Deleted
My first thought is that the angle of the gullet is either too narrow or way too wide. Considering you’re not close to a tack shop, I suggest ordering a thick sheepskin pad to get the saddle up off his back. I’d give him a week off to let his back recover before riding him or putting a saddle on him. Horses are so good at adjusting the way they move that if you keep working him through his sore back, he may develop problems elsewhere.
Deleted
Could be a number of things. Here are some of the more common possibilities:
- Saddle is sitting slightly pommel-high so tipping your weight to the rear.
- Saddle is bridging, so pressure is concentrated front and back, a thick pad will worsen this, or even create bridging where there was none.
- Angle of the panels at the rear doesn’t match the horse’s angle, either too steep or too flat.
- Saddle is too long.
- Channel isn’t deep enough
- Could be not the saddle at all.
- Twitchy muscles don’t necessarily indicate a problem.
4 Likes
Deleted
I’m also guessing pommel high. What does your saddle pad look like on the underside after you ride? I know it’s not 100% the best indicator but it can guide you re: pressure areas. Can you take a picture of the horse saddled?
3 Likes
I think if you want better feedback on your question, you’ll have to post pictures of the horse without the saddle and then of the horse with the saddle girthed.
In the abstract, virtually anything could be going on, from poor saddle fit to being a better saddle fit that somehow makes you ride differently and thus is stressing different muscles, to an unrelated hock/SI problem.
5 Likes
Deleted
Sounds like it’s bridging. Does it shift or rock when you ride. What does your horses back look like? Saddle fitting is HARD! Kudos for trying to do right. Take some pics.
Deleted
Can you drop a picture of him wearing the offending saddle, and one with him naked? It might give us a better idea of what’s going on.
My guess would be bridging, or the panel is too long. (My new horse, who everyone tells me has a long back, simply doesn’t have the support mechanism in his loins, behind his ribs, to support a saddle with long, gusseted panels. Its been a journey!)
Deleted
2 Likes
We really need pics
Horses tend to be dirtiest around the withers/shoulders, and in the back of the saddle area, and cleaner in the middle since that middle part is a lot harder to really dig into the ground. That’s why saddle dirt patterns aren’t reliable.
Sweat patterns are a better indicator, but are still just part of the picture, not the only thing.
Get a picture of the saddle on, girthed up but no pads. A full side view, a 3/4 front view showing the entire saddle and shoulders, and then above and behind to show how the panels lay across the back and show the channel-spine relationship
1 Like
He’s cute, js! He looks a lot like my horse. Good luck! Maybe see if you can get a saddle fitter to do a video call with you. You could send them a wither tracing and back measurements and try working that way. Not ideal, but could save time over the endless trial and error.
1 Like
Probably not going to go all out with pics just for advice here, if you can’t offer advice without them that’s alright; however, if I do them for a fitter, I’ll post what I take. Just needed some ideas on what might be an issue, nothing more. I felt the saddle fit was really good, balanced, two/three fingers under the gullet, I felt balanced, good contact with the panels. Horse was happy for a little while, now isn’t but still happy with my old Stubben. I’ll talk to a saddle fitter and see what they suggest.
Horse is an off the track Standardbred, he is sweet beyond words, has a nice normal trot too!
I didn’t think 3 pictures for something you’d be doing anyway - tacking up - would be all out, but that’s ok.
All that can be done is list a whole lot of reasons why, which is the only advice that CAN be offered without pictures.
There’s more to fit than wither clearance and how the panels lie on the shoulders
Good luck, I do hope we get to see pictures because saddle fitting is something everyone needs to learn more about.
2 Likes
CWD dressage saddles are pretty flat in the tree, so it might be bridging. They are pretty wide with wide gullets. Can you post a picture of the stamp so we can see what panel configuration it has?
You are describing some likely pain avoidance behaviors. Saddle fit is a very reasonable place to start. But since you don’t have help near you, what about just getting a lameness exam? That could at least rule out a non-saddle problem that could cause similar behavior.
1 Like
Your horse has a lovely tie-in to the withers, and then dips and rises to the croup.
Asl yourself - after you ride, where are the sweaty spots/non sweaty spots? If there are sweaty spots behind the shoulder and at the cantle of the saddle, your saddle is likely bridging. This could be due to his build or the way you’re riding him.
If you look at the saddle from behind, is there enough clearance for his spine?
Very importantly, is the saddle positioned behind his shoulders? And if so, does THAT put your weight further back on his back? Is the saddle positioned ON his shoulders making the ride uncomfy?
You can’t assume a national brand is “upswept”. You have to look at the individual saddle.
Mildly twitchy to me says that the current saddle isn’t working. Reluctance to being ridden says that the current saddle is hurting.
Bridging would make the saddle uncomfy, putting lots of pressure on the lower part of the vertebrae. Too long a saddle. I know from saddle fitters that my current horse is short coupled and can’t handle a saddle that is 18" and needs a 17.5" upswept panel. That is just his build. You can’t pad around this.
I suggest really examining the tree and panel of your new saddle and how they fit with a horse’s back similar to yours. You can tell so much from fur displacement and sweat patterns. You’ve been doing this for a long time, you can figure out what isn’t working with this particular saddle.
1 Like
It is also possible that the panels are just too long for his short back. I know I had to have the panels changed out on mine to better fit Bravo’s short back. No effect on seat size… Schleese saddlery has a good youtube video on saddle fitting. He has a series, maybe start with this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gWxMUY9f5g&ab_channel=SCHLEESESADDLERY
1 Like
Not a fitter but I was expecting a way more “moderate” back from your description. To me that is a decent set of withers with a pretty substantial drop behind the withers and rise towards the croup with what appears to be a fairly short back relative to the horse. Not what I would think of as an easy fit. My guess would be that it’s bridging. Bridging doesn’t have to mean you can see daylight and I’ve had fitters show me bridging issues that I couldn’t feel until they provided really specific guidance and then it was glaringly obvious. Depending on the seat size, I also wouldn’t be shocked if the panels are too long for this specific back. My personal mare is not at all short-backed but her length is in the loin making her actual weight baring space shockingly short.
Do you have a clear sense of where his last rib ends and whether the panel is approaching that area?
1 Like
