08/11/2024
Sharing the follow up to yesterday’s post!
Following up on my saddlefitting post (gullets, angles and widths) from yesterday, here is a western saddle set on the horse showing a problem with an angle that is too wide (red line). The saddle sits on or near the withers (no clearance) and pinches the horse at the top of the shoulder. It doesn’t have a base of support at the bottom, so under rider weight it will hang on the horse’s withers and shoulders creating pain and performance problems.
🐎 Now, someone is going to point out- but there’s no saddle pad! Correct, and in the case of Western saddles, a proper pad can absolutely make a big difference to fit! However, if the ANGLE 📐 is wrong, even though the pad can lift the saddle up off the horse’s withers and shoulders, the vector force is still the same and eventually creates pressure and pain.
🥕 Fun fact- Have you ever wondered why you or someone you know felt their horse did much better after a pad change, even if the saddle didn’t fit? Yes, because the pad often moves the pressure point….BUT, it doesn’t eliminate it! It just moves it. So the old rub heals and a new one forms. This can take days, weeks, or months, and then it’s often on to the next pad, rather than changing the saddle.
🥾 Have you had a pair of shoes/boots that were too big? You might have found comfort wearing a thicker pair of socks, or even double socks. This can fill up extra room. But if those boots give you a painful heel rub, thicker socks may make it worse, and will just move your blister to a new spot.
🍎 Point being, if the angle is good but the saddle is too wide, a thicker pad can often fix the issue or buy time by filling in space (thicker socks) and lifting the saddle. But if the angle is wrong, a pad might make things better for a bit, but the pressure point forms in a new spot and pain will return.
🖊️ A simple check is to take a pen between your saddle (and pad) and your horse’s shoulder- if you can’t slide the pen down, your saddle is pinching at the top, like in these photos.
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