Thought about posting this in Dressage but think may be better here… Anyway, saddle fits well. It’s a County Epiphany. Fitted by a really good rep, checked every 6 mos for adjustments. But since mare has developed a KS area right behind the saddle, I thought it was worth asking: Has anyone changed their saddle to something else, even if it fit well, did it make any difference?
I’m mostly curious but I also want to do the best I can for my mare.
KS can not be helped by saddle. It can be helped by proper top line building and rehab, or by treatment or surgery.
KS can be maintained, a proper saddle fit will help with building the top line properly to help support to the vertebrae and take some of the pressure off the bones.
My guy has mild KS, he recently had Cortisone shots and Mesotherapy done. Surgery was an option, but he’s 19 and I personally felt surgery was not necessary as we begin to slow down in the next few years. Prior to that, he had hock injections. His saddle fitted every 6 months, chiro and massage on the regular. Depending on the horse, one may work better than the other.
There is a FB group called “horses with kissing spine” you should join, there is a ton of information on there.
I know this. I also know that just because a saddle “fits” does not mean it is the best choice for that horse.
Maybe I should rephrase the question to: Did changing your saddle help you help your horse to move better thus allowing the PT exercises to be more effective?
I had ill fitting saddles with a crappy saddle fitter, switched and purchased new saddles that fit him like a glove. It absolutely helped with building his back muscles and helped him be more free in his body.
If you can do walk pole work, and start with long and low work to get them over their back and long, it will help a lot!
I think the answer is an unsatisfying “it depends on the horse/individual circumstance”.
My horse with KS seems to do best in serge panel type saddles and saddle pads with sheepskin backing. Every horse is different.
That FB group has a lot of activity and is worth eyeballing. Some people think treeless, others think that is terrible for KS horses… you’ll get a lot of answers some of which will conflict one another. You know your horse best. Go with that.
@beowulf I did join that KS group. Lots of stuff out there, but I find mostly people discussing their horse having surgery.
I posted here because I thought I’d get mmm…better quality answers…LOL.
Yeah I do know my horse best, you are right about that. I had an interesting visit from a new-to-us DVM/Chiro yesterday. Every place she found a knot or ‘ouch’ muscle pattern corresponded to every single “hmm, something is NQR” thing I have noticed over the time I’ve had this horse. But she was able to explain it to me in biomechanical terms which was HUGE for me. That alone helps me think about how best to move this horse to develop correct stretching and strengthening.
Wanting to add I use an Acavallo Respira Gel pad, its thin and shock absorbing, I find it helps my horse and his back. Does not effect saddle fit, as per my saddle fitter and doesn’t break the bank.
My horse doesn’t have KS but he has little mineralizations in the back. The saddle that works for him is EQ Saddle Science - I tried tons of conventional saddles but little success. But they are expensive!! If you don’t need a dressage saddle, the Reactor Panel Company is the endurance side of the company and they seem more reasonable.
I also left that group after a bit because I didn’t feel the quality of suggestions or advice was worthwhile. And, like you said, a lot of discussion about surgery.
If your saddle fits, I would be hesitant to go hunting for another. But perhaps there’s some merit to having one that has upswept panels to avoid so much contact on the problem vertebrae. I have short backed horses, so I was looking for this not for KS but just to fit them better. Schleese Obrigado and Black Country… Dante I think? fit the bill for this. Incidentally, my KS spine horses goes in the Black Country, so maybe that was a win-win for me. 
I maintain my KS horse with mesotherapy, shockwave therapy, and chiro about every 4 months. I also use the equiband system for every flat ride. Horse is 7 and going Training level in Eventing quite well.
How often do you do the mesotherapy and shockwave? Are those also every four months?
my KS horse did much better in a western saddle with big gaps between the bars. if I had to guess I’d say it distributed the rider’s weight over a larger surface area compared to english saddle panels, even if they fit well.
I’m curious too, how often you do the shockwave and mesotherapy?
Yes I do shockwave and meso at the same time about every 4 months.
I schedule the chirpractor about every 4 months as well, although the dates don’t necessarily coincide with the shockwave/meso treatments.
Thank you!
I’ll second @Boomer recommendation. My KS horse is picky about saddle fit and his opinion on what fits differs from that of his reputable saddle fitters! I finally got him comfortable and happy with the EQ Saddle Science saddles (dressage and jumping). They are innovative and look a little different, but their customer service is excellent and they are experienced with KS horses. In my horse’s case, a different saddle did 100% help with KS - he was difficult and almost dangerous to ride before we found the right saddle. My boy is now 100% asymptomatic and has had no other medical intervention but does get regular PEMF therapy.
It’s been many years since I had a mare with kissing spine, but saddle fit definitely made a huge difference. We did the surgery where they cut the ligament but don’t remove any bone. Once she was rehabbed on the lunge line, I was fortunate enough to find a wonderfully patient saddle fitter and trainer experienced with rehab work. We tried on about 30 saddles. Of the ones that the saddle fitter said were a good fit, my mare was willing to tolerate 2 of them. There were plenty of saddles that the fitter said were perfect that my mare just hated. We went with the cheaper of the 2 my mare approved of. I think one thing she liked is that the saddle was a 19" seat. I usually ride in an 18" seat but we hypothesized that the larger seat meant larger panels, spreading the rider’s weight over a wider area.
My mare also liked a Mattes pad, not the half pad, but the full pad with the sheepskin directly on her back. This coupled with a saddle that was slightly wider in the tree than ideal seemed to be what my mare wanted. The thick sheepskin of the Mattes pad took up some extra room, making the slightly too wide tree fit. Again, using a pad to make the saddle fit better doesn’t seem right, but my mare insisted that this is what she wanted. She bucked in many of the “properly fitted” saddles we tried. She also needed shockwave therapy on her back every 2-3 months before the surgery, less afterwards. Unfortunately she developed a hind leg lameness not too long after the kissing spine surgery so I can’t say how well that would have worked out long-term.
My young OTTB was just diagnosed with severe Kissing Spine at 4.5 years of age, and the vet stated that the only suggested riding in his future was light trail riding, in a western saddle only, for the exact reason you stated. Now I am trying to figure out which western saddles would suite a 16.3 hand OTTB with a very high wither? I have never ridden western, so this is new stuff for me.
Many, many years ago I read something from the guy who owned Little Joe’s Saddlery in Richmond, Va. (closed long ago, and I miss that tack store, where I bought my copy of “Lameness in Horses”, the text book.)
He was asked what was the most comfortable saddle for horses and he said the SADDLE SEAT saddle, used by American Saddle Horses in their shows, because the wide panels spread out the rider’s weight. These saddles completely avoid the withers and they also avoid interfering with the top of the scapula.
I do not believe this, but in 2 days this is the second time I have suggested a saddle seat saddle for someone’s horse. I have yet to ride in one yet, but I recommended it to one of my riding teachers for one of her horses with a LOT of movement at the top of the shoulder.
You could try an EQ Saddle Science for a more English feel with lots of weight bearing surface and wither clearance. I can’t help with the western saddle, but they are actually pretty hard to fit perfectly despite being more forgiving of minor discrepancies. It’s definitely worth talking to a fitter that does western saddles if you have one locally.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
