Has anyone had a small, fluid filled, not hard lump show up on their horses spine after riding? It’s about the size of a quarter, shows up right in middle where the saddle goes and does not bother him at all. Saddle fit has been checked, nothing is rubbing it, channel is clear and it goes away within half an hour after riding. He is not hollow and goes correctly over the back into contact.
I had one the other day, but it was hard, not sore, and went away by the next day. Like you said, nothing was rubbing, saddle fits, so who knows.
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Same is happening with my horse recently, but it only shows up when a particular saddle is used. I’m still trying to figure out why and what to do about it.
If it appears with one particular saddle, it is likely caused by that one saddle. We all have pairs of shoes that fit, that should be comfortable but actually they are horrid to wear.
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I have heard of “heat lumps” but they generally last longer than that. Maybe try a different type/material of pad?
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My horse started getting these when I was trying saddles last spring. The one I was trying seemed like a very good fit at first, but after about a week he developed lumbar soreness/tightness. He also had those soft lumps (maybe 1-2) along his spine. They didn’t bother him either and went away within about an hour. Is it related to the saddle not fitting the best? Probably, but I don’t know for sure. He’s never done that before and hasn’t done it since.
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My own horse and my BO’s horse have had these. Mine’s went away when I swapped “his semi-custom made and professionally flocked to him” saddle for a “kind of too wide and long, but he goes better in it and it fits me better anyway” saddle. My BO’s horse also doesn’t get them anymore with a different saddle. Neither horse had really been complaining and our (different) saddle fitters said not to worry about it.
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There’s been quite a bit of talk about these mysterious bumps, but the truth is, no one really has a definitive answer on what causes them. I’ve chatted about them with other saddle fitters, vets, and physios over the years, but it remains a bit of a mystery.
I’ve noticed that sometimes a saddle change can help, but it doesn’t always solve the issue. From what I understand, there are several factors that can contribute to their appearance.
That’s kind of the conclusion I came to from trying to research them on my own. No one is really sure. In both cases I described, the bumps were not the reason for the saddle change, but did stop after a saddle change.
I’ve wondered if my guy just wasn’t traveling over his back very well in the less wide saddle and that caused the bump, as the bump appeared in the natural area of compression along his spine (then add in my weight right over that area when I’m in the saddle). That still doesn’t tell me what the bump is, but he’s definitely more “through” these days. 
