My saddle rests on my horses withers, pinches his withers, and is bridging I don't have time to get it reflocked i have a dressage pony club rally and I need my saddle to fit my horse any suggestions what works?
 HENNIG SOFA DRESSAGE SADDLE 2007 US $2,895.00 |
 Collegiate Convertible Dressage saddle 175 US $1,150.00 |
 Schleese Link II Saddle 18 excellent condition US $3,500.00 |
Related Dressage Sites
- Saddle Cover
| Saddlery & Harness - MAYERS BROTHERS RETURN IN SOL RALLY BARBADOS | RallyBuzz
- Video Fight Club:NEW YOUNG PONY CLUB VERSUS CHEW LIPS |
MUZU.TV Blog TV - The Music Video Site
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I would cancel. My horses well-being is worth more than a rally.
You could try another thinker blanket under it.
But you really cant fix a saddle that does not fit. Your horse will always be sore with it on. Sell it and buy one that does fit
Sell the saddle and buy a new one. There’s absolutely no sense in using a saddle that doesn’t fit. Padding won’t make it fit, it will only make it LESS uncomfortable and LESS painful for the horse, but not actual eliminating the problem. A saddle that doesn’t fit can permanently damage your horse’s back and even create training issues. Go bareback until you find a saddle that works for you. For the meeting you could try to borrow someone else’s saddle that would fit your horse. If you need to, skip the pony club rally, but DON’T ride in that saddle!
put another saddle pad under it, and then once the rally is over buy a new one.
You need to sell this saddle and buy another one. There’s no reason to keep using a saddle that pinches your horse – he won’t perform well in pain.
Go to a saddleshop, buy a new saddle, have a saddler or someone else fit the saddle to your horse.
If you don’t, the outcome may not be great.
Nothing can fix this problem, not thicker pads, or anything else. The problem is that the saddle DOES NOT fit your horse!
Ride bear back or ride another horse.Get a new saddle.
you’ll have to ring them and say that you canno’t go.
Sorry to say that.
Well there’s several options. You have made it clear that re-flocking is not going to be an option, do to time scheduling. After the dressage pony club rally, I would suggest buying a new saddle, but ultimately I would have a saddle fitter come out and give her opinion. To the others who obviously didn’t read the question right, she doesn’t have the TIME to find a saddle that fits well. I bet you all know that saddle finding takes (well for me) a good month… at least!!
Here are some options:
1. Get a riser pad that rises the withers, or a sheepskin pad.
Sheepskin pads:
http://equestrian.doversaddlery.com/search?dmi_offer_code=SITE&w=sheepskin+pad&idc=SLI_IDC&ids=785716466
Riser Pad:
http://equestrian.doversaddlery.com/search?view=list&dmi_offer_code=SITE&ids=785716466&w=riser+pad
You would want something that rises the withers, something like the Roma Pad (#2 on the link I gave you).
These are not exactly the cheapest fixes, but they help. These pads will help elevate the saddle slightly to relieve the amount of pressure that is on his withers.
I’m not sure which one is the best, but I’m almost leaning towards the riser pad.
2. Live with it.
If your horse doesn’t seem like he’s under too much stress, and it isn’t TOO uncomfortable for him, and you can’t get a riser/sheepskin pad. Just ride how it is. As long as the rally is pretty short, and really soon, I think he should be able to handle it. After all, depending on how soon you noticed it, he might have been riding with it for awhile.
3. Decide to not ride.
If your horse is just too uncomfortable with the saddle, he is starting to get sore, or you know that his movement isn’t what it should be; just don’t ride. You don’t want to provoke a further injury.
4. See if you can borrow a saddle from a friend.
At a rally, I’m assuming you’re going with a group of other Pony Clubbers. You could ask (of course before the rally) if you can see if their saddle fits them. If a saddle fits nicely, but still has a few empty spots, the sheepskin pads are WONDERFUL because they fill in the empty spots to make the saddle fit a lot better. See link above for sheepskin pads.
GOOD LUCK!! Remember to have fun! Hope I helped!
Use a thick pad for now to get you through the rally, and then afterwards get it reflocked. A thick pad should be fine if you’re only going to be using it temporarily, but you obviously need a saddle that fits properly in the long run. Pads don’t fix all problems.
A saddle pad will not fix the problem at all.
If your trainer has an extra dressage saddle, borrow it for the rally. If you continue to use the improperly fitting saddle, it can damage his back, cause sores, and can definitely affect his performance. When a saddle bridges, it causes the horse a lot of pain. He’ll try to avoid it by bucking, kicking out, stopping suddenly, or just trying to get you off to try to relieve the pain. So, either immediately buy a saddle (preferably used, so you don’t have to break it in), or borrow someones. DO NOT use the saddle that doesn’t fit!! Your horse should come before ribbons and prizes.