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Uneven stirrups = crooked horse or crooked saddle?

Dressage
#1

question for saddle gurus - have had a few issues lately and wondering if they may be all related.

  1. I am sitting way to the right lately even though I feel like my weight is balanced, it’s not
  2. Struggling to make my stirrups feel even
  3. Brand new pair of high quality stirrup leathers not lining up - in order for them to hang where they look even (while saddle is on the horse) they are actually two holes apart.

Could this mean a problem with my saddle? It’s a 2 year old Childreric, so foam panels, not wool. Could the stirrup bars be placed slightly unevenly? Or could it be sitting unevenly on my horse even though it looks straight?

This is not a new problem - I’ve only just realized it’s not just a factor of me and my part boarder changing stirrup lengths back and forth unevenly thanks to the new leathers

#2

brand new leathers as in you have never ridden in them? (that said, I’m sure you know to rotate leathers with some frequency since mounting on left tends to stretch that out a bit more, and we all ride a little uneven anyway)

First, easy, measure the leathers and the holes where you think they are even. If they are equal, then you know it’s not the leathers.

Contact a saddle fitter. Could be the tree is twisted. I have absolutely seen a twisted tree causing unequal pressure on panels and causing one side to compress more. I was rather shocked to hear the very high end brand specific dealer suggest simply shimming one side more as a solution to a saddle I would never ever use again, seeing as it was causing uneven muscle development around the horse’s withers.

Try the leathers on another saddle Could be the flocking on your saddle is more compressed on one side. Could be you riding heavily enough to one side in compressing one side more.

Mainly, measure, and then call a good fitter to look at your saddle.

If it’s not the leathers and it’s not the saddle, then you know it’s the horse. But when we had the twisted tree saddle and the accompanying weird muscle development on the horse, it was noticeable if you looked at her back.

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#3

most people have limb length disparity. check yourself as well.

most likely solution would be your legs, or your stirrups.

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#4

I leased a horse who was decidedly lower in muscle on one side than the other - causing that side of the saddle flap to drop lower and, also, further forward. So, that can happen.

The solution though, to my mind, is to sit in the middle based on what someone tells you from the ground, or your reflection if you have an arena with mirrors. Weight the opposite stirrup more, even though it feels strange; let it keep feeling strange 'til you get used to what actual centeredness feels like. It’s actually more unusual for people to sit in the center straight off the bat, as we all have a dominant leg - one that’s stronger than the other.

For stirrup length: adjust them to where they look even to someone on the ground, looking at you from the front and center. Remember the settings. If the hole numbers are different, so be it. Maybe you can make a mark on the leathers for where they differentiate, somehow. That part could be the horse’s crookedness, and may change over time, so keep getting feedback.

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#5

Could be the horse or it could be you. It sounds like you are sharing a saddle? Are you sharing the horse? Another rider can create crookedness in the horse. You could also be collapsing a hip to compensate for something going on with your body, or your horse’s way of going. I’d start by having someone who has a good eye for human body mechanics look at what you’re doing. If the horse is crooked, you still need to be straight to him get straight.

Because youve had the saddle a long time, I wouldn’t assume that is an issue. Even if it’s shared between riders and horses, it shouldn’t get that far off. It can get a bit, but I’d start with a solid instructor who understands how to fix a collapsing hip and can also dig in to the root cause of the issue.

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#6

This was my first thought because I do have a back injury on one side that causes a lot of hip / back tightness, plus I had a knee fracture on the same side earlier this year. However, the stirrups don’t hang evenly on the same holes when I’m not in the saddle and looking from the ground. Brand new, only ridden in twice, even leathers. Absolutely my tendancy to sit to one side may have compressed the saddle panels more on that side. Would that be normal in a 2 year old saddle?

#7

Saddles can compress in 6 months.

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#8

I’m not one of them, but this is why many people have fitters look at their saddles to adjust flocking every six months or so because absolutely flocking can be compressed or shift in that time

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#9

It could be the rider, horse or saddle. This week I saw a saddle that the riders has actually moved the flocking enough that the panels had to be re-laced in straight because they were stretched. It could be the horse not moving evenly causing muscle issues. The saddle could be damaged and twisted as mention above.

Since you mentioned back injury, I would guess that you are not even causing the panels to compress more on one side. It can happened very quickly and a lot in 2 years. Most horses and riders are not even and yes that is one of the reason why people have their saddle checked.

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#10

Thanks everyone. As a rider I am defIniteky, without a doubt, crooked and more so since my injury. So I guess it’s very likely I have caused an imbalance in my saddle. Will take some pictures of it at the barn tomorrow and see if Incan notice anything obvious.

#11

Do they look uneven when the saddle is on the rack, or just when it is on the horse?

Are they really high-quality leathers, or merely made by a big-name company? (Quality slips in the strangest places! :()

#12

I’m going to check it on the rack tomorrow - interested to see myself. They are Prestige leathers, so I assume a fairly good quality. The leather and workmanship seem very nice and they have the nylon core tand prevent stretching. Have only been ridden in twice so can’t have stretched yet. Am curious to complete the them side by side.

#13

On a related note my own unevenness is definitely not caused by the saddle, though I could have created an imbalance there which isn’t helping. I rode two horses for the first time on Friday in their own saddles - both wth far more training / sensitivity than my horse - both clearly let me know I was sitting way to the inside, especially when going to the right.

#14

I thank god they have the nylon core because the leather will literally start to peel away before too long. I am not a fan of prestige leathers.

#15

I bought a new saddle last year and had to have the fitter out three months later to add some stuffing because of compression. She said that was normal and we had discussed it when I bought the saddle.

My other horse has a low shoulder. If I stand on a block directly behind him and look, the low shoulder is quite obvious. At this point it is not an issue as be carries himself level in work, except when he is quite unfit. Way back when it was an issue I used a shim over that shoulder until he had built the muscle to carry himself evenly, at which point he made it clear the shim was uncomfortable.

#16

I think having a saddle fitter look at the saddle is the best idea and first step. But, BigMama, I also think you need to ride without stirrups. A lot. (Very crooked rider here, know what I’m talking about!) I had a tendency to lean left that began many years ago. It culminated 35 years on with me having my right hip replaced. Turns out I’d been protecting my right side for most of my riding career! Now that it’s fixed, I’m having to spend a lot of time riding without stirrups to get me even again.

It sounds like your injuries are contributing to your crookedness. So some time on the lunge and always warming up at least without your irons is definitely in order. However, I wouldn’t make any changes to your own position until you know that your saddle is sitting you correctly!

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#17

So the good news is the leathers are the same length and they hang evenly on the saddle on the rack. So I have created unevenness in my horse but not the saddle. I will have the fitter out but assume I may need to shim on one side as we work on evening us both out

#18

Long article, but packed with great information on crookedness in our horses.

http://equinestudies.org/lessons_from_woody_2008/lessons_from_woody_2008_pdf1.pdf

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