Poor Saddle Fit Affects Everything
Everyone knows that a poorly fitted saddle will result in a horse with attitude problems. The only thing that most people forget when they start to see “attitude” is that it frequently started with something physical like the saddle.
Many of us with horses live in the town of “Equus Broke US”. So having the money for a custom fitted saddle is out of the question. We buy the best saddle we can for the money we have from the inventory that day. So the saddle may not be the best fit for our horse.
There are almost as many ways for a saddle to Not Fit as there are saddles. The tree may be too wide or too narrow. The spine channel may be too wide/narrow. The tree angles can be wrong – too flat or too angled. The tree can be too long. There can be loose screws, bunched lining, stuffing lumps. And many more issues that cause pressure points on the horses back.
Then there are all the other things that go on or under the saddle. The pad is not thick enough or too thick. The girth is too narrow or pinches. Our placement of the saddle is too far forward or back. Any one or some combination of all may be causing your horse to try to avoid the pressure from the saddle.
Affects of Poor Saddle Fit
Here are some of the signs of a poorly fitted saddle. There are others that may be specific to your horse. This is not a complete list, just some of the more common behavior and signs that I see.
- Does your horse resist being caught, act ticklish over the back, dip his back/more sideways or backup when brushed? Does he hate the site of the shedding blade? Does he act “cold backed” or buck when first saddled?
- Does he protest when touched on the spine just where the wither muscles tie into the spine or in the middle between the withers and the end of the ribs?
- When girthed, does he nip, side-step or rear in the absence of obvious girth chaffing or pinching? Does he fill up his lungs/hold his breath to keep the saddle loose?
- Does he have swollen areas in front of the saddle on the shoulder blades? Is the spine clearly defined on a well fleshed horse? Are there voids or hollow pockets just behind the withers where the saddle sits?
- Does he refuse to stand still when mounted? Does he move constantly rather than standing quietly after mounting? Does he dip his back and throw his head regardless of how carefully he is mounted?
- Does he have a history of hitting riders in the face with his head? Does he flip his nose all during the ride? Does he collect easily or does he rely on the reins to balance? Does he run through the bit?
- Does he have difficulty walking calmly on a long rein? Does he become more impatient as a training session or ride progresses, rather than becoming calmer?
- Does he have difficulty taking a particular lead, or flexing his neck around to one or both sides without taking a step?
- Does he “track up” more on one side in the rear than the other? Does his gaits appear uneven giving the appearance of illusive lameness?
- Are the bottom neck muscles just in front of the chest over developed? Are the croup muscles over developed?
What is a rider to do?
Remember “Stop, Look and Listen” for trains? The same thing applies to your horse.
Stop
First Stop what you are doing. Recognize there is a problem. Then know it is NOT your horse being “stubborn”. This most likely is NOT a training issue if it just suddenly developed. He is trying to tell you there is a problem.
Look
Too often when we groom we don’t spend very much time on it. It is that necessary part of riding before we get to the fun stuff. 🙂
Really look at your horses back. Feel every inch of it.
- If any of his back feels soft like a marshmallow then there is damage there that the swelling is trying to protect.
- If his back has hot or cooler areas, there is healing going on. Healing requires more blood to that area so it will feel warmer than the rest of his back.
- The last thing to look for is any hard areas. Hard areas that are not bone indicate that there is a lot of progressive damage occurring. The hard areas are muscles in the midst of a spasm. The body is trying to brace against whatever is causing the pain.
Listen
If we listen to the horse he will tell us what is wrong. The problem is he doesn’t speak our language. We have to take the time to listen to what he is saying. He will tell us by moving away from pain. By trying to not let us mount. By pushing our hand away.
All horses will test us to see if we are still worthy leaders. Don’t let the testing get in the way of knowing that it could also be a problem.
What do I do now?
Once you know what the problem is, how severe it is and the expected time to heal you are ready to fix the cause of the back pain.
- Stop using that saddle until you can get with a saddle fitter.
- Call a massage therapist. Your horse will need help to get his back pain free. This may be multiple visits or even several weeks or months depending on how much damage is there.
- Check with a saddle fitter, trainer or knowledgeable friend to find the source of the pain.
- Get the saddle adjusted or fixed. Or if you don’t live in Equus Broke US, buy a new saddle that fits correctly – lol.
- Give your horse some time to heal before starting to ride again. It will take a little while after the pain is gone for him to be convinced the new saddle/pad/adjusted saddle won’t hurt anymore. Give him the time and it will be like ridding a new horse again!
Hands Healing Horses 