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Can uneven rider weight cause a poorly fitting saddle effect?

3K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  EquineLover 
#1 ·
I was torn between putting this thread in the tack or riding section, hopefully I picked the appropriate category lol

I just had the massage therapist out, and she noticed a bit of hollowing on his back where the saddle sits. I got the saddle fitted just over a month ago, and I use a gel pad to help with any possible pressure. I am a bit confused as to what is causing this hollowing. Could it be because of a bad seat on my part? Could this be caused by uneven muscle toning or an after math of certain riding exercises? Should I be buying a thicker pad to go under the saddle? Does anybody have any other ideas of the causes and/or solutions to this hollowing?
 
#3 ·
Yes it can actually. But I'm not sure for how long you should go before it becomes clear (I'd think month is too short but I don't know for sure).

I had something similar with my qh - I put a saddle incorrectly for some time and she lacked muscles right behind the shoulder on one side. Saddle fitter noticed it right on spot and suggested to fill it with the wrap and ride with it for several months (it was last August). When my trainer looked her up last month she said she's even again.
 
#4 ·
Yes. If you are working your horse in a one sided fashion, it won't take long for the horse to build more muscle on one side of it's back than the other. Its not necessarily about you putting more weight on one seat bone, but if you're not riding evenly on both reins, the horse's own one-sidedness (every horse is one sided, just like humans favour a left or right hand. I have yet to meet a horse who is dead even on both reins) will be enhanced, and muscles will build to the stronger side.
 
#6 ·
I was torn between putting this thread in the tack or riding section, hopefully I picked the appropriate category lol

Could it be because of a bad seat on my part?
Yes - it could be. Do you have a bad knee, hip, ankle? My husband has arthritis in his hips. Causes him to sit off center and his saddle frequently slips. His "A" horse also has a white spot on the withers on that side.
 
#7 ·
As everyone else stated, yes - uneveneness/unbalanced can cause issues in the long run.

I just attended a saddle fitting at my barn, I watched the saddler *love her* work with a fellow boarder and her horse and saddle issues - turns out, that the riders crookedness, over the years, caused the saddle to crook, which also caused lower back pain and damage to her horse. Her horse now has this perminant lump on the left side of his spine. Now they are spending a fortune on chiro and massage therapy - and a new saddle.

I have no idea how long it takes for that to happen, but the end result was not pretty.

Another story - my Coach was looking at a saddle to use for her lesson horse, and a local person brought her saddle out for her to take home to try on her horse. At that time, we were at my barn because she was there to give us a lesson - and we thought to pop the saddle on Nelson's back....that saddle was crooked! We put it on Nelson's back, and it literally leaned to the left. It was horrible. Obviously, she never took it.

~~~

With the pad you are using - I would look into a pad like Thinline. I personally do not like Gel Pads because the gel will escape the pressure points...leaving that area unprotected.
 
#8 ·
Do you have a weaker leg/ankle? Without noticing, you could be putting more weight on one foot than the other. Make sure your stirrups are even. I have an something that could help.

When you mount, before walking, stand up in your stirrups. Get a spectator to tell you whether you stirrups are even, and also whether you are standing straight or lopsided.

Walk around in this fashion, weight evenly disputed on either foot. (The first few times you will collapse. I used to do this every lesson and now I can do it for quite long without sitting. ) When you feel comfortable, check your stirrups again and trot. Trot over a few poles like this as well.

Don't know whether that will help or not.
 
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