Strange back problem / cold backed? Help please.

[Doormouse]

I have a 14 yo TB (ex-racehorse) who has been with me since mid November but obviously due to the charming weather I haven't actually ridden him all that much. He has hunted 4 times since I had him (kept him going on the walker through the snow) and I've hacked a bit and cantered in fields.
He did seem a tiny bit cold backed when I first got him, nothing major just don't sit down bang in the saddle when you first get on but once you had gone a few strides he was fine. This now seems to be getting progressively worse, I had his saddle fitted as soon as I got him and they gave me a riser pad to stop the saddle sitting too tight on his shoulders.
The last 3 times I have ridden him (one time was hunting) he seems fine once you are on and gone a few strides, walks fine but as soon as you trot he almost seems to sit down. If you then stand up in your stirrups he is fine. Once you have gone about 50 yards like this he is then completely sound and trots on using himself beautifully and tracking up perfectly.
I have him booked into the back man on Monday but I can't decide if this is cold backed behaviour or pain from somewhere else. For example when you first go to touch his back when his rugs come off he leaps away and says it hurts then after about 10 seconds he is fine? He is a bit of a fairy about pain anyway, if I just put bandages on as a precaution he immediately thinks his leg is falling off so not easy to tell how much it hurts or doesn't.
Any one with experience of cold backed horses or the same sort of thing?

 

[mrchives]

My horse was doing similar thing, but only with the girl that rides him, and not with me! had the back woman out and she said lots of 'responsive tissue' under his girth. turns out she was putting the saddle to far forward, so when she did his girth up too tight it was pinching and putting pressure in the wrong places. I have now got him in a different girth, and he has been fine!
Might not help, but might?!? good luck x

 

[Wagtail]

I had his saddle fitted as soon as I got him and they gave me a riser pad to stop the saddle sitting too tight on his shoulders.

Sounds like the saddler isn't doing his job right. A correctly fitted saddle does not need a riser pad, and certainly not to stop it being tight on the shoulders as adding more padding will make it tighter! A riser pad is used to lift the front end of the saddle when it sits too low on the withers (usually because it is too wide). It should only be used as a temporary measure and not as a permanent solution. Could you post any pictures of your saddle on your horse, with and without the riser?

 

[tallyho!]

Sounds like the saddler isn't doing his job right. A correctly fitted saddle does not need a riser pad, and certainly not to stop it being tight on the shoulders as adding more padding will make it tighter! A riser pad is used to lift the front end of the saddle when it sits too low on the withers (usually because it is too wide). It should only be used as a temporary measure and not as a permanent solution. Could you post any pictures of your saddle on your horse, with and without the riser?

Sometimes you do need pads if horse has uneven muscling or wastage.

Do agree that if muscle now more developed you could try taking riser pad away now it's done it's job.

 

[houndsplease]

Sounds like the saddler isn't doing his job right. A correctly fitted saddle does not need a riser pad, and certainly not to stop it being tight on the shoulders as adding more padding will make it tighter! A riser pad is used to lift the front end of the saddle when it sits too low on the withers (usually because it is too wide). It should only be used as a temporary measure and not as a permanent solution. Could you post any pictures of your saddle on your horse, with and without the riser?

ditto wagtail

 

[china]

mine did this. he used to almost sit down when being mounted and palpated, he had a fitted saddle ect ect. after more tests it turned out to be kissing spines amongst other things. follow your gut.

 

[Doormouse]

Thank you guys for responding.

Further update, found 2 second hand saddles on way home from work and tried them on with my mum who has done a lot of back treatments for horses so is pretty good on all that and saddles. She did a bit of poking and proding and reckons he is a little bit sore on one side from his withers back really and into his quarters. We tried on the saddles after massaging him for a while and one saddle definately fitted him far better than the one he has been using. It is possible that since the saddle fitter came he has changed shape a bit with getting fitter and maybe that could have been some of the problem.

Mrchives - that is a very good point because I am always trying to put the saddle on quite far forward because I can't girth him up quickly and it seems to slip but actually when we were fitting the saddles tonight my mum pointed out that he has a huge shoulder for a little horse and in fact the saddle wants to sit further back.

Wagtail & Houndsplease - I suspect you are partly right, I think the fitter was just trying to make my saddle fit rather than finding one that fitted him better, don't think I'll be using them again. Think the riser just made everything really bulky and tight and was forcing the saddle to roll about and shoot backwards. Also I think I am probably guilty of not paying enough attention to his changing shape.

Anyway, will try new saddle tomorrow for very short hack and then take him and the saddle to the back man on Monday. Thanks for the help, you have made me see the whole thing a bit clearer!

 

[Doormouse]

Quick update - been to back man today, much happier horse now. He thinks he probably had a very bad fall at some time and has damaged his wither which has put his scapula out of place hence the saddles catching him all the time.

He has suggested a tree-less saddle, so now I've picked myself up off the floor about the price I have a Solutions Saddle fitter coming on Sunday!