Bl**dy Saddles

[silly mare]

Hi All

I originally bought my saddle brand new from another saddler 3 years ago, who kept telling me that most horses would work through the problems I was having so I then changed my saddler and I have had more visits from her than I can shake a stick at.

She came out at the beginning of Jan and re-flocked it for me and the same thing has happened again. She said when she first came to look at my saddle it wasn't the best kind for my boy but as long as it was working and not hurting him that we would work with it. So I am now looking at buying another saddle, one with Gussets at the front for his shape and age.

Hopefully we will get going again before too long, waiting on my physio person to come out and sort out his back as last saddle has hurt him, then I'm thinking I might buy a proper dressage saddle. Makes sense as I don't very often jump.

Sorry for rambling on but I feel like crying.

Alison

[lilholley]

Ahh what a total nightmare for you.. Hope you get it sorted out soon xx

[Susan]

What a worry, what is actually happening with the saddle? Is it hurting him? Is he changing shape? Is she just not getting the reflocking right? It must be very frustrating and expensive, as my boy's owner just had their two saddles reflocked costing over £100 each. I think the saddle fitter needs to either say it can be adjusted to fit or say that you need a new one as it is just a waste of time and money for her to be out all the time at it. It isn't fair.

[silly mare]

Hi Susan, thanks for the reply, turn back now if you don't have time to read my horse saga lol

I'm going to have to get a new saddle. The saddle I have now wasn't the best type of saddle for him. It was ok 3 years ago when he was younger and far less fit than he is now. To be honest I've not had as much riding time as I should have as I struggled to keep him working with what I was told was Muscle fatigue by vets, back people and two physio's as I was asking too much from him by asking him to work in a low frame. During all this he wasn't lame. What annoyed me most is that I know my boy and if he is turning his bottom as I approach with tack he is clearly telling me something.

I was even accused of being afraid to ride him through the bucking and napping by my previous saddler. This was in April last year. I think his words were ''the rider is clearly scared and cannot manage the horse as he is dangerous and in need of corrective schooling''

When my boy is sound my 13 and 15 year old girls ride him (albeit in the indoor school) I have never once thought he was going to hurt them.

Not blowing my own trumpet or anything but I'm a qualified AI for goodness sake and I class myself as a fairly confident rider. Said saddler saw me riding through bucks and leaps, eventually Mr T put his head between his knees and gave 4 massive bucks. I did bail out I will add but I was certain that he wasn't being naughty and that he was sore. I insisted saddler looked at his back as I would presume a saddler can tell when a horse has a sore back. Saddler prodded his back and told me I was being silly that he just had really good muscle tone. (Mr T had been out of work for 6 months by this time)


I got yet another back person out to have a look and was told that he was tight in his back, but to no avail. She did the usual loosening off his muscles and said bring him back into work really slowly.

I changed my saddler to who I am with now and she has been brilliant, she listens to me when I say, hmmm he is telling something just isn't right.


Eventually in May last year when he finally went lame I was straight onto Vet and demanded x-rays and Hock spavins were diagnosed. He went sound after getting steroid injections in both hocks and he started to work beautifully. So my new saddler has said with all work I did with him last year he has gotten fully fit and his shape has changed hence my saddle not fitting anymore, I asked why the flocking wasn't an option again and she said with his withers being so defined he needed Gussets at the front of his saddle now which my current saddle does not have. The width of the tree is correct but if she keeps putting flocking in the front it'll make the width smaller which will pinch and be uncomfortable for him.

Sorry for the essay but my 4 years with Mr T has been nothing short of soap opera status, I wonder if we will get a best new comers award anytime soon :lol:

Alison