“My horse won’t pick up the right lead …” “My horse is has started refusing jumps, and when he does jump, he usually bucks on landing …” “My horse tries to bite when I do up the girth …” “My horse won’t lift her back and work from behind …” “My horse won’t bend…” “My horse can’t trot a circle …” “My horse flips her head while she’s being ridden …” “My horse grinds his teeth when he’s saddled …”
“… it’s a saddle fit problem, isn’t it?”
Maybe.
Or maybe not. But saddle fit is definitely worth considering.
One of the nice things about saddle fit: it’s easy to check. If your horse is experiencing problems, contact a reputable fitter and set up an appointment to have your saddle fit evaluated, and to try some other saddles if necessary. If the issue improves or is completely resolved with either a correction to the fit of your existing saddle or with a different saddle, it’s a pretty good bet that saddle fit was the culprit.
But what if the issue isn’t resolved immediately?
Well, it still might be saddle fit. If your horse is really back sore, pretty much any saddle will elicit a reaction, even if it fits beautifully … so please be sure your horse is NOT back-sore before scheduling an appointment with your fitter! And some horses – particularly the sensitive ones and most particularly if they’ve been made sore by a saddle – will react negatively to any saddle based on the fact that they expect it will hurt. With these horses, it often takes a few rides before they’ll trust that the saddle won’t cause them pain.
Now, you’ve made sure that your horse isn’t back-sore, and the fitter says that the saddle fits well, but even after a week of riding, your horse is still misbehaving. What’s next?
Time for some detective work. There are lots of problems that can mimic and/or be mistaken for saddle fit issues. They include:
- Training problems. I’ve seen perfectly sound horses in well-fitting saddles buck, rear, balk, refuse fences and so on simply because they know they can. Conscientious riders will often stop and take stock of the situation when something along those lines occurs, and some horses will be quick to go, “Hey! I bucked and my rider stopped asking me to work! Wonder if it will work again?” Admittedly, this tends to be one of the least common issues – most horses are pretty amiable and willing to do what they’re asked as long as they’re comfortable – but it is something to consider.
- Rider problems. Take a brutally honest look at our horsemanship, both in and out of the saddle. If your horse tries to bite when you do up the girth, is it saddle fit, or are you hauling way at the billets as though you’re trying to raise the main sail on a schooner? If your horse is flinging his head around when you’re riding, is it due to saddle fit or less-than-tactful hands? If your horse is running out at jumps, is it saddle fit, or is it that you may not feel secure about jumping? This is a more common cause than training issues and definitely worth looking into, even for more experienced riders; bad habits that affect your horse’s way of going are easy to develop – and I say that from personal experience! (QUICK NOTE: Saddle fit for the rider needs to be considered – a saddle that doesn’t work for the rider can cause “pilot error” … but that’s a subject for another article.)
- Physical problems. It’s been my experience that if saddle fitting isn’t the culprit, it’s very often a physical issue mimicking saddle fit problems. If your horse objects to being girthed, it could be due to ulcers, or perhaps your horse caught a kick from a pasture mate and has a bruised or cracked rib. If your horse grinds her teeth while being saddled, it could be dental or hormonal / reproductive issues. Refusing to jump can be tied to shoeing or lameness issues. Inability to bend or trot a circle can be due to chiropractic problems, neurological issues or Lyme disease. Head-flipping can indicate dental issues, bitting problems, allergies, infections in the inner ear or sinus or sensitivity to bright light (photic headshaking). I’ve seen all of these issues – and quite a few more – mistaken for saddle fitting issues.
So if your fitter has okayed your saddle or found you one that fits, or if you’ve tried saddle after saddle after saddle with every conceivable combination of girths and pads with no detectable improvement or change in the situation, you’re probably not looking at a saddle fit issue. Consult with your trainer, your instructor or your veterinarian/farrier/chiropractor/dentist; discuss strategies or exercises or diagnostics that will help cure the problem. It may turn out to be a single simple issue or a combination of things, but getting to the root of the issue and correcting it will make your horse – and you – a lot happier.
2 Responses to ““It’s a Saddle Fit Problem…isn’t it ?””
Smartysmom
I’d take possibility #3 and move it to the front of the list before even saddle fit.
We have a monthly visit from the horse chiropractor and it is rare for any of them, even the 2 with marvelous conformation, not to have something out of whack that he fixes. How does he know? If he touches “A” and they flinch “B”, than “C” is the problem and after he tweaks “C” they no longer flinch “B” when he touches “A”.
The 2 with their sacroiliac joint behind the points of the hip are always out, usually badly because this is a very unstable pelvis on a horse. Those 2 would be totally useless they would be so uncomfortable without their monthly “tune-up”
Every single one of our horses goes so much better when they’ve been worked on. It is also possible to tell riding them when they’re out because they’re crooked and become less comfortable to ride.
Unfortunately, a good chiropractor is almost as hard to find as a qualified saddle fitter, and that leaves 99% of the riders without an answer (sorry)
kitt
Physical problems are definitely the most common cause of “pseudo saddle fit” issues. Fortunately, saddle fit is pretty easy to check, as I said. But even if there IS a saddle fit issue, that doesn’t mean that there ISN’T a physical issue, too. Horse health is very interconnected – if there’s a saddle fit issue, it can quickly morph into a chiropractic issue which can lead to a shoeing issue … finding the one thread in the tapestry can be hard. Preventive maintenance goes a long way toward keeping small issues from becoming large issues. I find chiropractic a huge help in keeping my mare (and myself, for that matter) in good working condition!