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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
 
Location: Oklahoma | I sent Double J an email regarding the current fit of my saddle, and while they don't offer anything more narrow they said to play around with the rigging and make sure it's placed right. It is currently rigged in the center position, but I'm curious if rigging it to the front would help? Should the saddle be pulled more forward?
She was chiro'd three weeks ago (had never been done) and had everything put in place. She slipped and fell a week ago and I had her chiro'd again last night. We're not sure if the fall caused things to get out of place, or the saddle. She has been lower back sore before the fall (flinching from water hose pressure), so I don't think I can blame the fall on everything. I didn't have my saddle with me for chiro to check, but with it rising up the back I'm sure it's to blame. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 456
Location: SW MO | If the saddle is raising up in the back it is most likely too wide, but one thing I know about double j's are that they have rock to the bars. that can really sore up a flatter backed horse. I would not put the saddle foreword over the shoulder blade.... |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Mzbradford - 2015-09-09 2:28 PM If the saddle is raising up in the back it is most likely too wide, but one thing I know about double j's are that they have rock to the bars. that can really sore up a flatter backed horse. I would not put the saddle foreword over the shoulder blade....
Thanks! I wouldn't say she is flat backed by any means, but will be a bit wider once we get the topline built up like it needs. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | First off take your saddle and put it on without a pad. Move it back behind the shoulder. Grab the horn and shake it a little so it sits where it naturally should. Feel around underneath and look at how it sits. Is it tight anywhere? Falling down in the front?
If if it's too wide possible try a thicker pad or adding a liner. Your saddle is too far forward. Move it behind the shoulder. When you place your saddle stick your hand under the front and make sure the concho sits behind the shoulder. Your cinch should be a good hand width behind the arm pit area. I only ever use the front slots in my rigging. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | TheDutchMan01 - 2015-09-09 2:51 PM First off take your saddle and put it on without a pad. Move it back behind the shoulder. Grab the horn and shake it a little so it sits where it naturally should. Feel around underneath and look at how it sits. Is it tight anywhere? Falling down in the front?
If if it's too wide possible try a thicker pad or adding a liner. Your saddle is too far forward. Move it behind the shoulder. When you place your saddle stick your hand under the front and make sure the concho sits behind the shoulder. Your cinch should be a good hand width behind the arm pit area. I only ever use the front slots in my rigging.
I thought the concho being behind the shoulder was Martin's theory and Double J shouldn't be placed that far back? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Caldwells are the only saddles that are really built to go on the shoulder blade. Martin wants them really far back and everyone else is in the middle. It's personal preference really. This is how I have always placed my saddles including my double js, it's where they naturally fall on a horses back. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | TheDutchMan01 - 2015-09-09 3:18 PM Caldwells are the only saddles that are really built to go on the shoulder blade. Martin wants them really far back and everyone else is in the middle. It's personal preference really. This is how I have always placed my saddles including my double js, it's where they naturally fall on a horses back.
Thanks! I'm about to saddle up and I'll take some pictures. |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | Longneck - 2015-09-09 2:54 PM TheDutchMan01 - 2015-09-09 2:51 PM First off take your saddle and put it on without a pad. Move it back behind the shoulder. Grab the horn and shake it a little so it sits where it naturally should. Feel around underneath and look at how it sits. Is it tight anywhere? Falling down in the front?
If if it's too wide possible try a thicker pad or adding a liner. Your saddle is too far forward. Move it behind the shoulder. When you place your saddle stick your hand under the front and make sure the concho sits behind the shoulder. Your cinch should be a good hand width behind the arm pit area. I only ever use the front slots in my rigging. I thought the concho being behind the shoulder was Martin's theory and Double J shouldn't be placed that far back?
 This is what I thought too. But I'm having issues with Jenny and top line too. Massage lady and I messed with saddle and we moved it back too. I was like huh? It's not suppose to sit there but it felt better underneath |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Well, it is definitely too narrow. Anyway I slide it. Idk why it still rides up some, but there is no sliding my hand underneath it freely. Will upload pics tomorrow morning. I tried a Double J wide tree this evening and it freed up the shoulders, but rode up even more on the back end. I've been suggested a #10 tree as it is opened up on the shoulders.... Sound right? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | Longneck - 2015-09-09 8:59 PM Well, it is definitely too narrow. Anyway I slide it. Idk why it still rides up some, but there is no sliding my hand underneath it freely. Will upload pics tomorrow morning. I tried a Double J wide tree this evening and it freed up the shoulders, but rode up even more on the back end. I've been suggested a #10 tree as it is opened up on the shoulders.... Sound right?
Your hand shouldn't slide freely it's just shouldn't be too tight or apply too much pressure. Even a good fitting saddle will slightly pop up in the back when cinched down, but if it's bad that means it doesn't fit somewhere. Doesn't always have to mean too wide or narrow. I am no expert but this is just what info I have gathered and use.
I am not familiar with the #10 but from what I understand they have more rock to them. You may try a Pozzi. They fit totally different from a pro. The pro is for a narrower racey built horse and a Pozzi fits stouter types. Pozzis won't fit a real narrow horse or a real wide flat back but they seem to fit most everything in between. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 883
Location: Southern Indiana | livinonlove&horses - 2015-09-09 5:45 PM
Longneck - 2015-09-09 2:54 PM TheDutchMan01 - 2015-09-09 2:51 PM First off take your saddle and put it on without a pad. Move it back behind the shoulder. Grab the horn and shake it a little so it sits where it naturally should. Feel around underneath and look at how it sits. Is it tight anywhere? Falling down in the front?
If if it's too wide possible try a thicker pad or adding a liner. Your saddle is too far forward. Move it behind the shoulder. When you place your saddle stick your hand under the front and make sure the concho sits behind the shoulder. Your cinch should be a good hand width behind the arm pit area. I only ever use the front slots in my rigging. I thought the concho being behind the shoulder was Martin's theory and Double J shouldn't be placed that far back?
If you stop and think about it, most saddle makers are making trees with flair to accommodate the shoulder blade movement. If the saddle was already sitting on the shoulder why would it need that extra flair for the shoulder blade to move back? The twist in the tree should be sitting in that low spot that meets where the whithers end and the back begins. If you move that twist forward its absolutely going to sore one up digging into their shoulders. |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | TheDutchMan01 - 2015-09-09 9:41 PM
Longneck - 2015-09-09 8:59 PM Well, it is definitely too narrow. Anyway I slide it. Idk why it still rides up some, but there is no sliding my hand underneath it freely. Will upload pics tomorrow morning. I tried a Double J wide tree this evening and it freed up the shoulders, but rode up even more on the back end. I've been suggested a #10 tree as it is opened up on the shoulders.... Sound right?
Your hand shouldn't slide freely it's just shouldn't be too tight or apply too much pressure. Even a good fitting saddle will slightly pop up in the back when cinched down, but if it's bad that means it doesn't fit somewhere. Doesn't always have to mean too wide or narrow. I am no expert but this is just what info I have gathered and use.
I am not familiar with the #10 but from what I understand they have more rock to them. You may try a Pozzi. They fit totally different from a pro. The pro is for a narrower racey built horse and a Pozzi fits stouter types. Pozzis won't fit a real narrow horse or a real wide flat back but they seem to fit most everything in between.
Thank you for the input!! I am in a Pozzi right now. The pressure at the concho is uncomfortable for my hand... I'm doubting it's good for my mare. I did not know that the Pozzi and Pros had different trees... Sounds like a Pro is what I need as both that I tried tonight were Pozzi. Ugh. Sounds like I just need to make the drive and have someone with Double J handle it.
I don't believe that she is meant to be racy built, she's just four and needs some topline work. She's a Fiestas Gotta Gun daughter, but o/o a Marthas Six Moons daughter.... So possibly she won't take after her sire? Maybe my gelding (the horse that I originally had for a year ago) was fitted with a Pro tree to begin with and I've had it all wrong with him as well. Ugh, this is so frustrating. |
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