Draft Mule Saddle Fit- Help Needed

[cunningham2500]

I have a 14 year old Belgian mule that I have been struggling to fit. He has large shoulders and withers, and seems to have possible muscle wasting behind the withers and shoulders. He has had this conformation since I bought him last year and has not improved in the year I have owned him. We are pleasure trail riders but often enjoy long weekend rides on various terrains, so he is neither totally fit nor unfit. I recently purchased a Down Under Kimberly Superior Aussie saddle, which I absolutely love, but I am still not getting a perfect fit. Every saddle I try slips back into the pocket behind his wither/shoulders. Down Under states the saddle should be fit above the shoulders, but I simply can’t get it to stop sliding with breast plate, non slip pad, and neoprene girth. The problem is that the saddle does not fit properly when it slides back, and going more narrow doesn’t seem to be the right solution to me or them. When I pad the saddle up here he seems comfortable, but I have never been able to ride in the “correct” placement for comparison.

Is this his saddle “sweet spot”? Or should I try something else to bring the saddle forward?

[PNW_AMTS_Dealer]

I would contact Tom at Skito Saddle pads, send pictures, and see about having him make you a custom set of shims for a pad. Or he may have a style already made up that will fill those pockets and lift the saddle so the shoulders aren’t being pinched. Once they get that muscle wasted top line it can be nearly impossible to fit a saddle without creative shimming.

[NoSuchPerson]

If you are trying to fit the saddle “above the shoulders,” you’re putting it in the wrong place. Really, that’s terrible advice. The front edge of the saddle tree/points need to sit behind the shoulder, not on top of it. Also, mules are built differently than horses and getting the saddle back far enough to allow adequate shoulder clearance means that the saddle is going to sit farther back than it likely would on a horse.

When I got my first mule, I was taught to put the saddle on where my horse-based mental picture said it looked right, then push it back several inches to the point where it looked too far back, which was actually just right.

Take a look at this web page:

http://www.albertadonkeyandmule.com/mammoth_mules_content/tackfitarticle.html

Scroll down to the section titled “Saddle Positioning & Riding Too Far Forward.” It provides a nice explanation.

Years ago, Mules and More magazine did a series on saddle fitting for mules, with articles written by several different experts. I’ve Googled looking for it online, but was not able to find it. That’s a shame, as it was very helpful.

Now, I’m not saying that muscle wasting, if he has any, doesn’t complicate the issue, but based on what you’ve said, I suspect that your basic problem stems from putting the saddle on too far forward.

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

I’ve never worked with a mule, but for a horse the most common reason a saddle slips back into the behind-the-shoulder hollows is a mismatch between tree/panel shape and the shape of the animal’s back. Flat fits flat and curvy fits curvy, and never the twain shall meet.

In addition, high withers mean the saddle must be constructed with enough gullet clearance that you can get a tree wide enough to suit the animal without causing impingement. Not all saddles are built this way, which is why many people use too-narrow saddles in an effort to clear the withers.

If you can link to some good conformation pics of your guy, it’ll be much easier for us to offer help. Take one naked pic (directly from the side, standing square, neck relaxed, showing the whole mule in the frame); then another of the same pose with your saddle on and girthed as normal, but without any type of pad under it. Then sit on it like that and have someone take the same pose again (raise your hands so it’s easy to see the pommel).