shying away from saddle

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emma001

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My horse has recently suffered from back pain caused by his saddle. He has been checked by a vet, 2 physiotherapists and a well recommended saddler. The vet told me to see Jo Pual which i did and she gave him treatment and excersises that i had to do. She came back 2 weeks later and said he was a lot better, and i was to keep doing the things she said which im still doing. Then the saddler had a look and made some adjustments to the saddle. He also made it wider because the pony was a bit fat then. He also said i wasnt too big or heavy for him so that rules all that out. And he has had his teeth checked aswell. Everyone else i asked truthfully said i wasnt to big/heavy for him either. So with that and not being any pain anymore he still shys away from his saddle when i go to put it on. Any thoughts on why he still does this ? Is it him just being lazy ?

Thanks
 
Lazy? I highly doubt that.
Horses don't forget in a hurry, and if it was painful then, he still expects it to be painful now. If what you have said is true, it isn't painful, but it will take many months for your horse to realise this.
Make sure you are extra gentle when you tack him up, pull the numnah high up under the pommel and make sure it is flat and crease free. Gently and gradually do the girth up too. When you get on, sit lightly - use a mounting block. Do anything you can to help.
Check he hasn't got any fly bites in the saddle area too, and groom him gently.

Allow time. Don't rush.
 
Behaviour issues often take longer to overcome than the pain its related to. Your horse still associates the saddle with pain, even though the pain is no longer there.
 
Thanks lizzie, thats what the pysio said:) Thanks fools motto, i have done all of that and what i have said is true..
 
How long ago was the saddle widened? as you say ' pony was a bit fat then' as if it was a while ago, it now may be that your pony has lost weight and the saddle may be too wide? If thats not the case then ditto what FM says, pain takes time to forget, particularly if it was a very poor fitting saddle
 
I've had this issue too. Eventually all I did was to have someone feed him treats as I put the saddle on him, then I'd take him for a walk in it, then the next time lunge him, then after a while when he realised that wasn't painful I had someone light lay over him and eventually we resolved the problem, one tiny little step at a time. He's fine now and in a completely new made to measure LM saddle which he moves much better in too.
 
it was well fitted but he got fat in winter so it was widened but now its summer i excersise him more and its too wide but its getting re-fitted in a week.
 
So the saddle no longer fits?

How much weight gain and loss has there been for the saddle to need continual adjustment?
 
If he has lost weight again, it is possible that the saddle is now too big, so could be uncomfortable again. I'd stop riding until the saddler has had another look, or you will just be reinforcing his idea that saddles are uncomfortable.
Then follow FoolsMotto's and bikerchickone's methods when you are sure that saddle fits.
 
emma001 said:
it was well fitted but he got fat in winter so it was widened but now its summer i excersise him more and its too wide but its getting re-fitted in a week.
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*scratches head...sooooooo, your riding him a saddle which by your own account say doesnt fit AGAIN and wonder why he is shying away from the saddle?? All you are doing is making the issue even worse by causing quite likely yet more pain. DONT ride until its sorted.
 
pixiebee said:
*scratches head...sooooooo, your riding him a saddle which by your own account say doesnt fit AGAIN and wonder why he is shying away from the saddle?? All you are doing is making the issue even worse by causing quite likely yet more pain. DONT ride until its sorted.
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We have put a thick numnah on at the moment to resolve the problem till the saddler comes. It isnt our fault he is taking so long !! thanks anyway
 
Last year my pony started moving away and walking to the back of her stable when I tried to put her saddle on...new saddle and mctimoney lady...she still flinched when I tacked up but I was assured she was defiantly not in pain anymore and she was just anticipating it being painful. She did stop after a little while.
Fast forward to this spring and a couple of weeks before saddler was due she started fidgeting and trying to walk off again when being tacked up, as I thought it had become too narrow as she put weight on in the spring.
Moral of the story, I thought at first she was just being a madam, not wanting to be worked but I know now she was telling me it was uncomfortable, and this year I was able to recognise her telling me. Luckily my saddler was coming within a couple of weeks anyway :)
 
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