Saddle fit and canter

From: Kira, Morgan & Sunny

Hi! Thank you for publishing Horse Sense!

I just bought my first horse about 3 wks. ago. The first week and half or so, we had excellent rides even though I was having a terrible time finding a saddle that fit him! I had bought a dressage saddle but I wasn't sure if it fit. He worked very well in it. It was a cheap saddle and I got my Collegiate, so I have been working him in that (and returned the other). While I had the dressage saddle, we had excellent canters. We had the correct lead every time. Now that I have been working him in my Collegiate (and ironically, after my first lesson on him!), we have been having a terrible time picking up the right lead going to the right.

We also had troubles w/ falling to the outside, but we are doing better on that. He starts to swing his head around when I put the saddle on him in the cross-ties. But, he seems fine after wards (and I tried checking him for back pain). He seems just fine. But we are having the troubles with the right lead. Might it be the saddle? He works o.k. w/ everything else. What can I do to get him to pick up his right lead (he picks up his left instead)?

We have been regressing ever since my lesson. I don't know why. If anything we should be progressing. What's going on here? Thank you!

From, Kira (worried that she's ruining her horse)

Hi Kira! I think you've already figured out the problem -- your cheap dressage saddle seems to have been a better fit for your horse than your new Collegiate! Of course, there could be other causes -- your horse might have a sore back from too much riding, or a rider sitting badly, or he might need shoeing, or he might have a sore foot and be unwilling to take all the weight on that foot as he would have to at the canter. But overall, I think it would be an amazing coincidence for this to happen just exactly when you switched saddles.

Is there any way you can get your old saddle back? The best test would be to put that one back on your horse and see how he goes.

Collegiate saddles can be very nice indeed -- it's not the brand's fault. This particular saddle, though, doesn't seem to be right for your particular horse. I know that your earlier saddle was less expensive, but it may still have fit better -- and even the most expensive, fancy, handmade saddle in the world is worthless if it doesn't fit the horse you put it on.

I suggest that you have your instructor spend some time with you and your horse discussing saddle fit and testing both saddles for fit, position, and adjustment -- even if it takes up an entire lesson it will be well worth the expense. You might also have your vet take a look at your horse -- ride at walk, trot, and canter with both saddles, and your instructor and vet will most definitely be able to discern any difference.

Remember, here's one expert you can consult every day, and on this particular subject, he knows more than your instructor and your veterinarian and you all rolled into one! Your HORSE knows exactly how each saddle feels, where it pinches, where it rubs, where it puts the rider's weight. Your horse will tell you when he is comfortable -- and when he isn't. Listen to him! Then use your instructor's expertise, your vet's expertise, and your own good judgement to figure out what to do.

To put it in human terms, imagine that you have an inexpensive pair of shoes that allow you to walk, run, skip, and generally function without thinking about your feet -- and you also have a new, more expensive, "better" pair of shoes that make you feel uncomfortable and won't let you move freely. You'll need to figure out what exactly is wrong -- are they slightly too narrow? slightly too short? does the arch support NOT coincide with YOUR arch? There's much more to it than just ordering "your size." How your shoes FIT can make or ruin every minute you spend wearing them. And for a horse, saddle fit is every bit as important -- more so, really, because the saddle is the interface between the horse and the rider.

I hope you can get your old saddle back!

Jessica

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