Saddle not fitting horse?

Question

So I bought this beautiful show saddle to use on the horse I lease and it doesn't appear to fit. It has quarter horse bars and is about 26lbs. I can see that it is possibly too wide on her back, but it doesn't pinch at all, it just basically sits on her back, but i also think that it's like that because it's not broken in. The first couple times i rode her in it, she was fine. Then basically a couple weeks ago i asked her to canter and she bucked and bucked and bucked. She is fine on on a longe line cantering with it on. Today after she bucked again in this saddle, i used another saddle that was really tight around her wither and she was fine, no bucks. Any ideas what the problem could possibly be? It's really disapointing!!

Answer 1

From what you say, it looks like the saddle tree is wide. Get a wither relief pad and put it on top of your saddle pad and under the saddle. We have I think three horses at the stable where I ride and we have to use wither relief pads with the wide tree saddles we use.

Answer 2

The saddle just doesn't fit her and when she moves to the canter, it causes pain.  You can't compare her moving on the ground with the saddle to you being on her back - everything changes with your weight.  You don't want to hurt your horse.  Sell the saddle.  You might be disappointed but nothing is worth hurting your horse.

Answer 3

it might be that it is putting pressure on her back, because if it isnt tight enough on the withers, the back of the saddle will slide around, from side to side, which will iritate her and possibly cause her some pain. Take it to a saddler and get it re flocked, or ask them to flock it more in the front, to make it tighter on the wither, but without seeing what it is like i don't really want to guess, but good luck anyway, if she is bucking it is obviously annoying her.

Answer 4

Hello Louise,

We have mainly full quarter horse bars on our saddles...  When it needs built up for a narrower horse we use lots of pads and blankets under it.  IT is much easier to take a wider treed saddle and add pads and blankets to help it fit.  It the bars are too small, you cannot do anything to make it fit better or to be comfortable on the horse.

Maybe an impact gel pad, and saddle blanket to start off with to see how it fits, and then we add more if needed.  The built up pads for higher withered horses com in handy too for lifting up the saddle and helping it to fit more properly.

Make certain that the saddle is sitting up properly on the withers and is not sitting down so far it is pinching!  JUST try lots of combinations of blankets and pads.

Answer 5

You didn't say who the manufacturer of the saddle was.  That does make a BIG difference!

You may want to look at built up pads.  Those that have foam on the sides, but down through the middle have nothing but fabric.  She may not like having any contact on the middle of her withers by something hard (Saddle tree) and with a built up pad, that would get the gullet and channel off her back.

Also, while I'm thinkin' about it, put the front of the saddle on your hip, then pull the cantle toward you.  IF you feel any movement, then look at the seat of your saddle and see if there's any buckling in it.  You saddle tree maybe broken and that would be another reason for your mare to buck when asked to lope.

Answer 6

if the saddle is 2 wide 4 her back, then it could be rubbing her spine. this will deff cause bucking and misbehaviour. and she is probably bucking at the canter coz the saddle is rubbing her shoulders so she cant get the correct movement.

Answer 7

Everyone else has given you some great advise, but I would just like to throw in something.

Make sure your saddle isn't sitting on his shoulders. You should be able to press and feel where his shoulder blade is. Your saddle shouldn't be sitting on her shoulders but behind them. If your saddle is sitting on his shoulders and you sit in the saddle it applies pressure to her shoulders and it will hurt her, especially whens she moves. So just double check before you get on :)

sorry if that made no sense, lol.

good luck!

Answer 8

If the saddle is resting on her back/spine/whithers it will HURT her to move.  She will do better on a lounge line because your weight is not causing the saddle to dig into her back.  I would buck too if I was in pain from an ill fitting saddle.  Since it obviously doesn't fit right you should sell it and buy another one.  There are tons of pretty saddles out there with different tree sizes.  Also, the tree does not break in, it is ridged.  I would recommend you find a saddle fitter or a trainer with saddle fitting experience to help explain how to fit a saddle to your horse.  You wouldn't want to wear shoes that caused you pain, so why are you making your horse wear a saddle that is causing her pain?  I know I sound harsh, but your horse is hurting, and she is trying to tell you that in the only way she knows how. . . by bucking to try to get the pain causing saddle off of her back.

Answer 9

If you mean full quarter horse bars, they are probably too flat.  Semi quarter horse bars are more angled, the gullet is narrower, and it fits most average built horses.  A too wide tree doesn't pinch...it just creates agony because it doesn't properly distribute weight where it should.  Her gradual progression to bucking indicates increasing soreness in her back.  She is okay on the lunge line because the weight of a rider isn't there.  No amount of padding will fix a too-wide tree.  I have experience with this, and I would advise you to use another saddle or no saddle before putting this one on her again.

Answer 10

A saddle that is too wide is too wide - period.  The tree of a saddle (with the exception of the new flexi trees) is rigid, it is not meant to bend or conform to the horse.  When a Western saddle is said to be broken in it refers to the suppling of the leather, not the tree (which is the substructure of the saddle).

A Western saddle is also designed to have an air channel down the center of the horse's spine and is not meant to sit on the spine.  That certainly would cause your horse a good deal of discomfort and consequently the bucking.  A better pad may help but a different saddle is the proper thing for this horse.

Answer 11

well, the only advise I could give you is that you should talk to an experinced adult that has been riding more than you have. ask them to check the saddle for you and make sure that its a good fit for your horse. If its not, it could be damaging and make your horse lame, even if you have the correct saddle on her. I had bought a wide tree saddle, and i didnt tell my trainer about it. So i thought it was fine, and then one day my horse wouldnt pick up his right lead. and i kept riding in it. After a while i thought that maybe it was the saddle. I asked my trainer and she said it was. The next lesson i tried a saddle with a regular tree, but he still wasnt able to get the right lead, he only could  do the left. So, my trainer told me it was from my saddle and it will wear off. But its been almost a year now and he still can't get his right lead. :( So, Ask Your Trainer

Hope this helps!! Good Luck!!