Update on Murphy's white patches...

[bex1984]

Some of you may remember that when I clipped Murphy I found some big white patches on his saddle area, and when I clipped him again they had shrunk quite a bit.

Saddle fitter has been out this morning - saddle is slightly too wide and needs reflocking as it's a bit hard, so that's being done and I'm going to use a riser pad with it.

However, it's not moving or rubbing where the white patches are. The saddle fitter thought they might have been caused by his numnah getting scrumpled up under his saddle at some point.

So anyway - the good news is I don't need a whole new saddle, which I'm pleased about even if I do have to spend money having it reflocked!!

 

[milliepops]

Ah, that's good news. Glad you are getting sorted. You might be lucky and find they grow back the original colour next year.

 

[MrsMozart]

Good news!

I live in hope that the two big patches Dizz is developing go the same way

. The sadler thinks that it is from her saddle last year when her last winter coat was full. As the saddle that came with her was pretty pants fit wise (according to my saddler), then that would make sense.

Keep us updated!

 

[CBAnglo]

In my experience, white hair is caused by the trauma of the saddle not fitting (and nothing to do with a crumpled up numnah). Usually where the saddle is too narrow and causing pressure and rubbing (I normally see this in hollows below the wither - have seen it where the cantle is pressing into the back from the saddle being too tight in front).

They do sometimes go with a coat change, but if the saddle is used for prolonged periods they can become permanent. For example, the previous owners left a rug on my horse for about 3 months without taking it off (he was on "grass livery" over winter) and he has a white patch of hair on his wither from where it rubbed. He is in correctly fitting rugs and has been for the last 4 yrs but the white patch is still there.

 

[pottamus]

I had a small patch like that on my lad some years ago...it appeared with his coat change and then went in the summer when his coat changed again.

 

[lucys_stick]

My pony had white patches just like you described,they even appeared on his vaccination certificate identity chart as "white hairs".He hasn't had them for years now after his saddle was changed.He does have two permanent white marks caused by rug rubs in the good old days of heavy,cardboard like canvas New Zealands!These showed up as obvious sores with bald areas of pink skin which grew through white.The saddle patches were never like this so fingers crossed Murphy will be fine.