19/08/2019
Sofia is a fantastic physiotherapist who I've had the pleasure of meeting and she is incredible at her job. I recommend her to clients and she has written a really good informative post on getting things checked.
Recently I have seen a few horses who have NOT had the basics checked Ie saddle and teeth, and it's all good and well getting someone like myself coming out to look at your horse but you need to be thinking about the whole picture as it really is a whole picture.
I'm always happy to give advice and awnser your questions!
I’ve just seen a post on a group that prompted me to write-
Someone asked for the regular ‘who do people use for teeth, back and saddle’ but ALSO asked, ‘which order should I check these?’
Several of the immediate answers said ‘it doesn’t matter’.
In my opinion - it definitely does matter!
I would always recommend the order 1) teeth 2) back 3) saddle, and in many cases 4) back, again.
Why do I recommend this order?
Teeth first – we all know that tooth ache is miserable – mouth problems can lead to physical and behavioural issues. If a tooth or jaw problem is present, it can have huge knock on effects through the body. Try, for example, clenching your jaw on one side, and feel how that immediately blocks your neck and shoulder movement, and think what that would do over a long period of time…? There is no point at all releasing these compensatory tension patterns without addressing the jaw first, because they will come straight back. Resolving these issues can also immediately reduce these knock-on effects, so win-win!
Back next– (I must interject here that I dislike the term ‘back check’ – if only the back is being looked at, you’re missing most of the picture, the body works as a whole, not individual parts… hence the importance of sorting the teeth first!)
It is not uncommon after a physiotherapy treatment, that there are changes in the horse’s posture, and these can be significant, which can obviously alter the back in relation to the saddle. The saddle needs to be fitted to a well-muscled back, capable of correct movement, so the back needs to be assessed and appropriately treated first. Much like the teeth, there is no point altering the saddle based on a restricted back, because it will cause the same pattern to return.
Be prepared, at this point, you may be advised to not use your current saddle again until the saddler can attend. In some cases this may be ASAP, or it may be you need several weeks of ground work before the saddle fitter even should attempt to fit a saddle.
If you are dealing with a sudden severe behavioural change, or a lameness, you must get the vet first!
Last of the three, get the saddle checked. The saddler must be able to fit the saddle to a healthy back. They need to be able to assess the horse statically and dynamically, if the back movement is restricted, or the muscle is atrophied, the saddle fitter will have a much harder , or even impossible, job to do!
Ideally, I’d also add in 4) back, again. This is to check that all the changes have held from the previous session, and that the horse is managing with the changes to the saddle. I have seen horses go from badly fitting saddles to well-fitting ones, but have still needed treatment afterwards to deal with the altered posture and movement, because it is different to what it was before. It’s also a great opportunity to see if there may be any other factors involved, and find some indicators of what else may need to be looked at in more detail.
Other things to mention-
- Crucially, just because you’ve had these checks done, and nothing has flagged up, doesn’t mean that there is absolutely definitely nothing wrong. Plenty of issues can go undetected by these checks, so if you are still experiencing a problem, don’t be afraid to get another opinion, or see your vet.
Plus, talking about levels of training and qualifications in all these professions is a whole other discussion…!
- These things are often done together when an issue is encountered, or when a horse arrives in a new home, but this can get a bit more complicated. Teeth should generally be checked 6-monthly or yearly, depending on the horse and the advice you’ve been given. For a horse in work with no issues, I recommend a musculoskeletal check 2-4 times a year, generally speaking. Some are fine with less, some need more! Saddles should be done at least 6-monthly, but can be needed as often as every 4-6 weeks if there are big changes to be made. Yes, this does also include made-to-measure saddles!
- Other factors to consider are things like hoof care, diet, training, turn-out, bitting, rider… it’s a long list of things that can affect our horses!
As you can see, the routine of ‘teeth/back/saddle’ isn’t as simple as it may intially sound, all steps are very important, and should be a regular part of life for a horse in work.
