Does anybody use either of these to help with a saddle that slides forward? I am a little hesitant as I am worried that if I do go this route, when my saddle does slide forward it will make either of these options too tight and might cause discomfort or damage to Sydney.
My saddle has been doing really well, and then I moved my mare to a barn where she gets more food, and she has put on some weight. Now things are sliding forward again. Here is where everything sits after a flat schooling: http://imgur.com/a/4MfuH
I have used a crupper before, on a horse with a very ‘muleish’ build that had trouble with the saddle sliding on long or very steep downhill stretches. If the saddle moved too far the crupper saved me from sitting on the horse’s ears, but I did adjust everything back once we were on flat land. You don’t want too much or constant pulling pressure on the crupper. Even breeching isn’t meant to stay tight for an entire ride. It does its job and then you’re back on level ground or uphill and the horse gets a bit of a break until the next downhill.
I would also worry in your situation that there would be constant/increasing pressure for the entire session as the saddle fights to go forward and the crupper/breeching fights to hold it back.
I use a crupper on two of my arabs. Both are slightly down hill and mutton withered. Riding on rough terrain sometimes can make even my perfect fitted saddles slip some. The crupper makes a world of difference.
This is what I worry about too. I don’t want it to get increasingly tight as the saddle slides forward, and since we are on even ground there wouldn’t be any chance for the saddle to slide back again on its own like going up and down hills would.
I feel like the saddle still fits. I checked and had the BO and her husband check, and we all agree that the saddle still fits, it is just moving forward for some reason. It doesn’t seem to slide as badly on my 5 Star pad as it does on my CSI pad, but my mare seems to want to round her back better in the CSI pad vs the 5 Star pad.
I have a good friend who does endurance riding (with Arabians). One of her horses she has been through SO many saddles and has the same problem where they all slide forward. She uses a crupper on her, and it works well.
Draftmare: Is your horse built downhill at all? She doesn’t seem to look it in the pictures, but it is strange that your saddle just wants to slide forward.
Yes, it could 100% contribute. The professionals I have talked to don’t seem to think that she is “downhill enough” that it would be an issue though.
I think I have ruled out a crupper, still looking into mule breeching, but again I am still worried that because we are schooling on the flat, she would never get a “break” of having the saddle slide back and the breeching loosening like you would if you were going up and down steep hills.
