[equus717]

Guys I rode her this morning and she did great. Here is my question every time that I ask her to go from a walk to a trot she pins her ears. I am not sure if it is the way that I am asking or not! When I ask her to trot I put pressure right behind the girth until she goes into the trot then I release all pressure. I do not use spurs. She is on the lazy side of things. She does not buck just pins her ears but not all the way back to her head. As soon as she starts to trot she relaxes her ears so I am not sure what is going on. I thought that I would ask you all. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[justsambam08]

Have you checked your saddle fit/saddle position? One time my gelding did this to me, and it ended up that my saddle was too far back...I found out after I ignored his weirdness and he gave me a nice buck.

 

[equus717]

Here is a pic to see if it is placed in the right spot or not! Here are 2 pic. One of me on her. The other one is just her tacked up.

 

[justsambam08]

I see the problem! There is NO space between the pommel and her withers....It's probably very uncomfortable for her to trot. Since she's a paint, you probably wouldn't notice if there were white hairs growing, lol. Try getting a riser pad (I had the same problem with my saddle, and I got this):

Big Dee's Tack & Vet Supplies | ENGLISH SADDLE PADS | RISER PAD WITH FLARED FRONT

and just face it backwards so the chunky end sits on top of her withers. It puts a good 1-1 1/2 inches between the saddle and my boys withers (he's a TB so they're kind of bony, lol) and see if that helps.

 

[HalterHorsePaints]

I see the problem! There is NO space between the pommel and her withers....It's probably very uncomfortable for her to trot. Since she's a paint, you probably wouldn't notice if there were white hairs growing, lol. Try getting a riser pad (I had the same problem with my saddle, and I got this):

Big Dee's Tack & Vet Supplies | ENGLISH SADDLE PADS | RISER PAD WITH FLARED FRONT

and just face it backwards so the chunky end sits on top of her withers. It puts a good 1-1 1/2 inches between the saddle and my boys withers (he's a TB so they're kind of bony, lol) and see if that helps.

you are so right or put two thick pads together and wa la i had that prob once before

 

[equus717]

Do you think that I need to get another saddle? Also do they make one for the western saddle? I have never heard of the riser pad so if you do not mind explain to me what exactly it does and what it should do for my girl please!!!!

 

[kevinshorses]

Do you have a curb strap on your bit? I really don't like those cheap aluminum bits. I don't hink it has anything to do with your problem it's just something I noticed. Your horse looks much nicer than the other two in the photo. Please don't ask those two people for horse advice. If you can afford to buy a higher quality saddle then do so. the one you have doesn't look that great but it's not a big deal. As far as saddle fit you can just add another pad. There are also western pads that have a build up in the front to lift your saddle. I am not one that looks to saddle fit for every behavior problem a horse has. Your saddle does fit a little close but don't be suprised if changing that doesn't fix the problem. If all she does is pin her ears I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[equus717]

Thank you Kevinshorses. I do not have a curb strap on her bridle. The one time I did she fought it really bad so I took it off. She does stop when I ask her to. Thank you so much for saying that you like her. I use a sweet iron bit with copper inlay with her. Do you think just another regular saddle pad will help her? If I change my saddle what kind of saddle do you think I need for her?

 

[AQHA13]

At first I thought there was no space either and so I enlarged the photo. The line furthest right is the space at the very beginning of the saddle. The line to the left is further back more under the saddle. It appears as though the spacing is okay, although you could have someone else around you look at it for a better opinion. I personally think it may be something else like, you not sitting evenly(even the slightest bit can throw a horse off), her being lazy or just not having the energy, or maybe even not proper cueing. When you ask a horse to trot you are supposed to 'drive' her forward with pretty dramatic seat movement and leg pressure... Good luck finding a solution!!!

 

[equus717]

Thanks I will see. This might sound like a stupid question but how do I drive her forward with my seat?

 

[kevinshorses]

Thank you Kevinshorses. I do not have a curb strap on her bridle. The one time I did she fought it really bad so I took it off. She does stop when I ask her to. Thank you so much for saying that you like her. I use a sweet iron bit with copper inlay with her. Do you think just another regular saddle pad will help her? If I change my saddle what kind of saddle do you think I need for her?

If it is a curb bit then you need a curb strap to make it work properly. Yopu can try a snaffle if she doesn't like the curb action however she didn't like a saddle once upon a time either and she got over that with a little training. I think another pad will help add some room between the gullet and the withers. If you change saddles look at a Corriente saddle (google them). They have the best quality/price ratio of any factory saddle.

 

[justsambam08]

Another saddle would be your best bet...but in this economy not everyone can afford to buy whole new saddle right away. Measure her out and save up but in the mean time, get a riser pad or another saddle pad with build up in it. Basically its just extra padding to buffer between the saddle and the horses back.

 

[equus717]

To Kevinshorses I use a snaffle bit on her. Broken snaffle bit.

I will look into getting another saddle pad until I can have her measured and me and see about having a saddle made for the both of us. I will look into the Corriente saddle.

 

[equus717]

At first I thought there was no space either and so I enlarged the photo. The line furthest right is the space at the very beginning of the saddle. The line to the left is further back more under the saddle. It appears as though the spacing is okay, although you could have someone else around you look at it for a better opinion. I personally think it may be something else like, you not sitting evenly(even the slightest bit can throw a horse off), her being lazy or just not having the energy, or maybe even not proper cueing. When you ask a horse to trot you are supposed to 'drive' her forward with pretty dramatic seat movement and leg pressure... Good luck finding a solution!!!

To everyone that replied thank you. I will see about getting another pad when I get my next paycheck. To AQHA13 you said to drive her forward with my seat can you explain to me what you mean by that. If anyone can explain it I would appreciate it a lot. Judging from my first photo am I sitting correctly on her. Is my leg bent to much? I have been riding for a while but never with a riding instructor. I am thinking about riding some english with an instructor in the spring do you think that would help me to be more balanced?

 

[kevinshorses]

To Kevinshorses I use a snaffle bit on her. Broken snaffle bit.

I will look into getting another saddle pad until I can have her measured and me and see about having a saddle made for the both of us. I will look into the Corriente saddle.

In the picture with her just wearing the saddle the bit is a curb and I couldn't see the bit in the picture of you riding her. I don't agree with having a saddle built for one specific horse. Get one with the correct bars for the type of horses you are most likely to ride. Riosdad was right when he said that western saddles depend on the pads for proper fit. I ride a lot of horses with the same saddle and could no way afford to have a saddle for every horse. A high-quality saddle will last many horse lifetimes and horses backs change as they age and depending on body condition.

 

[equus717]

Right now she is my only riding horse. The only other one that I will ride will be Caddo and that is still 14 months away. I start riding them when they are 2 years old but they will have a saddle and bit on at 20 months.

 

[justsambam08]

I don't agree with having a saddle built for one specific horse. Get one with the correct bars for the type of horses you are most likely to ride. Riosdad was right when he said that western saddles depend on the pads for proper fit. I ride a lot of horses with the same saddle and could no way afford to have a saddle for every horse. A high-quality saddle will last many horse lifetimes and horses backs change as they age and depending on body condition.

I agree. I drool over the Wintec Easy Gullet system--they need to make something like that for western saddles.