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| First off- new to the whole forum thing so bear with me.
I'm fairly new to horses, the mare I have now I've owned for almost a year, started her myself etc etc. She is pretty short backed which makes it a little tougher to find shorter saddle pads but also she has hardly any withers. I'll try to attach photos from today after a pretty heavy workout.
I recently bought a new saddle from Corriente Saddle Co., I love it. Previously I was using a friends old barrel saddle to get by. I had noticed already two golf ball sized patches of fur on her withers of hair starting to turn white. I know what this is from. However I don't remember it being this bad. After today the dry spots were fairly large and now on her right side it almost looks as like a dry skin patch, it's not scabby but most of the hair is gone. First I have noticed it, but it is turning into Fall here in Iowa and the air is dry, I noticed she also has some dandruff.
Anyway-- my first option will not to get another saddle, I can't afford that. Also can't afford a $300 saddle pad. A friend suggested trying saddle pad shims to see if they works, another said to get a CSI pad sometimes one can find a decent used one. Any other tips or possibly somewhere to shop online? Would need to be a pad around 30 x 28. |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
  
| schmelsey - 2017-10-25 12:51 PM First off- new to the whole forum thing so bear with me. I'm fairly new to horses, the mare I have now I've owned for almost a year, started her myself etc etc. She is pretty short backed which makes it a little tougher to find shorter saddle pads but also she has hardly any withers. I'll try to attach photos from today after a pretty heavy workout. I recently bought a new saddle from Corriente Saddle Co., I love it. Previously I was using a friends old barrel saddle to get by. I had noticed already two golf ball sized patches of fur on her withers of hair starting to turn white. I know what this is from. However I don't remember it being this bad. After today the dry spots were fairly large and now on her right side it almost looks as like a dry skin patch, it's not scabby but most of the hair is gone. First I have noticed it, but it is turning into Fall here in Iowa and the air is dry, I noticed she also has some dandruff. Anyway-- my first option will not to get another saddle, I can't afford that. Also can't afford a $300 saddle pad. A friend suggested trying saddle pad shims to see if they works, another said to get a CSI pad sometimes one can find a decent used one. Any other tips or possibly somewhere to shop online? Would need to be a pad around 30 x 28.
First I need pictures, second do you use a flank cinch? Most do not tighten a flank cinch to actually do it's job. It does not have to be tight but it should be snug to work effectlively. This will ease up how tight you need to tighten the front cinch. Is your mare wide? If so, your Corriente may be on the narrow side for her. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | If you can post pictures with and without saddle would be a big help, I know that Corriente's runs more on the narrow side and dont fit the thicker horses and sometimes your pad could be just to thick and cause the saddle to be to tight. |
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 The best bad guy on the internet
Posts: 3519
Location: Arizona | Have you cleaned your current saddle pad? |
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Posts: 5
| Replying to all...
(does anyone know when logging on here the easiest way to see the forums you have posted? took forever to find mine)
Ok so I'll figure out how to post pictures shortly, every time I go to upload any it yells at me that the file size is too large.
The two saddle pads I have tried are both recently cleaned, one is brand new. Both are wool. I'd say one is 1" thick the other 1/2"-3/4" thick.
I do use a back cinch, I like to keep it taunt but not OVERLY tight. If that makes sense.
Mare isn't overly wide. I haven't sticked her but I'd say she measures around 14.2HH and is muscular, but I wouldn't call her wide compared to other QH I've had.
Pictures coming soon.. hopefully. |
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Member
Posts: 5
| Attached are the photos I took shortly after my last ride last week. The pad I used is a little long, about 32", and is wool, I'd guess about 1" thick. I had that and my Correinte barrel saddle with a back cinch.
For the record there are times where I won't have any dry spots at all. In this instance the spots are fairly large, and more oblong than round. You can sort of tell in the photos.
On the right side of my mare in the withers the skin looks to of dried out and almost become dry skin and lost the hair, this area is about golf ball sized.
I ordered some shims to try today and hopefully that will help. If it does I've already looked into possibly getting a biofit pad with the extra padding in the withers.
When I saddle up, the back of the saddle has some lift to it, not because she is humpy or cold-backed. She's just built a little more down hill.
Edited by schmelsey 2017-11-02 8:02 AM
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| My vote is for too tight - however it could be tight because it’s falling down in front. Can you take some pictures for us of the saddle on her back with no pad? From the side and also the front. Can you easily slip your hand in under the front of the bars and slide it all the way along the bars and find even pressure? If you grab the pommel and cantle does it rock front to back or side to side?
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 Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | Picture proof of why I do not like cut out pads, pressure from bars that hang over the cut-out put an edge-like pressure on the horse's back. I've read about it and "felt it" but never stuck with them long enough to have those kinds of pictures to see it so obvious. ......I keep editing my post, because I think of something else....another reason why I don't like cutout pads is because there are too many variances in horses to get the cutout to sit/stay in the right spot on a horse -- it causes more pressure points.
Yes, the saddle is putting too much pressure at the front of the bars, but not sure if that is because the tree is too narrow or is it too wide and tilting forward in the front.
Need more pics to "guess" better with saddle on and side-view - w/ and w/o pad.
I would try a thinner pad, for sure.
And now your pics are a little too small :) - I was trying to get a better visual of her thickness.
If she were mine, I would try a thinner pad than 3/4" - I would not try a biofit - she seems a little flatbacked and that would interfere (maybe I'm wrong w/ those pictures and she's not flat-backed) --- I LOVE Thinline pads - they make different thickness - i.e. they will put the Thinline material on thick or thin felt or wool or nothing at all.
I'd probably get her massaged and or chiro'd with that kind of hair rubbing that has been done. Does she seem to be moving fine? Bending, backing, going downhill?
Edited by txbredbr 2017-11-02 10:32 AM
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Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| I need more pictures - with your saddle sitting on her without a pad - side view, hind view and facing the withers view. I would agree with a 1/2' to 3/4" pad but shim it in the front, especially if she is downhill. But I need to see your saddle on her without a pad. Thanks! |
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The best bad guy on the internet
Posts: 3519
Location: Arizona | I think the bars on your saddle aren't wide enough, no pad adjustment is going to help it fit better. |
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Member
Posts: 5
| I will get more photos today with my saddle on her w/o the pad from all angles and I'll check for even/uneven pressure along the bars.
Today I rode with a pad that is 3/4" - 7/8" wool with 1 shim at the withers. After our ride there were still dry spots.
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