Dressage saddle rubbing behind the saddle

[Chestnut_Mare1]

My mare has a long back and 2 vertebrae that are visible where the saddle pad ends behind the saddle. She is not roach backed and there is no pain, just her conformation - confirmed by vet/chiropractor/massage therapist etc. That should be less of a problem when her top line is more developed in the future, but for now, the saddle pads are rubbing and breaking the hairs back there. I have tried different brands and sizes and pull the pad up into the gullet, but by the middle of the ride the pad is laying against her spine.

She is in a nice Schleese saddle that is professionally fit/adjusted and checked once a year (if that matters)…

Any suggestions on what we can do to stop the rubbing would be very much appreciated.

[Can_tFindMyWhip]

I’m having a hard time understanding what is going on, but it sounds like the saddle may be rocking and moving the pad with it. When was the last time your fitter was out? Do you used the brand rep, or an independent fitter?

[SendenHorse]

Do you have a picture or video? Is the saddle actually moving around? or just the pad?
Also, is it going L/R or up/down?
I honestly haven’t dealt with this issue in the past, sorry.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

Sorry, its hard to explain, I’ll try again.

The seam or edge of the saddle pad is rubbing off the hair where it touches the spine behind the saddle, not anywhere under the saddle, just about one square inch size. I am wondering if a sheepskin lined pad would help. It does not happen with her summer coat, just the longer winter hair.

The saddle was checked by the rep in the winter and by an independent last year

[Kolsch]

Huh. I’m looking forward to hearing responses on this one. I see this as being a fairly common occurance. Winter coat only, not summer coat, never to the skin but broken hairs along the very rear edge of the saddle pad. Not under the saddle at all.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

[QUOTE=Kolsch;8677888]
Huh. I’m looking forward to hearing responses on this one. I see this as being a fairly common occurance. Winter coat only, not summer coat, never to the skin but broken hairs along the very rear edge of the saddle pad. Not under the saddle at all.[/QUOTE]

This exactly!

[Wicky]

Happens to me, too. In the winter. Try different pads because they can be slightly longer or shorter, and rotate them.

[fanfayre]

Yes, that happened the last 2 winters to my poor horse. This winter it wasn’t just rubbed hair, it was BALD patches, poor girl. Rather than padding her up, which might cause more friction and rubbing (per my dressage-rider vet) I actually bought a sheepskin square pad, plain, no binding or trim, and used that until her new coat grew in.
Worked a charm. I bought a 24" x 30" pad, and laid it lengthwise along her back so the bald patches were covered, even though it meant a (tiny) bit of flap was touching her side [I have short legs and therefore short flaps]. When I finished riding I also spread vit E cream over the patches to encourage hair growth. Plus, some clever person also thought the lanolin in the wool helped encourage hair growth.
Now, 6 weeks later you’d never know there had been a hair out of place.
I bought it locally: http://www.soulcomfortsheepskin.com

[Lusoluv]

This started happening with my mostly TBx mare last fall. I switched to a fleece, shaped pad instead of the square cotton or synthetic air flow pads I had been using.

I would have used a sheepskin lined square pad such as the Dover ones if they weren’t about $150 :eek:

[rothmpp]

I would only caution that if your saddle was fit with a standard cotton type pad - a fleece or sheepskin pad can substantially change the fit of your saddle.

I always ride with a sheepskin pad and my saddle was fit with that in mind. My saddle would be too big without that pad.

[jaybird660]

That is a very common occurrence, particularly with winter hair as it is more brittle. Sheepskin can help. Whether the saddle touches the spot at all, if there is any movement of the saddle, it will generally move the pad slightly, creating friction.
Slight movement can come from the way the horse moves, the rider, a little asymmetry in the shoulders, saddle fit and more. Big movement and larger patches or uneven patches is more of an issue.

[csaper58]

I have found that getting an extra large pad helps. Measure your pad from spine to girth loops and try to find one that gives you another inch. Toklat Classic III comes XL and use to offer custom sizes. Or, if you sew and there is room, move the girth loops down about an inch.

Another thing to try if you sew is to cover the binding with a silky/taffeta type material. It will wear pretty quick so just baste it on. Same principal as using a silk pillow case so your hair doesn’t break.

Finally, try saddling up and just before you mount put a very small amount of Cowboy Magic Detangler on the underside of the binding where it rubs.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

[QUOTE=csaper58;8678890]
I have found that getting an extra large pad helps. Measure your pad from spine to girth loops and try to find one that gives you another inch. Toklat Classic III comes XL and use to offer custom sizes. Or, if you sew and there is room, move the girth loops down about an inch.

Another thing to try if you sew is to cover the binding with a silky/taffeta type material. It will wear pretty quick so just baste it on. Same principal as using a silk pillow case so your hair doesn’t break.

Finally, try saddling up and just before you mount put a very small amount of Cowboy Magic Detangler on the underside of the binding where it rubs.[/QUOTE]

Ooh! A good excuse to buy a new saddle pad! Do you think a pad with soft shiny binding would work - like one of eskadron’s?

[HannahsMom7]

that happened to us, although we did not ride dressage, just balance seat. we had to buy a longer saddle pad for our horse. He also had a long back. not sure if that matters. once we had the long saddle pad, all was well.

[sascha]

If your pad is pulling out of the gullet at the back part way through the ride, either your saddle isn’t fitting right, or you need a pad with a slightly sticky underside like an Ogilvy pad because your horse has tricky conformation. Given that you said she needs to gain top line, I’d go for the pad rather than a saddle fit at this point (assuming your saddle fits more than less!)

If you’re using any sort of extra cushioning (Mattes pad, etc.) put the sheepskin next to her skin, not the square saddle pad!

Or, try a much longer pad so the back binding is behind the end of the saddle by several inches.

[csaper58]

[QUOTE=Chestnut_Mare;8679023]
Ooh! A good excuse to buy a new saddle pad! Do you think a pad with soft shiny binding would work - like one of eskadron’s?[/QUOTE]

I think the saddle pads with piping and binding are much stiffer over the back, but I have not tries Eskadron in years.

The main thing is to have a generous fit over the back, not a pad pulled tight by the billets/girth buckles when they go thru the keeper.

A thick puffy pad, a pad that is to short in length or width, even a thick winter coat can affect fit.

[Moogles]

I would try something with sheepskin as long as it doesn’t alter your fit too much. Mattes also makes a saddle fix system that supposedly helps secure the saddle pad to the saddle.

http://www.adamshorsesupplies.com/mattes-saddle-fix-system-7010066

I have a full Mattes and a half pad, love them both but generally use a Ecogold pad or passier puffy pad as the Mattes does add a lot of bulk. You can always have your saddle fitter adjust your saddle to be used with a thicker pad. Think of extra fluffy socks in an already comfy shoe, not always more comfortable. The eskadrons are hit and miss, the shiny ones cause my saddle to slide all over the place.

Also there are saddle pads with fleece material at the the withers and back of the saddle pads like the ecogold. They are pricey but I got mine used…
https://ecogold.ca/shop/stabilizer-dressage-saddle-pad-820/

But you could possible sew some fleece on yourself, never tried it but honestly would probably be fine if thick enough.

[YellowPonyEventer]

[QUOTE=Can’tFindMyWhip;8677841]
I’m having a hard time understanding what is going on, but it sounds like the saddle may be rocking and moving the pad with it. When was the last time your fitter was out? Do you used the brand rep, or an independent fitter?[/QUOTE]

This is exactly what happened to me…and what was causing it. And I had already had her saddle fitted a year prior so I thought I was good to go. Apparently my mare had either changed, or the initial saddle fitter just didn’t take care of the issue. I switched to another saddle fitter since I had moved out of the area anyway, and he told me that the panels and the channel were both too narrow for my mare’s back. Common issue with the QH types and the like that have rounder rib cages. Got a new saddle that has a wider channel and panels and voila, no more rubbing/hair breakage!

[YellowPonyEventer]

[QUOTE=Kolsch;8677888]
Huh. I’m looking forward to hearing responses on this one. I see this as being a fairly common occurance. Winter coat only, not summer coat, never to the skin but broken hairs along the very rear edge of the saddle pad. Not under the saddle at all.[/QUOTE]

This is EXACTLY what was happening with my mare…the saddle’s slight movement was making the saddle pad rub all the hair off, not under the saddle itself. It was all saddle fit…I needed something with a wider channel and panels that wouldn’t move like that on her big QH rib cage.