For my Appendix built like this, he needed BOTH wither gussets & k/trapezius panel for his dressage saddle. He also has a huge shoulder & healthy withers. Both features helped us flock it so we could give his withers and shoulders enough space finally.
He’s cute as he could be!!!
1 Like
It could be sliding back because it’s too narrow. That may well be why your trainer has an easier time. The classic models are a bit narrower. Even more so if yours is an older (5+ years) one. The panel might also be causing it to slide back if it’s too tight on the shoulder. The creative pads could be providing some lift it needs but won’t fix anything that’s too narrow.
I think your horse probably has a narrower spine (compared to some WBs for example). That plus the shark fin shape to the withers can create those hollows. But by trying to fit the hollows, you might not be allowing him to use the muscles in that area well, and you can impinge the shoulder movement. If the withers are steep, I wonder if your initial saddle placement is also too far forward. Just because the balance is off when it slides back doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be set farther back to begin with… it just means your saddle would need to be paneled to be balanced where it should sit. The saddle needs to sit so that the shoulders are cleared. And so you might need lift in the front (like the wither gusset mentioned but some foam brands can do this too) to keep the clearance and improve the balance when it is set behind the scapula.
While your tree may be too narrow, be careful just changing the tree size. You have to take into account the tree angle and also the panel type. Say you just upgrade your model to a standard panel with a wide tree. That would probably now sit even lower because it’s now a bit too wide, which will impinge the withers and make the tree points too low into the scapula. You can pad up a too wide tree to some extent, but when you’ve got balance problems, it would be best to just have something more customized to this horse.
All excellent points. As I’ve talked (typed) through all this, I’ve have worked through the various balance issues that will result from various tweaking and size changes. It’ll be a task for sure, coming up with a combination that works for him but will still give a well-fit and balanced ride on other horses.
I would venture to say the place that it slides back to is still too far back. Thought that is obviously it’s “happy spot”; taking the path of least resistance back to the swales. Though I understand what you’re saying about it possibly not being too far back.
My CC is a 2018 model, so shouldn’t fall in the realm of even narrower trees that you speak of. You would think a medium tree would be a medium tree would be a medium tree, regardless of model 🙄
Well, it’s probably finding the narrowest spot right now. But a better fitting saddle might need to go farther back than you might personally like because of his shoulder conformation. You might need an anatomic girth to help with that. Do you need to ride other horses in this saddle? I have had some hard to fit horses, and while it’s expensive, sometimes, those ones just need their own saddle because it gets to a point where you can’t ride (e.g., you are too in the back seat), horse is uncomfortable, you might be doing permanent damage to your horse’s back, you might get bucked off (in the case of my sensitive ones at least!), or you just get them what they need. Yes, it can be expensive, but if it’s a saddle you like, you might be able to re-panel and re-purpose it down the road when you no longer have this horse or one like him.
If you can figure out the right panel for him, who knows, maybe you can find something used.
IPEsq My horse was built the same as the OP. He had a decent wither, and very wide shoulders which bulged out, and caused him to have hollows just behind his withers. He also had a wide round back.
His saddle was not too narrow. It was not too far forward. It slid back because his shoulders wanted it to.
I cut out over his shoulders to give them freedom. Saddle stayed put. No new saddle, not complicated. His shoulders wanted more room, so I addressed the problem and made them more room. He loved the pad I modified for him. Same (Tad Coffin smartree, flat version) saddle has fit my last five horses, with different half pads and shims.
Saddle fitters make me a little cra-cra with their overcomplicated expensive solutions. The rider needs to listen to the horse and try different things over time, not pay some person who sees horse in the crossties for 20 minutes.
Look at his picture – do his shoulders not look free to you?
