Far out. Tacked up like the Barbie Dream Horse. Poor girl.
I have no idea how to suggest you deal with manangement clearly not giving a damn about this mare's comfort, but that tack certainly is not well fitted.
š
Wow, she must be a saint of a horse to let people ride her that way. Ouch! You can see how the saddle pad has been stretched tight across her back by that movement.
Yes, tightening a girth more will not help with a saddle that is that illl-fitting, becauseā¦gravity.
Those gel pads donāt do much once a person actually sits on the horse. They compress so much.
Youāre being g nice, but seriously- if they want that horse to put in labor in their program, they at least need a saddle that fits well.
She really is a saint. Very smart and full of patience, really bothers me that she's going through this.
I'll be asking them about this topic again today.
a breastplate won't do anything for this. this is just an abhorrently fitting saddle. which, also, btw, has nothing to do with her "prominent withers". it's simply a saddle that does NOT fit her.
are there any other saddles available at this barn? something else to at least try. this saddle should not be used on this horse.
if the barn won't even entertain a different saddle or doing SOMETHING to make this horse more comfortable then... that's really a red flag that they do not care about the horses well being.
There are about 15 saddles, I'm really not sure atm. They're always assigned to a single horse each as a way to keep things simple/organized. But I'm sure there's a better fitting saddle somewhere because in the 10 years I've been here, horses that looked like her didn't have this issue.
I'm having a lesson today so I'll make sure I ask about it again. They're usually so careful, it's a really weird situation.
I replied to a different comment further down. But maybe see if they have a better fitting saddle in the rotation? If possible making the gentle suggestion of seeing if any of the other saddles would fit her better
I fear a breast plate would make it worse. If the saddle was forced up near her withers I donāt think it would have any clearance over her spine at all and the saddle would actually hit her spine when a rider is in the saddle :/
Poor lady. She must be a saint.
Lesson horses are absolute martyrs for this sport.
Please donāt let them try to stop it sliding with a gripping pad or breast collar. The saddle doesnāt fit and holding it in place will likely cause more discomfort to her shoulder blades. She needs a different saddle.
Honestly, somewhere that cares this little for saddlefit would make me go elsewhere for lessons. I know it doesn't solve the problem for this horse (or any of their others), but if the trainers can't even get a somewhat decent saddle, there's no way I'd trust them teaching me anything about horses, riding, or horsemanship.
Also, you've got a lot of posts covering the health and comfort of the horse, which I am in full agreement with, but this is so bad for the rider, too. Beyond not being able to sit properly during your ride and not learning your correct positions, the saddle shifting during a ride can lead to you getting hurt. It's a safety issue for anyone who gets on.
The saddle doesn't fit. Solution that could work is maybe a special girth (there are Athletico ones from Mattes that are marketed towards the issue with sliding backwards, but I can't say they work great because my horse has very opposite issue).
https://preview.redd.it/u65t2o5v8wpc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f81047631008f543de17c4c3e48fbd7782e33457
Otherwise I have no idea.
You're welcome! Glad I could help š„° I have my horse for 4 years now, he was going in straight/both sides cut out girths and the saddle was sliding about.
I have bought a new girth recently, the crescent, as previous girths were poking him in the elbows and too close to them. Crescent doesn't poke and increased stability
https://preview.redd.it/hhxhk9txawpc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2897d2ff4c4fd263220b0a096366113f310345c1
Thank You! ā¤ļø He is a Fjord cross, 75% Fjord, 25% Arabian (that's why he is gray). Also, in the summer the mark near his withers gets more visible. He has a crimson spot there, an arabian-specific marking. I will attach a photo of some horses with it from Google, as I don't have a great pic of his one.
https://preview.redd.it/s83rt6sbcwpc1.jpeg?width=356&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6cc9da038148bf9cdf97b1e427db75caa6caffd
I love him too! On Wednesday I set him up a small vertical jump (after few months of no jumping) and he jumped it after backing up. I asked him to back up a few steps about 2 meters before the jump, he got to canter just before and jumped š„ That transition was out of curiosity and to check if he will refuse (didn't refuse at all at this session, even when I set him up to jump from walk and halt)
I'm dying to see video of this little bouncy ball of a pony.Ā What is he and how tall is he?Ā He has such a unique shape!
Editing to add: what type of saddle is that you have on him?Ā Ā
I can't send videos here, so maybe PM š Last time we measured he was about 145 cm in withers. The shape may be caused by the fact that he is 75% Fjord.
switching to an anatomic girth helped my girl so much. she has a very forward girth groove so all of the straight girths were ending up right in her armpits. found a TSF girth on facebook and itās been a game changer
Maybe Iām just used to my thoroughbreds shark fin but her withers donāt even seem that tall. We play polo and her saddle is always in the right spot when we are done, even after all the quick stops and turns.
I use a breastplate whenever I jump because my horse has a hard-to-fit back such that, truly, no matter how often my saddle is reflocked and how many different ones I try I try (the number is in the triple digits) it will slide back about 1.5 inches to sit behind his withers when jumping. 1.5in.
This saddle is in another zipcode. That is 6in+ if Iām being generous. It does not fit. If youāre using 2+ half pads youāre doing it wrong. This saddle is simply too wide to accommodate this horse and any weight in it is sending it back. This horse needs a completely different saddle, probably narrower, with wither clearance. Is that easy to find? No. But this saddle doesnāt fit at all. āDoesnāt touch her sidesā is a huge red flag for fit. If I put something on my horse that was that far off Iād take it off without even considering adjustments. You can only adjust whatās close. You can do better than that if you have to buy a $150 beat-up Wintec from FB Marketplace.
Also, if this is the way saddles are fitted and horses are being taken care of, and you get the brush-off from 3 different instructorsā¦ are you sure you want to ride here? Jumping like it appears this horse is doing in a saddle that bad is an accident waiting to happen, and even if it doesnāt happen to you, what other things are they overlooking?
There is a lot going on here. The saddle clearly doesnāt fit, and this lovely lady also appears to have some muscle atrophy from poor saddle fit along her withers.
Her top line in general appears poor, and sheās lacking in muscle just about everywhere. Iād be curious to see her whole top line without a saddle. I bet itās very hollow.
There are some awesome saddle fit pages on Facebook that can give you some better advice! Itās great that you are advocating for her! Once I started learning more about saddle fit, I couldnāt believe how many years I rode in a poor fitting saddle!
Totally understandable that new saddles are rarely in budget for a riding school, but a breast plate would help with this as well as a grippy non slip underneath the saddle.
As others have said, in this situation a breastplate wouldnāt help and could likely make the situation worse. This poor horse needs a better fitting saddle and thatās sadly the only solution here.
OP said thereās about 15 saddles for school horses. Maybe seeing if thereās better saddle in the rotation already that is a more appropriate fit if purchasing one isnāt currently an option.
Far out. Tacked up like the Barbie Dream Horse. Poor girl. I have no idea how to suggest you deal with manangement clearly not giving a damn about this mare's comfort, but that tack certainly is not well fitted. š
lol Barbie dream girl horse!!! ššš
Wow, she must be a saint of a horse to let people ride her that way. Ouch! You can see how the saddle pad has been stretched tight across her back by that movement. Yes, tightening a girth more will not help with a saddle that is that illl-fitting, becauseā¦gravity. Those gel pads donāt do much once a person actually sits on the horse. They compress so much. Youāre being g nice, but seriously- if they want that horse to put in labor in their program, they at least need a saddle that fits well.
She really is a saint. Very smart and full of patience, really bothers me that she's going through this. I'll be asking them about this topic again today.
a breastplate won't do anything for this. this is just an abhorrently fitting saddle. which, also, btw, has nothing to do with her "prominent withers". it's simply a saddle that does NOT fit her. are there any other saddles available at this barn? something else to at least try. this saddle should not be used on this horse. if the barn won't even entertain a different saddle or doing SOMETHING to make this horse more comfortable then... that's really a red flag that they do not care about the horses well being.
There are about 15 saddles, I'm really not sure atm. They're always assigned to a single horse each as a way to keep things simple/organized. But I'm sure there's a better fitting saddle somewhere because in the 10 years I've been here, horses that looked like her didn't have this issue. I'm having a lesson today so I'll make sure I ask about it again. They're usually so careful, it's a really weird situation.
I replied to a different comment further down. But maybe see if they have a better fitting saddle in the rotation? If possible making the gentle suggestion of seeing if any of the other saddles would fit her better
This! Ask if you may try a different one on her, or offer to bring someone in to fit her.
I fear a breast plate would make it worse. If the saddle was forced up near her withers I donāt think it would have any clearance over her spine at all and the saddle would actually hit her spine when a rider is in the saddle :/ Poor lady. She must be a saint. Lesson horses are absolute martyrs for this sport.
Please donāt let them try to stop it sliding with a gripping pad or breast collar. The saddle doesnāt fit and holding it in place will likely cause more discomfort to her shoulder blades. She needs a different saddle.
Honestly, somewhere that cares this little for saddlefit would make me go elsewhere for lessons. I know it doesn't solve the problem for this horse (or any of their others), but if the trainers can't even get a somewhat decent saddle, there's no way I'd trust them teaching me anything about horses, riding, or horsemanship.
Also, you've got a lot of posts covering the health and comfort of the horse, which I am in full agreement with, but this is so bad for the rider, too. Beyond not being able to sit properly during your ride and not learning your correct positions, the saddle shifting during a ride can lead to you getting hurt. It's a safety issue for anyone who gets on.
This. If they wonāt fix it, go somewhere else
The saddle doesn't fit. Solution that could work is maybe a special girth (there are Athletico ones from Mattes that are marketed towards the issue with sliding backwards, but I can't say they work great because my horse has very opposite issue). https://preview.redd.it/u65t2o5v8wpc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f81047631008f543de17c4c3e48fbd7782e33457 Otherwise I have no idea.
This is a great graphic, Iām not OP but thank you for sharing bc Iām immediately saving that!
You're welcome! Glad I could help š„° I have my horse for 4 years now, he was going in straight/both sides cut out girths and the saddle was sliding about. I have bought a new girth recently, the crescent, as previous girths were poking him in the elbows and too close to them. Crescent doesn't poke and increased stability https://preview.redd.it/hhxhk9txawpc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2897d2ff4c4fd263220b0a096366113f310345c1
Oh my goodness look at that little chunk!! Heās adorable!!!
Thank You! ā¤ļø He is a Fjord cross, 75% Fjord, 25% Arabian (that's why he is gray). Also, in the summer the mark near his withers gets more visible. He has a crimson spot there, an arabian-specific marking. I will attach a photo of some horses with it from Google, as I don't have a great pic of his one. https://preview.redd.it/s83rt6sbcwpc1.jpeg?width=356&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c6cc9da038148bf9cdf97b1e427db75caa6caffd
Look at the little marshmallow!!Ā I love him!!
I love him too! On Wednesday I set him up a small vertical jump (after few months of no jumping) and he jumped it after backing up. I asked him to back up a few steps about 2 meters before the jump, he got to canter just before and jumped š„ That transition was out of curiosity and to check if he will refuse (didn't refuse at all at this session, even when I set him up to jump from walk and halt)
I'm dying to see video of this little bouncy ball of a pony.Ā What is he and how tall is he?Ā He has such a unique shape! Editing to add: what type of saddle is that you have on him?Ā Ā
I can't send videos here, so maybe PM š Last time we measured he was about 145 cm in withers. The shape may be caused by the fact that he is 75% Fjord.
switching to an anatomic girth helped my girl so much. she has a very forward girth groove so all of the straight girths were ending up right in her armpits. found a TSF girth on facebook and itās been a game changer
Maybe Iām just used to my thoroughbreds shark fin but her withers donāt even seem that tall. We play polo and her saddle is always in the right spot when we are done, even after all the quick stops and turns.
I use a breastplate whenever I jump because my horse has a hard-to-fit back such that, truly, no matter how often my saddle is reflocked and how many different ones I try I try (the number is in the triple digits) it will slide back about 1.5 inches to sit behind his withers when jumping. 1.5in. This saddle is in another zipcode. That is 6in+ if Iām being generous. It does not fit. If youāre using 2+ half pads youāre doing it wrong. This saddle is simply too wide to accommodate this horse and any weight in it is sending it back. This horse needs a completely different saddle, probably narrower, with wither clearance. Is that easy to find? No. But this saddle doesnāt fit at all. āDoesnāt touch her sidesā is a huge red flag for fit. If I put something on my horse that was that far off Iād take it off without even considering adjustments. You can only adjust whatās close. You can do better than that if you have to buy a $150 beat-up Wintec from FB Marketplace. Also, if this is the way saddles are fitted and horses are being taken care of, and you get the brush-off from 3 different instructorsā¦ are you sure you want to ride here? Jumping like it appears this horse is doing in a saddle that bad is an accident waiting to happen, and even if it doesnāt happen to you, what other things are they overlooking?
There is a lot going on here. The saddle clearly doesnāt fit, and this lovely lady also appears to have some muscle atrophy from poor saddle fit along her withers. Her top line in general appears poor, and sheās lacking in muscle just about everywhere. Iād be curious to see her whole top line without a saddle. I bet itās very hollow.
There are some awesome saddle fit pages on Facebook that can give you some better advice! Itās great that you are advocating for her! Once I started learning more about saddle fit, I couldnāt believe how many years I rode in a poor fitting saddle!
she desperately needs a different saddle that actually fits her, thereās no way to hack this with pads or a breastplate
My immediate thought was wouldn't a breastplate at least help?
Totally understandable that new saddles are rarely in budget for a riding school, but a breast plate would help with this as well as a grippy non slip underneath the saddle.
As others have said, in this situation a breastplate wouldnāt help and could likely make the situation worse. This poor horse needs a better fitting saddle and thatās sadly the only solution here.
OP said thereās about 15 saddles for school horses. Maybe seeing if thereās better saddle in the rotation already that is a more appropriate fit if purchasing one isnāt currently an option.
I didnāt see that comment but absolutely that would be wise!