ElvisandTilly
Well-Known Member
This saddle saga of mine just goes on and on!! From the day I got my boy 18 months ago saddles have been a knightmare! He has big shoulders, flat back with some withers, short coupled, sprung ribbed and a forward girth groove so awkward to fit for a start.
I started with a wintec which was too banana shaped, then went to a borrowed Manor saddle in vsd wide but this was slightly too wide so used a big pad, then went to a thorowgood T4 standard but this was too high off his wither and if lowered with wider gullet it sat unlevel, this moved to the right hand side too. Then I got a thorowgood T6 cob and this sat lower but the front bit near the D's or the stud bit were too low and dug in his shoulder which then moved the saddle over to the side again.
Decided to get Karen Moxon out to look at him and he was asymmetric and was lower behind his right shoulder which the saddle sat down in. We solved this using his T6 and a WoW Korrector pad. After approx 3 months he levelled up and became really wide in wither area as he built up so the T6 no longer sat right so I borrowed a wintec dressage saddle that is very old and was before the changeable gullets came in. It was a very flat panel/tree but a very narrow panel. This sat well on him and we used it for over 4 months this summer with no problems. As this saddle was borrowed, was an 18" which too long for his back and I couldn't find one that fitted like it in a 17" I decided to bite the bullet and order a made to measure saddle. This saddle has taken 9 weeks to arrive and in the past few weeks of waiting for it my boy has started reacting to the borrwed saddle. If a saddle doesn't fit he tells me in no uncertain terms that it doesn't fit!!! He hunches his back or turns his head to bite my toes, if I push him forward he will hunch, pull his head down between his knees or try to buck or rear. All various ways of telling me not right!! We have had none of these signs all summer, we have the physio every 3 months due to on going treatment from last years stifle op. We had all clear from physio for any pain anywhere and he was moving well. He had for the past week, before the physio came, started reacting to the dressage saddle hunching and napping, he'd also shake his head as soon as I fastened the girth before even getting on. If I got off and re adjusted it further back away from shoulder he would then ride fine in it. The physio didn't like the fit and recommended I didn't ride till new saddle came. I didn't ride for a week an half and when new saddle was put on today it looked like it fit but as soon as I sat on he did his usual not liking hunching and even after readjusting. The saddle fitter has taken my M2M away and will tweek it to lift it up at the front and to fill some slight bridging in the middle and for me to try again. Surely this means the tree shape is not for him? After fitter left I put his thorowgood on got same hunching then tried the borrowed saddle and he walked off fine no hunching and rode round the block as soon as started down a steep hill he started his hunching etc so I got off. The weight of saddle digging into shoulders down hill is what set him off with his pain reaction.
I am unsure what to do next, what saddle to go for that is not going to cost an arm or a leg (local saddlery was taking my thorowgood in part exchange against a new Manor saddle). What make or style of saddle will suit him and who will come out to fit and try many saddles without charging the earth reducing my money I have to spend for a saddle by at least a £100!? I am obviously going to have to have a second hand one as I can't risk ordering another M2M to try as he may just not like it!!! Even though the fit says he should be liking it!!!
Anyone ever had anything like this where a saddle looks to fit but the horse didn't like? I know its not my horse messing around as he has worked well all summer with none of his hunching or toe biting!!!
Just not sure of who can be trusted to fit a saddle either reading some of the stroies on here. Can anyone recommend me someone who will come out to Huddersfield to fit a new or secondhand saddle and take my thorowgood as part exchange , not charge the earth to come out and can fit an awkward to fit horse!!!! I don't want much do I!!!!! Haha!!
A beer for anyone who gets this far..... I know I need a beer after todays disappointment at my boy not liking the lovely new saddle templated for him and we are back to square one!!!!
I started with a wintec which was too banana shaped, then went to a borrowed Manor saddle in vsd wide but this was slightly too wide so used a big pad, then went to a thorowgood T4 standard but this was too high off his wither and if lowered with wider gullet it sat unlevel, this moved to the right hand side too. Then I got a thorowgood T6 cob and this sat lower but the front bit near the D's or the stud bit were too low and dug in his shoulder which then moved the saddle over to the side again.
Decided to get Karen Moxon out to look at him and he was asymmetric and was lower behind his right shoulder which the saddle sat down in. We solved this using his T6 and a WoW Korrector pad. After approx 3 months he levelled up and became really wide in wither area as he built up so the T6 no longer sat right so I borrowed a wintec dressage saddle that is very old and was before the changeable gullets came in. It was a very flat panel/tree but a very narrow panel. This sat well on him and we used it for over 4 months this summer with no problems. As this saddle was borrowed, was an 18" which too long for his back and I couldn't find one that fitted like it in a 17" I decided to bite the bullet and order a made to measure saddle. This saddle has taken 9 weeks to arrive and in the past few weeks of waiting for it my boy has started reacting to the borrwed saddle. If a saddle doesn't fit he tells me in no uncertain terms that it doesn't fit!!! He hunches his back or turns his head to bite my toes, if I push him forward he will hunch, pull his head down between his knees or try to buck or rear. All various ways of telling me not right!! We have had none of these signs all summer, we have the physio every 3 months due to on going treatment from last years stifle op. We had all clear from physio for any pain anywhere and he was moving well. He had for the past week, before the physio came, started reacting to the dressage saddle hunching and napping, he'd also shake his head as soon as I fastened the girth before even getting on. If I got off and re adjusted it further back away from shoulder he would then ride fine in it. The physio didn't like the fit and recommended I didn't ride till new saddle came. I didn't ride for a week an half and when new saddle was put on today it looked like it fit but as soon as I sat on he did his usual not liking hunching and even after readjusting. The saddle fitter has taken my M2M away and will tweek it to lift it up at the front and to fill some slight bridging in the middle and for me to try again. Surely this means the tree shape is not for him? After fitter left I put his thorowgood on got same hunching then tried the borrowed saddle and he walked off fine no hunching and rode round the block as soon as started down a steep hill he started his hunching etc so I got off. The weight of saddle digging into shoulders down hill is what set him off with his pain reaction.
I am unsure what to do next, what saddle to go for that is not going to cost an arm or a leg (local saddlery was taking my thorowgood in part exchange against a new Manor saddle). What make or style of saddle will suit him and who will come out to fit and try many saddles without charging the earth reducing my money I have to spend for a saddle by at least a £100!? I am obviously going to have to have a second hand one as I can't risk ordering another M2M to try as he may just not like it!!! Even though the fit says he should be liking it!!!
Anyone ever had anything like this where a saddle looks to fit but the horse didn't like? I know its not my horse messing around as he has worked well all summer with none of his hunching or toe biting!!!
Just not sure of who can be trusted to fit a saddle either reading some of the stroies on here. Can anyone recommend me someone who will come out to Huddersfield to fit a new or secondhand saddle and take my thorowgood as part exchange , not charge the earth to come out and can fit an awkward to fit horse!!!! I don't want much do I!!!!! Haha!!
A beer for anyone who gets this far..... I know I need a beer after todays disappointment at my boy not liking the lovely new saddle templated for him and we are back to square one!!!!
