Menu

Stay in Touch
Sign up for ENews
Subscribe Now

Unlimited access >

Menu

Saddle slipping sideways - temporary solution?

Dressage
#1

I’ve ordered a custom Dresch a while back that should hopefully arrive sometime in September. I’m using my coach’s Dresch in the meantime on loan. It seemed to fit ok at first but I’ve noticed feeling myself getting pulled down to the right as ride, and the saddle definitely is slipping sideways. I got off and re-adjusted (being careful to keep it even when putting it on and girth tightening) and then by the end of the ride it was slipping sideways again to the right.

I messaged the Dresch lady to see if she could check it out in the meantime - I’m not sure she can make it any time soon though. I just need to get by until my saddle arrives and can be fitted properly to the horse in any case.

Are there any tips for dealing with this in the meantime, besides getting off and re-adjusting mid-ride? I know I’m a bit crooked, but this doesn’t happen to the other horse I ride so I don’t think it’s only me. The horse is 5 and growing I think. Not sure what’s going on.

#2

Dollar store has pad that goes under scatter rugs…honey comb looking thing. Try one works on my saddle shifters

#3

A temporary solution can be a pad with shims. You have to figure out why it’s slipping. Is there more muscle on one side of the horse/is she asymmetrical? Or is it something with the saddle itself - flocking uneven. Or does the saddle not fit for other reasons (too wide, too narrow) making it more susceptible to movement and it leans toward the direction where the rider puts the most weight due to being crooked? A few things could be going on here.

Honestly, if my saddle were coming within the next few weeks I rather lunge, long line, and handwalk rather than ride in something that doesn’t fit. That’s just my personal preference though. I’ve been in the situation where I’ve ordered a saddle or was waiting for an adjustment and I had nothing I could use that would come close to fitting the horse properly, so I didn’t ride for a bit and just did other forms of exercise.

If the horse is asymmetrical then you’ll have to pay attention to how you work the horse to try to even things out.

3 Likes
#4

not a dressage horse but my daughter’s competitive trail horse…her saddle was slipping to the right for no apparent reason, after really looking at the horse on a solid surface measuring his legs it was found that his right front was a little shorter than the left… farrier put pad under the right shoe, saddle never slipped again

1 Like
#5

What kind of a girth are you using with the saddle? Sometimes an anatomical girth will help with slipping.

It might also be that a different kind of pad would help, maybe one with shims or maybe a wool fleece pad.

#6

Are you absolutely sure your horse doesn’t have a problem or weakness in one hind leg?
Do a slow motion video and really hone in on those back legs.
I had a young horse that continually rocked my saddle to one side and after careful investigation, he did have a problem
in one hock which made his whole body out of whack.

2 Likes
#7

Is it possible that you have a slight personal unevenness so that your weight is causing the problem?

1 Like
#8

Yes, there was a study about this.

https://thehorse.com/118331/saddle-slip-as-an-indicator-of-hind-limb-lameness/

“None of the sound horses or horses with sacroiliac joint-related pain and/or back pain had saddle slip.”

2 Likes
#9

Ooof I hope not - I did $4000 in PPE on this horse before buying her, which included second opinions, to really check as thoroughly as possible her suitability for dressage. Nothing came up for the hind legs/nothing on the flexions. We also showed very recently and there were no comments to that effect/marks were good. If it’s something mechanical I would have hoped it’d have been noticed by now, but possibly it’s very subtle. She does tend to fall haunches out to the right when we do left lead canter transitions/I really have to watch her right shoulder and hind when we do left bending. I think she’s less strong on that side, but nothing so dramatic that it would impact the saddle I don’t think? Nothing that seems unusual? I could watch some slo-mo videos and see. I am crooked myself a bit - this hasn’t affected the saddle on my other horse that I can tell, but I’ll keep an eye. My trainer has a very keen eye and I would think she’d notice a hind-leg lameness, or a vet would have noticed during the PPEs that we did less than 2 months ago. :confused:

My coach/trainer noticed the saddle slipping right when she rode her too, so I don’t think it’s only my personal crookedness. We also use an anatomical girth. I tend to think maybe the saddle is too narrow and it’s slipping the way I tend to sit more heavy. I’ll wait it out for my new saddle and hope we get everything sorted with a proper fitting. Thanks, all.

#10

Have you tried riding without stirrups to see if the saddle slips?

If it doesn’t, it’s you. Try shortening the left stirrup or lengthening the right, or do a no stirrups September.

Have you stood behind her and looked to see if she has a low shoulder?

One of mine has a low shoulder and I did have to shim it for a while until he was carrying himself better. The low shoulder invites the saddle to drop on that side, increasing the weight on that shoulder, which makes the horse drop that shoulder to relieve the pressure, which begins the cycle all over. Shimming allows the saddle to stay level, evenly weighted, and gives the rider the chance to train the horse to lift that shoulder and carry themselves. As they build muscle and strength the shim is no longer needed.

#11

Be very careful when shimming and padding the saddle to compensate for the slipping. I had a similar issue with my Schlesse, had someone reflock the saddle (evenly) was great for like 2 weeks then my horse developed back soreness. A friend of mine had her saddle flocked more on the left as she was having trouble mounting due to some leg weakness so now her horse is unridable. Make sure your horse or you do not have an unevenness. Horses can drop portions of their back to avoid contact if in pain. They can be subtle or can be reactive. My horse was subtle when he could move me out of the way, once he could’nt, he became more reactive. We are currently working through it with Bute and careful exercise. And when the Vet came out to check him he passed all flexion tests etc because there was no weight on his back.The next step would have been a mounted evaluation but I already figured it out plus my husband is a retired trainer and between the 2 of us we can either ride or be the ground person. Find a friend with a good eye who can also ride so you can switch and compare what you see and feel.

#12

When saddle is slipping, here is more to consider:

https://thehorse.com/118331/saddle-slip-as-an-indicator-of-hind-limb-lameness/

2 Likes
#13

Saddles slipping sideways can have so many causes that it’s a challenge sometimes even for a professional fitter to sort out. My bigger concern is that by riding a horse in a saddle you know doesn’t fit, especially on a young horse, you might be creating bigger problems. At the least you are teaching him to move asymmetrically. If that goes on for long that brand new saddle you are waiting on won’t fit.
Not for you, since you have another saddle in the works, but others who are reading may be interested to know that it can eventually lead to serious soundness issues.
Therefore, I’m in the camp of doing ground work until your new saddle arrives.

Get your Digital Subscription here - only $21.95 / year

Subscribe here
See gift options

Sign up to our monthly newsletter!

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.

Copyright © 2023 The Chronicle of the Horse