Saddle to tight!?

Question

I have had my horse for about three years. and in the last two years i havent been able to ride her much.

Well one day i went into the pasture to make sure the bridle still worked, so i put it on her and everything. Then i decided, he its on why not take her for a ride. So i did.

And she listend very well.

But then i wanted to bring her over and ride with the saddle. So we put that on. And she didnt listen at all. I dont know if its just the fact that she isnt use to it or what. But even when we got her she wasnt good with the saddle. She does have good ground manners.

But what the old owners told us to do was to keep tighting it until she squeals. Well no matter how tight we put it, she never squealed, or bloated or anything. And it was tight and fine. Do you think they had it to tight on her, and thats why she doesnt listen well with it on her? Is that something i can fix? we never have it to tight were it hurts her.

Answer 1

Oh and the saddle is new, we thought that same thing about it not fitting right

Just because a saddle is new doesn't mean it fits.  If anything..they are stiff and not broken in.  It is the tree and the width of the tree (which is the "foundation" of a saddle) and the width of the gullet (which rests by the front of the saddle at the back of the withers) is what determines the fit of a saddle on the horse.  You can do a search on here or the internet and you will be able to read about saddles and proper fit and how to measure to see if that is a potential problem.  What type of saddle pad?

As far as your method of tightening the girth or cinch..this is done gradually not an all in one shot deal.  I probably tighten it about three times before mounting...

Also, when you say she didn't listen after the saddle...did she listen before the saddle?  What does she do or not do that she doesn't listen...listen to what?  Or does she just not move?

Also, if she hasn't been worked or handled in a while...you really should start working her slowly and get her back in shape.  If you haven't ridden in awhile and ride bareback or even with a saddle, I'm sure your going to feel it too until you get back in shape.  Get back to basics..re-educating both of you as well as  re-doing your method of tightening the girth/cinch.  

How old of a horse is this?  Do you ride english or western?

And, are you going to start riding again or are you going to constantly be re-training due to the lapse in your being there.  What was the reason for you not being able to ride her that much..not to be personal..just wondering if it was because you were having difficulty with her and lost interest or something.

**********EDIT*********

It might not even be the saddle.....perhaps the horse is green or maybe you are too and you don't know how to make her "go".  It could be a mutual training issue.  It is obvious that her previous owners didn't know squat...and you listening to them and their methods, makes me wonder if it is basic training and lack experience that is missing.

Answer 2

Doing it all wrong. let the horse sniff everything before you throw it on her back.

lets get started.

DO not keep the saddle on her in her stall, that causes awful saddle sore, and she can get hurt.

If she squels that is because you didnt let her sniffe it. 2 fingers should fit iin between the girth and horse thats tight enough. to tight is when you cant put any fingers in between the girth and horse. lunge her in the arena before anything. I recommend putting her in the arena and make sure she cant get out and free lunge her, just crack the whip and let her settle down.

bridle problems. leave the bit in oats over night. then let her sniff it. and hold her halter and with your hand. slip it in gently, do not force it in. that will cause bad teeth. is her teeth floated? keeping the sadddle tight until she squels is animal abuse and can be reported. check the girth for any wood shaving. and check the saddle pad. Is the bit correct? you may not be using the right bit.

if she excepts the bit, reward her and she is done for the day. everyday until she starts taking it with ease. rif you want to ride that day. take her on a short ride with walk trot only. loosin the neck strap and your in charge.

keep refuring back to this for help. I am a horse trainer and this worked everytime.

Answer 3

Its not to tight...it would be hard to make a saddle to tight for a horse...maybe Hulk Hogan could. Thats why they use that expression until she squeals. She isnt really gonna squeal it just an expression to keep tightening because you cant make it to tight but you can make it not tight enough... and this is a big saftey issue.

Answer 4

ur horse probably isnt used to having a saddle on em

Answer 5

I think it is a poorly fitting saddle.  It may be too tight as well or too far back (a common mistake), but there is a reason she does not like the saddle.

I once knew a horse whose owner said she alsways hunched up like she was going to buck at the beginning of every ride but that she never bucked and would always smooth out after a little while.  

Another neighbor bought her and come to find out that the old owners said oh yeah she always had a sore on her whithers after a long ride...

LIKE DUH!!!! NO WONDER SHE HUNCHED UP!  The new owner put a different saddle on her and she hunched up still the first 2 or 3 times on the trail but after that she never did it again.

If a horse lets you know it doesn't like the saddle then either it has seldom had a saddle on it or the saddle causes discomfort.  She has let you know she doesn't like the saddle.  A good saddle that fits is more comfortable for the horse than riding bareback.

Answer 6

Your last comment was EXACTLY what I was going to tell you to do.  Take her back to basics and use your round pen.  

Those idiots that owned her if they cinched her up so tight, you're lucky she didn't pull back when cinched or some other way of trying to escape the pain.

Answer 7

Sounds like to over-tightening was to the point of absolute and inappropriate cruelty.  How could you let anyone do something so horrible to your horse?  These people know nothing about horses.  If you haven't ridden her in two years, she is not used to the pressure of the girth and it would naturally upset her.  She needs to be re-introduced to this to accept it.  She will remember it, she just needs some time and force is WRONG and CRUEL.  If your horse "squeals", that is beyond awful.  It will also make her "cinchy" or "girthy" for life and the problem will get worse and worse.  The person who gave you this advice is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed in a pasture, much less around a horse.  The girth/cinch should be brought up gently and should be adjusted 3-4 times before you mount - you should walk your horse around in between tightenings - maybe do some ground work - ask her to move around left and right forward and back so she can get used to feeling this again.   There is no doubt she has been hurt and it may take a while to get her past it, just stop and don't do it again.

Answer 8

Your horse needs to get used to the saddle.  Start by having it near her in the stall, each day move it a bit closer, then slowly, gradually let her smell it, and get used to it.  Start by putting a soft cloth on her back, next day heavier fabric, work up to a blanket, and eventually the saddle.

Stuff like that.

Answer 9

Tighten it till she squeals?!?!  That's awful!  Poor horse, I wouldn't want the saddle on anymore either!

Answer 10

it may not be that the saddle is too tight, it may be that it fits wrong. Try finding someone to help see if the saddle fits. It may not fit you either, or put you in a position that is hard for her to understand what you want.

Answer 11

If you were stuck in a box for two years eating food and drinking water, and then I pulled you out of your box and demanded you to run 15 miles while strapping a belt SO tight to your stomach and jamming a piece of metal in your mouth, well... I think you'd squeal.

Start to do some light riding on her, maybe bareback if you're comfortable. I doubt that she's not used to her saddle. You can still practice with her with the saddle, and just work through whatever she has, but I wouldn't tighten the girth so tight that she squeals, because even though it's been proven that a tight girth doesn't construct your horses' organs in anyway, it'd probably be uncomfortable for it to be way too tight.

Get her back into riding lightly, then presume a normal workout.