.

Anyway...

Summer 2010 finally get a saddle he's happy in, thorowgood cob plus wide extra wide.

April 2011, worry he's not so happy as saddle has dropped , saddle fitter changes gullet to wide. Horse is on very restricted grazing.

Summer 2011 he's lost muscle and weight , saddle fitter out says needs different saddle. Think it was a cob T4 ? He's not happy with it , saddle fitter says its fine.

Two weeks later have her out again, he's definitely not happy again she blames horse.

Get a second opinion out , says saddles all wrong , saddle is refunded. Go back to cob plus wide extra wide with prolite front riser t help muscle wastage.

Winter 2011 back is much improved, go back to prolite as front riser no longer needed.

Horse doing well, getting his little speed freak back on and getting fitter, back looking better.

March 2012 , saddle starts t feel wrong again although not really sure why.. horse ok though.

April 2012 saddle fitter out , reflocks , wonders if saddle is dropping at front again? Or is horse dropping his back when I'm on? Some muscle loss around withers on one side. Horse is generally miserable anyway due to EPSM .

Get prolite multi-riser and shim accordingly. Horse not happy . Saddle looks wrong however I try and out it on although it looked fine when saddle fitter did it.

Tweak shims, before riding saddle seems to be sitting better, when riding saddle seems to be dropping a front and pinching again hence horse not wanting to trot or canter. Presume that shimming at back isn't helping? Apologise profusely to horse.

Any words of wisdom or should I jus give up now lol?
 
i know back pain can be a problem for EPSM horses ,have you tried doing without a treed saddle? my cob suffers from his back and if the saddles slightly wrong he bucks like crazy. i got fed up of having the saddler out every few months and battling with bucking fits, and i got a cashel soft saddle and hes not had any problems since:D
 
Thank you archiepoo, treeless saddles are a wee bit difficult as my big has a short back and I have a large butt! He quite liked the barefoot Cheyenne but didn't like the torsion or ghost saddles we tried.... Might be an option though if I can lose some weight.
 
I'm sorry I can't help either, apart from to say that your horse is the best 'person' to decide whether the saddle fits or not - so all the the time things are going well, even if you don't think the saddle 'looks right' if the horse is telling you it still feels right, don't waste your money getting a saddler out to alter it or sell you another.

But yes, a treeless might work for you. A friend has gone down that route and hasn't looked back since. Her horse will buck if she's not saddle happy.

She has a Solution Saddle - I tried it on my 14.2hh pony - it was too long/deep in the flaps but OK length-wise. Had a nice big seat too!!
 
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yeah i sympathise im the same big butt with a short coupled cob! i didnt get on with the tradition types of treeless saddles either but i had a friend with a cashel soft saddle so i was able to try it ,i normally ride in an 18" saddle and this fits my bum. its more like riding bareback so takes a bit of getting used to but so far fingers crossed -hes stopped broncing! you cou also look at the christ lammefelle one .http://www.lammfelle.de/index.php?force_sid=c04398715cf387dd8204bf4b99fe01bf&
 
Is the saddler ensuring that the saddle is fully rebalanced when altering the gullet plate? I know you said it was reflocked, but each time a gullet plate is change, the rest of the saddle needs to be adjusted too- I see so many where just a gullet plate is changed and nothing else. Is the saddle bridging and causing pressure to be placed on front and back ends?

If it is bridging you can feel this by girthing up loosely and then running your hand along under the saddle from front to back. It should feel in even contact with your hand all the way along. If you can feel any tight spots, or a gap in the middle where you hand makes little contact it is probably bridging and this will cause considerable pain and a reluctance to lift the back/hollowing once the rider is on board.

Hope this helps a little!
 
Most horses lift and flatten their backs in work so the saddle will bridge a fraction when the horse is standing and with no rider. The saddle has to fit in movement, not statically.

It is REALLY hard to say what is going on. Are you shimming the front? If you are then it may be the type of shim - foam can bottom out and the only pad I use for remedial fitting (and horses who change a lot seasonally) is a Mattes pad, felt shims rather than foam.

I'd be more than happy to take a look at some photos if you'd like more of an informed opinion :)
 
Have a look at the Balance International Felix - the saddle is designed for the short back/taller rider issue that you have. The padding system of the saddles is easy to change if the horse changes shape too, and when the saddle is fitted your horse will be the main judge of its comfort (you don't get that much say with Balance!).
 
Hi thanks for the replies.

EE the gullet hasn't been changed since last year? I will check re bridging but my gut feeling is that it is a wierd shape on him. It doesn't seem to touch him at the front , especially on the left side and I often find the back seems to lift especially on the right side. But on other days it seems t fit perfectly.
 
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