Riding without making horse's back sore

[chicamuxen1]

MATRYOSHKA, sorry I didn’t come gab more with you at the ride. It was lovely wasn’t it? I was really tickled with Mouse and had just a delightful ride on him!

I had an interesting conversation with an ECTRA vet judge about what a horse will get pulled for in endurance versus ECTRA CTRs. She works at both types of rides. There are things that you will see a horse pulled for in endurance (depending on the vet) that would not be a cause for pulling in CTRs. Why? Well, the way CTRs are judged is based on the horses physical condition before and after the ride. Start the ride with 100 points for the horse, loose points or fractions of points, at the end of the ride for negative changes, fatique, filled windpuffs, girth sores, etc. If they pulled horses for “changes” instead of pulling points then you’d could have far fewer riders at the end and the whole point is to learn from your placings and the deductions on the two forms that are given to you. You learn to fix what wasn’t working, how to care for them better, ride better, electrolyte better. Taking you to the end then pulling you doesn’t teach you any better.

A CTR horse may get pulled if lameness is bad enough, or pulse, metabolics, the serious indicators. But not for run of the mill sore back. How often have you seen tack pulled at a dressage show, event or hunter show and the back checked for soreness??? Had blood drawn recently at a local horse show to test for ALL types of drugs? I don’t think so.

Another cause of sore back problems is short back syndrome. Many of our horses have a relatively short back and most saddles are simply too long for their backs and/or not shaped to allow for the rise of the loins. for instance my horse Mouse is a bit butt high, AND he raises his loins way up when he trots. I spent $$$$ having saddles flocked for him and finally switched back to the treeless Bob Marshall Sport Saddle and it will follow the contours of his back. Many horses get rubbed or bumped by the cantles or back edge of saddles.

Another thing is lot’s of folks post in a back to front to back to front sort of motion. So they sit down hard onto the cantle. Learn to sit erect and post more up and down. this is much harder if the stirrup bars or rings are too far forward.

Bonnie S.

[goeslikestink]

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;4391936]
They don’t pull you from CTRs for a sore backed horse? [/QUOTE]

how do you know you dont compete in endurance -

[goeslikestink]

[QUOTE=IrishKharma;4387526]
My horse has had a sore back, loin area is showing sensitivity with finger test.

I have had two custom saddles and I am certain it isn’t a tack fitting issue. (specialized saddle and now a desoto)

I need to look at myself to see if I am the source of pain for him.

I am a feather/lightweight, and I have been told I do not weigh too much for him. But I can’t help but wonder what is wrong. He is a decent size, 15hh and not scrawny.

I post and I try to ride centered, like dressage. Can some experienced people help me with how to ride “endurance” the right way?

When I did a CTR a few years back I did get scored poorly for “deep in the saddle”.

The horse has had a few weeks off and I want to start back without being the source of discomfort.[/QUOTE]

ok---- get the saddler out – and ask him to watch you ride your horse
as you say you have them custom made but are you buying the saddles over the internet or actually having a certified saddler out to you as they should be made to fit the and then to fit you

get him back out ok as he can tell how you ride by looking underneath the saddle and on top of the saddle
you might be adding to the cause,
i know some people dont like to think it could be them but it can play apart in ahorses way of going
as if for exsamlple you dont know how to alter your stirrups to the correct length then that plays a part on the position of the rider on a horses back

exsample if odd you ride odd and are not even this then plays a huge part on a horses back
as 1-- your not distribtuing your weight evenly down to your ankles 2-- you not central to the horses back and movement 3-- your behind the head so plays into the bridle itself
so the horse would be reluntant to say canter or be heavy in the head
which inturn will have problems with his back end as in hinds and back regions
surgest you read my helpful links pages on dressage sticky and read all of page 1 links especailly metherdith manor link 3 and also thomas 1 on mouthing and bitting as its all relevent

as this is what concerns me you said - I post and I try to ride centered, like dressage.

did the horse pass a ppe before you brought him
dont do treeless they will make the matter worse ------

he needs time off till his back is healed up then you reallly need to look at you and how your doing things – as you said you dont want it about you but mate if we dont get you right or on the right tracks then he isnt going to be right
so look at things objectively and not defensively we all want you to be happy and riding your horse but most of all we want him to be happy to take you

[matryoshka]

Hey Bonnie, it was nice to finally meet Mouse. He’s a cool horse and had what I thought was the best trot at check in. He looks like he’s fun to ride.

With CTR vs. Endurance, I don’t know if the horses have to finish “fit to continue.” Would that make a difference as to whether a horse would get pulled at the end of a ride due to a sore back? I missed Saturday, but I’d think sore backs would be much more prevalent in the 50, 80, and 100 milers by the last day–and there were some sore backs on Sunday.

My OTTB, Frank, had a sore back (mild) when we finished marking the 10 mile loop last week. I was in the BMSS, and it took us about 4 hours. Part of the problem may have been that it was all done at the walk, and having the rider sit in one spot for that long made him sore. I tried to shift around to give him some relief but had difficulty doing so toward the end. Part of the problem may have been my hip (I had to use my hands to lift my right leg up to get off, since it was pretty much dead by the end). And part of the problem may be that he needs a tree in the saddle for back support.

I plan to ride him on the trail today in a Wintec with the CAIR panels (he takes a wide tree). I’m hoping my leg holds up–he’s a safe ride even if it goes numb. I want to see how his back feels when I’m done. He’s got some other body issues we are working on, but what I need is a saddle that works for him now, until we get other things sorted out.

This thread has been very interesting. You hear each of the things people have mentioned at various times when exploring back soreness, but it is good to have them all in one thread.

[Guilherme]

Get a friend to video you as you ride. Do a full workout of the horse so all of your practices are seen. Then sit down and watch it. The odds are you’ll see the problem. If you don’t then get a good instructor to watch it. That should tell you what the problem is.

Sore backs are very often rooted in tack and/or shoeing practices, but far more often are the result of poor riding practices. The video method is cheap. It is also very humbling. Don’t do this if you really don’t want the answer the lens will give. The camera doesn’t care who you are or who your Daddy is/was or how much you paid for the horse/saddle/shoeing job or anything else. It is as close to truth as one gets.

Once you have the truth you can proceed to success.

Good luck with you project.

G.

[MassageLady]

The extremely hard and constant work that an endurance horse has to maintain in itself can be hard on their back. Would you expect a professional athlete to never get sore? Of course not-so if you’re asking alot of your horse, you need to keep the horse on a maintanance program of massage therapy. this will get you the most out of your horse, help him to do his best for you, have better impulsion, smoother strides, less fatigue, and less chance of serious injury if something would happen. Plus you would be able to keep consistent watch on what is happening with him and be able to stop it before it gets to this point. contact me-I am looking for someone to coordinate classes for endurance riders!!

[monicabee]

another thing to add to the mix - Could it also be a conditioning/training issue? If yourhorse gets tense at events and becomes stiff and inverted compared to his regular way of going, he could be making himself sore and tight through the loin area even over a distance that he could normally handle without strain.

[IrishKharma]

I had the horse on Robaxin for 10 days, then we did chiro adjusting 2 days ago.
He was out in a few places on his lower spine (4,5, 6). And his TMJ.
Still some muscular soreness. I am going to have her back in 3 weeks.

The vet said the soreness was NOT from poor/bad saddle fit, it wasn’t the same location and it didn’t indicate the soreness was from that.

He is still sore, does the adjusting take time to “take.” This is the first chiro adjustment I’ve ever had done to a horse. It was amazing too!!

[matryoshka]

You might want to follow up with massage. I know when I get a major adjustment, some of the pain goes away immediately, some takes a while to settle. Long-standing problems are the ones that take a while to feel better.

Also, for myself, chiro adjustments don’t always hold when the issue is long-standing. That’s another reason to get a massage therapist to look at your horse–to help the muscles sustain the adjustment.

[rmh_rider]

Hi IrishKharma,

I have ridden endurance, and lots of training miles too. On my very first endurance ride (1990) I rode a 50 miler. My horses back was a little sore in the loins. I was told to get a better pad. Back then, there were no fancy pads like there are now. Therefore, I was using a basic white fuzzy pad with my english saddle. With no other pad types to choose from, I didn’t think that would help the horse. Kinda like the princess and the pea. A better pad can lessen the concussion. It is the concussion which is what the true issue on a sore loin. I thought alot about it. Alot. It was my butt coming down on the loin area. So I very much so lightened my butt coming down on the horses back. And you know what? It worked. I ride very light in my butt when I post. I come down very lightly. After technology caught up, I did get a foam pad to go under the saddle, and it was a pad for concussion. So the combo of a light butt, and a foam pad worked. But the light in my seat helped, and did fix the problem forever.

I had one horse when he trotted he would literally toss you out of the saddle, so I had to be careful when coming down. He had alot of suspension, which for endurance isn’t ideal. A flat moving horse, a horse whose back doesn’t come up much at the trot is ideal. I have that type moving horse now, he is alot less effort to ride, because I barely have to come out of the saddle to post. And yes, he can move forward, boy can he, and he also has a very long float time too. There just isn’t the up and down motion, it is more forward. You can watch a horses back at the trot (like in the rp or in an arena with a railing, on on video in slo mo) and see how much they go up and down at the trot in their back, or canter to see how much suspension they will have. Less is better, which means you do not have to post as high, or be tossed out of the saddle at the trot.

Many endurance riders get in the two point and hang there. When you do this you will put too much weight on the front of the saddle. All your weight will bounce there, and thus will sore the horse over time.

I have heard with the Spec saddles, shimming to make the saddle a correct fit is necessary. After you get that done, try to post with an ever so light seat. This has worked for me over the many miles I have trotted on the trails. I did buy a custom fitted saddle for my super short backed gelding, and with only an hour in the saddle he was worn of his fur, and very sore in his loins. And all I did was walk, and do a tiny bit of posting. The saddle bridged horribly, it was a synergist and I sent it back. I was told by them you need to ride more in it and break it in. HA! I bought a Solstice, and it fit right away out of the box. Go figure. So saddle fit is very necessary.

Bottomline: saddle fit, and posting lightly.

Keep us posted on how things go!

[Eddy_s_Mom]

My hubby is also an equine vet and also does equine chiropractic. My horse, too, gets sore in the loin. He is a flamboyant mover, takes great effort and control to ride, as well as being a little long in the back. He truly needs chiropractic care frequently. He will have months off during the winter and still somehow get himself out of whack.

I am glad you got your pony adjusted! It does seem to take some time and usually a few adjustments to really help. Did he lick and chew and drop his head after the substantial adjustments? Your pony will also expect it to hurt for the next little bit and will, therefore, be very guarded with that area. My gelding needed to be schooled dressage and ground driven to really round up and develop those muscles. He had some more issues this summer after several endurance rides and it turned out his hocks were bugging him as well. I swear these things never end!

As far as your riding, I would absolutely invest in a few lessons from a well-respected instructor just in case there is something little you doing are subconsciously that might be making your gelding sore. I use lots of inner thigh and really control my sits when I ride, as well as making sure I stay off his back going uphill. I like to get off and walk/job the longer downhills. I had to laugh at the video suggestion- can you just imagine what that would open up??? :eek:

[QUOTE=IrishKharma;4419924]
I had the horse on Robaxin for 10 days, then we did chiro adjusting 2 days ago.
He was out in a few places on his lower spine (4,5, 6). And his TMJ.
Still some muscular soreness. I am going to have her back in 3 weeks.

The vet said the soreness was NOT from poor/bad saddle fit, it wasn’t the same location and it didn’t indicate the soreness was from that.

He is still sore, does the adjusting take time to “take.” This is the first chiro adjustment I’ve ever had done to a horse. It was amazing too!![/QUOTE]