Saddle Fitting The Andalusian

[BadTB]

I have a young Andalusian that I am having a hard time fitting for a saddle. Three now have left panel shaped indents in his back despite being professionally fitted. I’ve been told that this is “an Andalusian thing and that they are prone to it happening”. I have a hard time believing this.

He’s the typical Andy shape, wide and barrel shaped, a check shape when standing but lifts to flat backed when moving. Have tried both flat and curvy and hoop trees on him.

We’re having some behavioral issues when ridden as well but haven’t been able to find any physical issues to explain them. His back doesn’t even palpate sore despite the indent. At this point I’m thinking this must be saddle related… I mean there has to be discomfort of some sort if the saddle is doing that to him.

Are Andy’s really this difficult to fit a saddle to? Any suggestions for brands/models or anything else would be much appreciated! This horse is such a pet, just the sweetest most lovely guy… it’s not in his nature to have behavioral issues only when ridden… I feel like I’m missing something.

[Lusoluv]

#1 : Trust yourself as you know your horse best! #2 : I used a Duett Fidelio on my Andy gelding several years ago. My guy had 37cm wide withers so needed more of a hoop tree. He was quite table backed and I know several Fjord and Iberian owners who’ve found success with their saddles. Good luck! I know fitting broad horses can be very frustrating.

[JB]

@BadTB

Have tried both flat and curvy trees on him.

what’s the lateral shape of the saddles you’ve tried? He probably needs a hoop tree, or something that functions like one. What state are you in? I know a few great saddle fitters in a couple states, maybe someone else knows more in other states

[BadTB]

37cm!?!?!?! Wow, ok my guy is narrow compared to that at 26.5cm haha! Current saddle is a hoop tree, I should have added that in my original post. It’s still leaving panel shaped indents on either side of his back.

[JB]

which panels are leaving indents - shoulder or back?

FWIW, my WB was a 39cm in a Prestige, which isn’t a hoop, but is a more open A frame, there’s a name for that but I don’t remember it. But if your guy is 3-4 or so, he’s still widening, so who knows where he’ll end up. And if he’s in that range, or even 5, consider the right shape saddle but 1-2 sizes too big, which can easily be managed with pads without becoming unstable, and will allow him to keep that saddle for longer than something that just fits now

[CanteringCarrot]

Neither of my Andalusians have needed hoop trees and I’ve met a fair amount of others that didn’t either. So there’s variance on that within the breed. I don’t always jump straight to hoop tree when I hear Andalusian.

That is quite typical that they are very flat in the back once moving though. A lot of saddles, IME, can be too curvy for these horses.

Even if they don’t need a hoop tree they typically need generous room for the withers and the base of the withers where the back can stay quite wide.

All that being said, is he overweight? Andalusians can be quite “fatty” and often live on the brink of being metabolic. They seem to have adipose type tissue that can easily indent, mind of like how a bra strap might create an indent on us. So the more surface area/weight distribution a saddle has in the panels, the better, IME.

I’ve used a variety of saddles on my Andalusians over the years. Those have been Prestige, Black Country, Fairfax, Bates, Passier, and Amerigo. My current Andalusian goes happily in an Amerigo Pasubio, but he’s just 4 and he had 2 saddles prior to that, so I know the pain of saddle shopping and fitting.

I wouldn’t focus soo much on the brand of saddle as much as I would on finding a GOOD fitter.

[sheltona01]

I’ll chime in as a saddle fitter. Yes, they can be a bit tricky to fit if you’re not used to working with them. They tend to not follow the standard shape of many other breeds plus their is a lot of variation of back shape with in the breed too. Baroque horse breeds often show indents more quickly than other horses, and once those indents appear, they tend to stay. I recently spent 8 months rehabbing a lovely Andalusian’s back from saddle and training issues, so those marks are no longer there.

Most of the time, they aren’t actually that wide, but the spinal processes tend to be boarder than other breeds. Also, their static fit can look quite different from their dynamic fit which poses an additional challenge.

Feel free to send me a PM—I’d be happy to help guide you further!

[BadTB]

Thanks JB. The indents are along his back on either side of his spine very clearly the same size and shape as the saddle panels. I guess my guy isn’t as wide as I thought at 26.5cm haha! He is turning 6 in a few months and his shape has stayed pretty consistent throughout his growth, just small increases in width each time. I’m in Western Canada.

[Lusoluv]

Just another observation having owned an air fern of an Andy myself, the back indentations that match the under panels of your saddle may have explanations outside of saddle fit:

1. Your horse could be, um…well-covered. A polite way to say chubby.
2. Also Andis are experts at faking being on the aids. With their soft mouths and pliable polls, they can look on the bit, but not be truly “through” and working over their backs from behind.

So if he is under muscled and a bit overweight, this could be the culprit. Ask me how I know

[4horses]

Maybe try a wintec? My Andy percheron rode in a wintec and my friend with her andalusians uses wintec saddles as well. They seem to fit that sort of shape well. Tried one on my paint mare and she told me in no uncertain terms that it did not fit.

[joiedevie99]

@Lusoluv

• Your horse could be, um…well-covered. A polite way to say chubby.
• Also Andis are experts at faking being on the aids. With their soft mouths and pliable polls, they can look on the bit, but not be truly “through” and working over their backs from behind.

This. I’ve seen three horses who came from Europe with these indents. They all lost weight and learned to use their backs, and the indents disappeared. It’s a long process - 9 months +

[Greys]

Dressage saddles: My boys prefer the older Albions, particularly the Original Comfort with a hoop tree, but they also go well in the SLK. The Schleese Obrigado is another option. I’ve also had good results with a Wintec Pro before I found the Albions.

Western saddles: I find the older Circle Y Park and Trail with semi-QH bars works well on my boys, but be mindful of the skirt length. I also use Allegany Mountain’s Cascade Wade with an AW tree; the fitters there are very good about working with you to find the best match for your horse.

And yes, the Andalusians can be a little, um, robust in the midsection when it comes to carrying the saddle.

Good luck on your hunt!

greys

[BadTB]

Yes, I’ve seen many an overweight Andy myself. My guy is not chubby. My vet actually just commented to me this past week that his weight is perfect. I swore when I bought him that he would never end up with the fat rolls at the top of his tail haha!

This is all helpful though. Seems that this is something that can happen with the Andy’s more than other breeds. I still don’t want mine to have them, so will keep working at it. This also indicates to me that there is probably still something else I should be looking for to explain his behavior when ridden.