Expert: Dorothy Clarke - 9/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dorothy,
I got my horse, Blue, fitted to a saddle by a very experienced horse trainer. A few months later he developed a back pain and started bucking and rearing when I tried to ride him in any saddle.
Would this be due to an ill fitting job or something else.
Please help me I would love to be able to ride him again.


ANSWER: Hi Billie-jane,
It would seem to me from what you say the saddle does not fit the horse.  Have you ridden him without a saddle?  If he only has this reaction to the saddle then the problem is the saddle.

If this is an english saddle try a western saddle or a bareback pad.  The best way to ride him to ease his back pain is bareback.  There are english saddles without a tree or with a very broad tree which will fit almost any horse.  It would seem to me that although the horse trainer is very experienced, saddle fitting is not his or her expertise if you're getting this reaction to the new saddle.

Now there may be another cause for this reaction if the horse responds the same when ridden bareback or with a broader tree saddle.  If you are doing work on collection with not enough extension work; work on high level collection with a horse whose conformation is not suited to this work; jumping a competitive course without the proper balance work; or any advanced work without the proper preparation.

The way to find the problem is to ride the horse bareback for awhile to see if the problem resolves without the new saddle.  If this doesn't resolve the sore back, then change your pattern of working the horse and go back to relaxing work with your horse.

Feel free to ask me to clarify a point or ask more questions.

Good Luck,
Dorothy



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again,
Thank you so much for your answer it did help me a lot but i would like to clarify.
i have ridden him bareback and in a swinging-fender. whilst being barebacked he persisted in bucking and rearing. I have not and probably wont be able to get a bareback pad. could i use a riser pad with a surcingle instead or would that not work?
No I have not been doing collection work with him, but he has been doing some jumping competitions.
Thanks so much
ME!!

ANSWER: Hi,
Yes a riser pad with a surcingle would work as well as a bareback pad.  Sometimes a sore back from an illfitting saddle takes a while to heal.  If there is a visible sore or obvious tender spot, then a thick felt pad with a hole cut out where the pad would contact the sore or tender spot will help immensely.

A horse competing in jumping must have his hindquarters well under the body to complete turns.  Collecting the horse when executing corners balances the horse for jumping.  If your horse has a spinal misalignment a chiropractor can help put the spine into alignment.

A horse's center of balance is just behind the whithers, that's why jockeys crouch there when racing.  Any weight forward of this is carried by the neck.  The horse uses his neck to balance his body while working and especially while jumping.

Thanks for writing back.  Feel free to ask another question or to clarify any answer I give you.  =)

Good Luck,
Dorothy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi
If I were to look for this tender spot how would i go about it.
If i had more confidence riding him bareback then i would just ride with only a riser pad but he gets nervous if he doesn't have something around his girth.
Thank you so much for your help you have helped me so,so,so,so much for you r excellent help.

Answer
Hi Again,  =)
Simply run your hand over your horse's back.  If he flinches you have encountered a real tender spot.  If that doesn't turn up anything, try pressing harder and see if that shows anything.  Sometimes you can see a sore if the skin is rubbed raw.  Also try spots next to his withers and spine.  

You're very welcome, glad I could help out.  Feel free to ask for clarification or other questions.

Good Luck,
Dorothy