what would YOU do? sorry... long, boring, hormonal and a bit numptyish

Bowen4Horses

Bowen4Horses

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do not read if you're easily bored/confused/angered etc...

right, i'll try to keep it short... and therefore in bullet points...

-i fairly recently bought Raff, my darling little confidence giver. he restored all my confidence within minutes of riding him for the first time, as he felt completely safe, and i fell in LOVE.
- i'm nearly 7 months preggers now
- i'm finding it very hard to find a saddle that fits him (he has a very straight back, and quite undermuscled withers) ALL saddles seem to 'flap' at the back
-cos i'm only riding lightly he's not in much work
- he's currently in a wintec 2000 with full sheepskin nuumed numnah, with the intention of replacing it with a nice one once he's in work properly and i'm a bit richer
- it doesn't fit very well, regardless of gullet, but i thought the numnah was enough to take up the 'flapping'

- i was thinking of getting someone to come along and ride him twice a week or so until i'd popped.
- a girl came to try him out the other day and my darling little safe horse decided to broncho buck around the school
i got on him, cos was scared i never would unless i did it then. he was fine for me.
- today my friend hacked him out (first time she's ridden him), and he bucked for her when she mounted. he also kicked another horse when it got too close to him. she said that he kept arching and dipping his back like he was uncomfortable. and was rushing with his head in the air.

now, this bad behaviour is (i hope) completely out of character for him. and i know everyone will say 'get his back and saddle checked' - i'm going to book that this week.

however, i have about a million problems (well, it feels like it)

-i can't afford a new saddle.
-is it worth me even trying to get a new saddle if i'm a big fat pregnant lump? will it feel the same when i'm not?
-is it worth getting a saddle fitted to him when he's currently in such light work? will he muscle out and need another one?
-what if this is 'him'? what if it's not the saddle? what if he's naughty, and i've just been lucky so far to not have witnessed it?

i was so excited about my friend hacking him out, cos i am SO proud of how perfect he is. also i really want him to stay in work cos he enjoys it. i'm managed to stop myself from ringing her a million times... when she did eventually ring me, she said "that's the worst hack i've ever had"
i've managed to get through this entire pregnancy without any hormonal fits... but this has got me really upset... i don't want him to be a bucking horse, i don't want him to be uncomfy, but i genuinely can't afford a new saddle at the moment... and even the second hand ones are hundreds via the saddler... sob, howl, sob.
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cookies, hot milk and a drizzle of honey if you get this far. might even throw in a bowl of sliced bananas with custard if you say nice stuff and make me feel better! (apologies for lack of alcohol... i'm not allowed it...). i know this is a whinge, and i'm not even sure what i am asking...
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here's a photo of him, to show his flat back... he's put on lots of 'condition' since this photo... as this was the day i got him. he's also seen a farrier!

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p.s. just noticed in that photo, you can see where his previous saddle had rubbed him (he was in a badly fitting saddle with his previous owners too). that little bald patch is where they all seem to 'flap'

p.p.s. he's hanoverian x polish warmblood. 15.1 hh x
 
If I were in your shoes I would get his back teeth etc checked to make sure he is comfortable, I'd then turn him away until baby is born and you are ready to ride again- THEN worry about new saddles that fit etc etc.

I wouldn't get back on again in the meantime, not if I was 7 months pregnant and he had been bronking.

Chin up, I'm sure things will all work out
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Hi, I have been told that winitecs have a tendancy to be narrow at the back which might explain why it is lifting up and 'flapping' and also rubbing him.

It seems odd that his behaviour changes with everyone but you... are the others riding him significantly heavier than you? Are they nervous and hence tense?

This probably sounds a bit hippy-dippy but my midwife said that horses do 'know' when their owners are pregnant (something to do with the hormones coming out in your scent) and that some will be extra calm and gentle with you. (this is back up by the fact that my gelding is absolutely terrified of me since I got pregnant and I can't get within 10feet of him in the field - he also hates mares and is a bit of a pouf). could it be that he is putting up with the pain of the saddle to 'look after you' but doesn't see why he should be nice about it with your friends?

If you can't afford a new saddle, I think you need to focus on the fact that your no1 priority is making sure everything is nice for your baby. If you horse has to have a bit of a break because his saddle doesn't fit or you can't find anyone to ride him then it won't hurt him. He sounds like such a gentleman with you that I@m sure you'll be able to bring him back into work when you are ready after the baby.

Just my thoughts.
 
thought that's what you'd all say....
i guess i feel guilty for 'wasting' him. and worried he'd be impossible when i started riding again.
if i'm honest, riding is getting harder now anyway. and my husband is starting to be a bit disapproving (VERY unlike him).

is it really hard bringing a horse back into work after 4 months off? is he going to knock my (recently restored, therefore fragile) confidence again?

maybe my brave friend will do it for me...
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I'm with lzt on this one, I'd get his back checked to see if there is anything there and then turn him away for a few months. Much better for him to have a rest and to be brought back when you're ready than to be made sour by an ill-fitting saddle. I wouldn't buy him a new one now because he's bound to lose some muscle tone while you're pregnant so you'd be throwing good money after bad.
 
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This probably sounds a bit hippy-dippy but my midwife said that horses do 'know' when their owners are pregnant (something to do with the hormones coming out in your scent) and that some will be extra calm and gentle with you. (this is back up by the fact that my gelding is absolutely terrified of me since I got pregnant and I can't get within 10feet of him in the field - he also hates mares and is a bit of a pouf). could it be that he is putting up with the pain of the saddle to 'look after you' but doesn't see why he should be nice about it with your friends?



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i sort of agree with this you know... he tripped up the other day whilst we were hacking (he put his foot down a hole) and i landed right down his neck... instead of panicking madly because his leg was stuck down a hole, he pushed me back up into the saddle before digging himself out of the hole. he is always very gentle with me.

god, i love him. so much. i really hope he's a genuine horse. x
 
O my! Ok breathe deeply for a bit!
Firstly I wouldnt say he was flat backed, a good saddler will bear out the back of a saddle no probs for it to fit nicely and he looks a reasonably conventional shape to me. Do you have a saddle that fits him everywhere else except the 'flapping?' Get a saddler out, they will re flock no problem to take out the rock and lift the back.
So start from there and take things one step at a time- and don't get back on him yourself as the others have said!
 
If you really want to keep him in work, you could pay someone to lunge him 2/3 times a week for peace of mind
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I have found that wintecs are only really adjustable at the front, so then at the back it can actually be narrower than the front.

However, he does not buck with you, which could be down to loyalty/bond or you dont sit down on the back of the saddle - you are a more balanced rider (even with a 7 month bump
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)
You do not say how well the others ride? they could be sitting like a sack of potatoes so it may hurt more with them riding than with you
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[ QUOTE ]
If you really want to keep him in work, you could pay someone to lunge him 2/3 times a week for peace of mind
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i was thinking this... i can do lots of ground work and lunging stuff with him. i think part of my reluctance about giving up riding is because i genuinely adore every second i spend with him. and i can't bear the thought of not doing that. also, it'll keep me active if we go out for long walks together. i can waddle along, we can have little picnics up the grass track together... my husband commented the other day that Raff is the love of my life... how true it is. as much as i adore my husband and my children. the time i spend with raff is my bestest time!
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god, i'm hormonal! ha!
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i agree with evryone else but have found that the rambo air pads are really good and now use them on all my horses but it depends how badley the saddle fits. theres a tap on them so you can let air out a and have anything from an inch thick pad to a relly thin one that just fills in the gaps. good luck.
 
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