Shoulders have moved!!! ideas/suggestions please!

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madginger

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Sorry for the long post in advance!

I decided to get my horses back checked over as she has been bucking a bit recently and thought I find out it there was a problem or just spring in the air!

Anyway, it turns out that she is a bit stiff all over but no particular problem in any area, I was advised to work her in a passoa to try and lift the musscles in her back and also to get her saddle checked (which I was going to do).

Saddle man came out the following day and said that the fit of her saddle has pushed her shoulders forward which was why she is uncomfortable and a bit unbalanced. She is basically a hunch back! I must admit that it has been about a year since I got her saddle checked and it was by a different person
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I have been left with a few exercises to do to help move and build up the muscles in her shoulders to try and get them back in the correct place, and also a different saddle to try.

I'm a little confused as I'd have thought that the back person would have picked this up as well!
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and would have said something!

Has anyone experience this before and know what else I can do or how long this is likely to take?

Is it worth getting a second opinion? Both people are experienced and fully qualified - I just dont know what to do for the best!

Wine and choccies if you got this far
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Shoulders are suspended in muscle - no bone attachment to spine so a badly fitting saddle could cause the shoulder muscles to develop incorrectly. That would in turn alter stride and also comfort.
 
I think thats what what he meant - the muscle that should be around the shoulder almost under the saddle have been pushed forward over time and is now all forward and not around if that makes sense?

I've been told that I have to work the muscles around the shoulder to try and build them back up in the correct position.

This will then apparently help with the stiffness and other problems that I have been having.

I spoke to the saddle fitter again last night and he thinks that it could take up to 6 months and I will have to try around 3 saddles over this time until it goes back to how it should be.

Sounds expensive but luckliy he has a few second hand saddles that he alters as we go along, apparently this is a common problem with riding school horses! - hopefully this will get sorted soon!
 
I would say that the shoulders havnt moved but the muscles have changed alot through the saddle not fitting. In particular the trapezius muscle that is over the withers can waste away behnd the shoulder if a saddle is pinching (either too narrow or too wide tree). The movement will also be restricted, hence why they often buck. You are asking them to work whilst simultaneously restricting the muscles. The shoulder muscles can also be or look over developed over the shoulder blade, due to compensation or hollows behind the shoulder blade. Here is a good picture of muscles to give you an idea:
http://www.anatomyinmotion.com/vhpix1.htm

It is very important that when you tack up you make sure you feel where the shoulder blade is and put the points of the tree behind the shoulder. Most people have their saddles too far forward and then the saddle is sitting on top of the shoulder blade.
 
Thanks teddyt, I think that is what has happened, he said that the best thing I can do for now is ride bareback! Luckily I have a school so should be safe but I've not ridden bareback for a while so shoule be fun!
 
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