Sometimes You Have To Dig Deeper

Sometimes as a professional in the equine industry and for the sake of the horse, you HAVE to dig deeper.

This was the case with a client's mare that was having some serious back pain and her saddle, a high quality saddle that fit the mare perfectly when purchased 2 years prior, was going way off to the left, despite regular adjustments from her regular fitter and causing extreme back pain to the mare. Both vet and equine chiro agreed the saddle was most likely the cause, or part of the cause for this issue.

I was called in to try and determine what was really going on as the owner of this gorgeous warmblood mare did exactly what was recommended by myself before I could get there to help. They stopped riding her, gave her time off, and followed my recommendation and did my full back rebuild protocol (click here to get your own free copy). Despite all the work done over many weeks, the mare wasn't able to feel well enough for the owner to feel confident about riding her again.

As soon as I arrived I knew that the first thing to do to be efficient was to strip the saddle down to the tree by removing the panels and place the tree directly on her back. It is uncommon to see a fitter go to these lengths to truly check the fit of a saddle, but it some cases it is necessary.

This proved and showed a few issues. The tree was too narrow, the stirrup bars were digging into her back, and the tree was too curved for her straight back. As can be seen in these pictures:

The excessive rock from the saddle caused by too curvy of a tree on a straight back, caused a pivot point in the middle, making the saddle unstable, one reason why the saddle couldn't stay centered, although the vet did determine uneven hind left push off which would also contribute to this. And making it very uncomfortable and painful for the horse.

This wasn't surprising as the mare, at the time this saddle as purchased, was much narrower, and had a weaker, hollowed topline. It was great news that her back built up so much with proper ground work, however no adjustment could make this saddle work for the mare. 

The solution: a new saddle that is wider at the tree points with a more open head and a straighter front to back profile with wide, flat rails. We were able to find a saddle to borrow in the meantime that fits the mare until we get a new saddle ordered for her.

It's not always the best news to deliver to the client saying their 2 year old saddle no longer works, but when it's for all the right reasons, and when you love your horse, you do what is needed!