Western Saddle Fit

[HEFER123]

So i got a new saddle for my mare at the beginning of May because i am stopping her english training. i rode in it quite a bit then left for 5 weeks of vacation been back for about a month. now my mare is sore in her far back. i dont know if its all the sitting trot and its made her slightly sore she is not that bad at all and i had my trainer who rides english test to see if she was sore. She said that she was slightly sore right where i sit. And then i was sitting working on homework last night and thats when it hit me the saddle pad i have is the same one i have used for the past five years on my walking horse but 90lb me versus 140lb with a ton of sitting trot would make my back sore and i was planning on getting a new one for christmas but if its making her sore then i think i need a new one

Bottom line do u think that it is saddle fit or do u think i need a thicker more confortable pad because mine is thin and built for more smaller poeple. and when i was riding her english she liked having a sheepskin halfpad

[Dani]

If you haven’t evaluated saddle fit then you need to do that anyway. A thicker saddle pad may help, but if a saddle fits properly it shouldn’t cause any soreness regardless of the pad beneath it. That being said, you don’t want to do heavy work (stressful things like roping etc) without adequate padding beneath the saddle, but you can go with a light blanket for trails and pleasure riding if you fit the saddle properly.

[HEFER123]

[QUOTE=Dani;8845657]
If you haven’t evaluated saddle fit then you need to do that anyway. A thicker saddle pad may help, but if a saddle fits properly it shouldn’t cause any soreness regardless of the pad beneath it. That being said, you don’t want to do heavy work (stressful things like roping etc) without adequate padding beneath the saddle, but you can go with a light blanket for trails and pleasure riding if you fit the saddle properly.[/QUOTE]

okay so i did evulate it four months ago and it looked great but now its making her sore do u mind telling me more things to look fore on the back half of it

[beau159]

[QUOTE=HEFER123;8845486]

Bottom line do u think that it is saddle fit or do u think i need a thicker more confortable pad [/QUOTE]

It is impossible to answer this question without at least seeing photos of the saddle on your horse’s back.

[HEFER123]

for sure i am going to the barn tonght so i can get picture of it tonight

[Dani]

You’ll want to run your hand under the front, back, and all the way along the side of and make sure there is equal contact all the way around. If the pressure is too light in the middle then the saddle is bridging and that would likely be the cause of your problem. If it’s too tight anywhere then it isn’t wide enough. You want a snug fit, easy to get your hand under and run it along the saddle, but not so loose that it wobbles or allows ample space for your hand. If it is too wide it would likely sit really close to her withers or even rest on them. It needs to be fairly level on her back as well, not popping up on the back end. The link will show you an example of a well-fit and level saddle.

http://i.imgur.com/s35B5A3.jpg

[HEFER123]

okay i got some pictures

(http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/harrisontaht/media/hefer%20saddle%205_zpsxxoupyvw.jpg.html)

just let me know if u cannot acces them

[Dani]

Your saddle is bridging from the look of it. That would be why her back is sore. It might be too wide of a tree too, hard to tell.

[HEFER123]

okay so with that in mind what are my options

[Dani]

Get a shorter saddle. You can’t fix a bridging saddle.
If the tree is too wide then you’ll need to get one with a narrower gullet. You can use pads with risers and extra support if the tree is too wide, but since you need to get a different one, look for one that is narrower as well as shorter.

[HEFER123]

[QUOTE=Dani;8846779]
Get a shorter saddle. You can’t fix a bridging saddle.
If the tree is too wide then you’ll need to get one with a narrower gullet. You can use pads with risers and extra support if the tree is too wide, but since you need to get a different one, look for one that is narrower as well as shorter.[/QUOTE]

so when u said that if it was to wide then it would be resting or really close to her withers and its not its like a whole hand above

[Dani]

It’s really hard to tell if it is or not from just pictures. If you have anyone who can check that for you in person then that would be ideal. If it is sitting that far above her wither then it probably isn’t too wide.

[beau159]

@HEFER123;8846625

okay i got some pictures

(http://s1070.photobucket.com/user/harrisontaht/media/hefer%20saddle%205_zpsxxoupyvw.jpg.html)

Sorry, but I cannot critique a saddle fit from those pictures.

You are too zoomed in. We can’t see how the saddle fits in relation to the horse. And the one gullet picture you do show, it looks like the saddle isn’t even sitting square on your horse (like you are pulling it over to one side).