White Spots and wrinkling at withers

Hello,
I am a little anxious after I visited my mare today at training. She now has a few white spots near the withers and top of the shoulder blades and she has wrinkling at the base of the withers. I am so frustrated but at the same time I didn't send a saddle with my horse to training. I feel awful for my little mare. She comes home in 2 days so that's a little relief but still she has been there worked hard 6 days a week for 30days. Is this normal behavior from a trainer to not care about saddle fit? I was under the impression that she cared but the evidence is right there in front of me. Anyone have any words of wisdom for me?
Thank you♥

I always ask anyone who sends me a horse to work to also send me their saddle(s). I check theirs and my own and then use whichever fits best. If none do I ask the owner what they'd like to do next or see if I can borrow one that will fit. Unfortunately a lot of trainers just use their personal saddle and call it a day. :(
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Thank you for your honesty.

If the white patches aren't too huge they may eventually shed out when she is switched to a better-fitting saddle.

I know saddle marks are normally considered permanent, but I went through several saddles trying to find one to fit my Mustang gelding, and he was starting to get white hairs in a couple of places. Not big solid white patches, but white roaned patches.

When I finally got a saddle to fit and the seasons changed and he shed his coat, I was pleased to find that the white hairs also shed out and never came back.

So maybe with a little luck they will go away when you use your own saddle on her. (Crossing fingers for you).

Unfortunately you will probably not know the outcome until fall when she gets her next coat change.

Something positive! Thank you :0)

Is she significantly dehydrated?

I'd be more concerned about the pysical and mental effects on your horse than anything cosmetic. Personally if it's apparent that there are issues with poor saddle fit which have been ignored, I'd drag my horse out of there today and demand a refund. If not forthcoming then I'd take photos and consider legal action. I appreciate you didn't send a saddle, but anyone working with horses has the responsibility to work with one that fits or call you and not work the horse.

YOU are right not to care cosmetically; I care about her past suffering. Hmmm dehydrated. I really don't know unless I go through the motions of looking for the signs at the trainers facility. I personally have been lead with my horse to water after we have worked with her. I know there are large troughs in the pasture.Thank you for your concern and I have learned a lesson not to go back to that trainer and ask for the future trainer's policy on saddle fit.

Well unfortunately horses don't always know when they are thirsty which is why so many get dehydrated in work. Their thirst mechanism relies on a balance of three minerals including sodium chloride. So with us salt makes us thirsty, whereas with horses, if they are low on salt they don't know that they are thirsty.
A crude test is the skin pinch - ie to see how fast the skin pulls back after you release it. However a better test if you are ok with your horses mouth is to rub the top lip against their teeth/gums gently but vigorously just for a second. Then life the lip. If you see bubbles on the junction of the gum to lip,then they are ok. If not then dehydration is very likely.

I haven't heard of the lip rub test before. Thanks

I don't think the spots will shed out, the hair follicles (sp?) are dead, dead things generally don't come back to life

Maybe have an equine massage therapist do a few sessions on her when she returns?