Horse throws me to one side at trot

[deltatime]

As I’ve been bringing my horse into more consistent work, I’ve noticed something very strange. At the trot, I almost constantly feel myself slipping to the right. My stirrup leathers are brand new and on the same hole. The horse looks sound to me (a non-expert) on the lunge both directions, and feels sound under saddle. It’s much worse to the left than to the right. I’m a pretty competent rider, and although I’m not perfectly square and balanced 100% of the time (who is?), I’m definitely not “have to adjust the saddle every few minutes” unbalanced on any other horse.

He’s been out of consistent, quality work for a long time, and isn’t as supple or soft as he should be. He’s 11, and has spent his whole life either trail riding or doing flatwork - nothing that would predispose him to joint trouble. Is this a symptom of something much worse at work, or should I put on a breastplate and work on straightness?

[DunByMistake]

I’m going to make a guess his saddle isn’t fitting that well due to not being in work for a long time. He is probably lacking muscle (especially on one side) which is allowing your saddle to shift. My horse is much weaker on his left side than right at moment (due to a leisurely life before I owned him) so he has to wear a shim pad to keep saddle balanced. I would contact a saddle fitter in your area for an evaluation. If it was happening on other horses, I would think maybe it’s just something you are doing but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

[merrygoround]

I suspect that while he appears to be sound, he does not push off with equal energy with both hind legs. Do you have to work harder when rising on one diagonal compared to rising on the other?

[RedHorses]

My horse has a low shoulder. When he’s fit he carries himself (and hence the saddle) level and I do not notice it. But when he’s out of shape the saddle drops over that shoulder, which puts too much pressure on him and he wants to drop it even more. I have had to temporarily use a shim over that shoulder while he builds up his strength again. Once he is strong enough he will let me know and I can take it out. I must warn saddle fitters to not adjust stuffing for that shoulder as he would be very uncomfortable.

If you stand on a step behind your horse and look towards his withers a low shoulder can be easily seen if that is the case.

[oldfuzzyhorses]

Definitely look for unevenness in the body - a low shoulder, a low hip, uneven musculature along the back.

Have someone trot him straight down a long side and watch how his body moves, from the front, the back and the side. Is one hip rising higher than the other? Does one shoulder move differently than the other? Do the legs rise and fall regularly and evenly? Have someone ride him down the long side, too, and watch what their body does as they post - and see how differently he moves in hand versus under saddle.

Also look for the placement of footfalls, both on a straight line and on a circle. The horse should track up evenly on both sides, in both directions.

If you have a hard time seeing anything, do a video and watch it in slow motion. If you can find somewhere high enough to sit/stand (like a hayloft or a balcony), also look straight DOWN on your horse’s body and see if you notice anything uneven or misaligned.

Once you have an idea of what his body is doing, you can pursue the possible causes and fixes. It might just be a lack of fitness that will even out with consistent work, or he might be compensating for/avoiding something.

[JB]

Just being a horse predisposes them to hock arthritis lol.

Get someone to hold him, flat level surface, keep him square, head relaxed, and stand up and behind him, and look at the lateral symmetry of his shoulders. Stand behind, on the ground, and look at his hip symmetry.

You might have to sit “light” on your right side (doesn’t means sit heavy on the left side) and really ask him to engage his RH to carry himself. His right side may be his weaker side so he’s not stepping full under, and/or not pushing off as much.

If you can get a freshly dragged ring, walk in there, mounted, then see how evenly he tracks. Do the same at the trot.