The Horse Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Saddle moving FAR back

879 views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  SilverMaple 
#1 ·
So I have something odd going on. Been riding in the same saddle - nothing has changed. My husband and I ride in the SAME exact model of saddle (Bighorn) The only difference is that his is a 16" seat and mine is a 15". 4 weeks ago I rode my grey Arab, no problems. Time after that, same, no issues. This last time and last week, the saddle has decided it's going to move back - way back. When my husband rides her, saddle stays put. We cannot figure this out. I'm a more balanced rider with lighter hands. We agree that I am the "better" rider :). I can ride a horse with a loose cinch and saddle never moves.

Ride last week, I couldn't figure out what was going on. My legs were not underneath me and I felt like I wasn't "in the saddle." We started going downhill and I told my husband.... "HOLD ON - something's wrong!" I got off and saddle had slid all the way BACK, saddle pad went with it. Had to take saddle off to get everything back in place. Rode today and same thing. When I got off to fix the dang thing, the cinch was loose but that shouldn't matter. But I replaced everything and cinched her up. We were now on the flats and trotted a lot. Saddle was good. Now.. I did notice that her cinch could be 2 sizes shorter. She's in a size 30" now and she could go with a 28" - this one is too long. She has lost her hay belly since our move here. We have moved out of state. But when my husband rode her with her nice looking NON hay belly, saddle did not move at all. So I'm thinking that's not it. Anyone?? Ideas?


 
See less See more
#2 ·
Could be the cinch. Could also be her winter coat affects the fit. If she's not ridden as much lately and her condition and muscling has changed, that could affect it, too. If she's lost her hay belly, that could let the saddle move back when her tummy kept the cinch farther forward before.

Can you ride his saddle on your horse and see if the same thing happens and vice versa? Maybe your pelvis or back is out of place and it's affecting how you sit, thus when the cinch is loose the saddle moves.

Use a smaller cinch if you need to. A too-long cinch doesn't pull the saddle down as evenly as one properly placed. Any of these could be it, or a combination :)
 
#3 · (Edited)
I can't ride his saddle - his seat is too big for me. 16" from a 15" doesn't sound like much but it is. I get regular chiropractic adjustments. So I'm about as even as I'm ever going to be :).

I'm HOPING it's the cinch. Her hay belly doesn't make sense because she lost that 5 months ago and when I rode approx 4 weeks ago, saddle was totally fine. 3 weeks ago it was fine. It's been these past 2 rides when everything went to hell in a hand basket with it. Her winter coat.. maybe. This is so frustrating. I can usually figure things out but this one has me stumped. Next time out I will use the shorter cinch and see how that goes.


I just read an article and this article says the cinch should be 3-4" above the elbow. If it goes above that, saddle will slip forward or back or both. This is the only thing that makes sense right now. I think mine is WAY PAST the 4" mark!!
 
#4 ·
If the saddles are identical yours is just 1" smaller seat, yet yours is "walking"...
My immediate thought is something happened to the saddle frame, the tree.
Check very carefully for warp, twist, break, sprung...any of those can and will affect the fit enough you have major problems and so does your horse.

Horse lost belly weight...Not only do they lose belly weight, they lose weight everyplace.
As they lose weight or redistribute it, their shape changes everyplace too.
Saddle pad and saddle now do not fit the same, so walk.

Your husband is bigger, heavier than you...
Your husband also sits and rides different...
He "anchors" the saddle...

But by your own description something seriously happened to the saddle the other week when riding causing a stop to refit/adjust things needing done...
Speaks to me that your saddle not fit or a tree issue has happened.
Check very carefully before doing anything else so you not sore your horse or worse.
:runninghorse2:...
 
#5 ·
What Horselovinguy sez. That was my first thought as well, but if you don't find anything wrong with the saddle, and your girl isn't experiencing any discomfort underneath it, just install a breast collar.
The general tendency for any saddle/pad is to slide backwards under a load. For trail riding in hilly terrain like we have around here, nearly everybody uses one. Most mules wear a full breeching as well. You might also try a 3-point rigging, if your saddle has a back D ring.
https://www.kudastore.com/blogs/news/3-point-or-v-saddle-rigging-instructions
 
#6 ·
UPDATE: I took all my front packs off so I could see the saddle up front. Tacked her up today with my saddle and sure enough... saddle sits lower in the front. No wonder I feel like I'm leaning forward on her and NOT comfortable on her. And the reason why saddle moves back. We put my husband's saddle on and it sits perfectly straight. I DO NOT get this at all. Both are Big horrns with the same size gullet. Mine is the 121 model and his is the 206 model. So his has a horn, mine doesn't and his seat size is 16" and mine is 15". Unless they have changed over the past 10 years..... I looked up the stats on these 2 saddles. Both are FQHB but mine is now listed with a 6 1/4" gullet and is listed as med plus and husband's is listed as "wide gullet". But that really makes no sense because IF his is wider, why does his sit even on her and saddle never moves??? Mine supposedly is more narrow and it seems like it's too wide??
I"m totally scratching my head on this one. SAME pad. We use the skito pad on her and it's worked for years.

My friend suggested I shim my pad. IDK. When I put my saddle on our WIDE Arab, my saddle fits her great. It's even and doesn't dip in the front. When I ride the wider horse , my saddle never moves and I feel even and balanced.

My husband just went and measured our gullets and sure enough, his is WIDER by at least an inch. WTH??? His should be dipping in the front, not mine which is narrower.
HELP???? This makes NO sense to me.
 
#7 ·
Teakwood, the angle of the panels also comes into play. Take a length of ~12-14ga copper wire (standard house wiring stuff), and carefully shape it to match your horses shoulders where the front of the saddle contacts, then compare the resulting shape to both saddles at that spot. Another thing, flip your saddle over and push down hard on the outside-front of the bars, Does it change shape? "Yes" probably means a broken "tree". IIRC, you mentioned that the saddle used to fit, but suddenly did not? Sure sounds like "broken" to me.
Whatever, I would not use the saddle until you get this sorted out. The simple solution: go shopping for a new one. What the heck; Christmas is coming, ask "Santa" for one ;-)
 
#8 ·
Not a broken tree. But you're right - it's the angle of the bars! I figured it out after doing a bit of research and talking to a friend who also uses these saddles. The saddle works GREAT on my other 2 horses. So I can ride the other 2 horses in it. The issue is..... She's a flat back wide Arabian. WHY my saddle fits my WIDE Arab is beyond me. Probably because she is wide in the shoulder area, wither and down her back. This other horse is wide in the gullet but not as wide as the other 2 so, more "narrow" up front and then she has that typical wide flat Arab back. The reason why I "think" my husband's saddle fits is because..... I found out his saddle has wide flat bars whereas mine is called, med. plus and the bars are not flat. Seems like big horn made the western saddles with horns flat but the endurance ones are not.
I'm going to call Big horn tomorrow and see if they make one that is an endurance model but with flat bars like the ones with horns. Or I can get used to a horn I guess. Which is not a complete deal breaker.
 
#9 ·
If your husband's saddle fits the horse & it's only that it's 1" over ideal for you, ride her in that. If the 'roomier' seat size is an issue, you can always use a 'bolster'.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top