Saddle Rubbing

[Ellie May]

I have a question. I have a QH that's saddle rubs. It rubs her on her back at the very end of the saddle. I put it on correctly & she doesn't have a swayed back. Any help? I have a Walker that her cinch rubbed really bad last Sat. I think that I may have rode her too long & it may of been too tight. Any help on either questions will be great.
Ellie May

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

We have Tennessee Walking and Peruvian Paso Horses. This spring purchased a custom saddle for gaited horses from "Steel Saddle" (forget the exact name of company) who is located in S-E quadrant of USA. They will provide a loaner (with a deposit) to check out the fit. They make excellent saddles--little expensive--but fit our TWH like a glove. My Peruvian saddle was made in Peru and works great for my PP mare. Hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

you can buy a special blanket thats built up at the withers.

 

[Anonymous]

Go to a good tack store or get a book that explains the proper fit of a saddle. Sometimes you can correct the fit with different pads, cruppers, brichens ect. Sometimes a saddle just won't fit right.

 

[Anonymous]

what kind of girth? we trailride and the neoprene girths really tear up a horse on long rides, they're great for jumping or short goes in a ring but not all day also what shape is your horse. my mare is called the pilsberry dough pony and blankets move real bad .

 

[la4angus]

what kind of girth? we trailride and the neoprene girths really tear up a horse on long rides, they're great for jumping or short goes in a ring but not all day also what shape is your horse. my mare is called the pilsberry dough pony and blankets move real bad .

You trailriders need to get some education about taking care of a horse before you should be able to legally own. With 9o% of you people you should have have a license issued by some horse riders association.. Most of you dont know nothing about proper care of a horse.
The PETA people should moniter you if they are going to monitor anybody.
Then they would be doing some good if they know their a-- from a hole in the ground; which I think they do not.

 

[jfont]

A thicker blanket might do the trick.

 

[Cindy]

Again if I were to suggest a saddle pad choice it would be Professional Choice same with a girth. They are pricey but you will get what you pay for. The saddle on a quarter horse should have quarter horse bars on it on the gaited breed use a wide tree, ( english saddle ) or a saddle with 3/4 quarter horse bars they are a little smaller than the quarter horse bars and will sit well. also make sure the pad covers 2" in frount on the withers and behind the skirt of the saddle. Happy Trails cindy

 

[Linda]

Make sure your blanket or pad is the proper size and is clean. Beyond that, you must fit the saddle to the horse, and you can't do it with blankets. The saddle MUST fit the horse's back or you shouldn't be riding that horse with that saddle.

 

[Ellie May]

Thanx for all your help. I tried a thicker blanket on the QH. It seems to be helping. ON the walker I moved the cinch back some, but she has so many wrinkles under her arm, I don't have any other horses that have so many wrinkles. Is this a bad thing & what should I do about her wrinkles?
Thanx,
Ellie May

 

[Linda]

So, is the saddle rubbing her withers or her rump?

 

[Ellie May]

On my Qh it's her back near her rump, but on the Walker it's her under arm.
Ellie May

 

[Linda]

On my Qh it's her back near her rump, but on the Walker it's her under arm.
Ellie May

Thanks, Ellie May. Re: your Walker - make sure your cinch is clean, not too wide and (very important) look again at the placement of the saddle on the horse. If the saddle is placed too far forward, the cinch will pinch and rub just behind the front legs. Make sure this isn't happening, and make sure you smooth out any wrinkles of skin under the cinch just behind the front legs before tightening the cinch. Don't over tighten the cinch, and go for a good string cinch. I try to place the saddle so the cinch is about an inch behind the front legs. Also, make sure the cinch is centered on the horse - the center ring on the cinch should be in the center of the horse's chest, not pulled over behind one leg.

As for your QH, I would guess your saddle pad/blanket isn't large enough, or is placed too far forward in relation to the saddle. We have a couple of QH's, a Morgan, a Saddlebred, a Walker and an Arab. I've never had a saddle rub the horse on her back near the rump, so I'm just guessing here. Maybe she's short backed and your saddle is a large one? Still, your pad/blanket should protect her, I should think. Again, look at placement of the saddle.

And, your saddle(s) may just plain not fit your horses. I would suggest having a good horseperson, farrier, or vet take a look at your tack and how it fits your horses.

Good luck! If you find out what the problem(s) are, I'd be interested to learn about them.

 

[Ellie May]

Thank you, I've done some adjusting and they seem to be doing better. Is it bad though to ride a horse if it has saddle sores? Because the hair looks like it growing back but I don't want to make it worse. I got a thinker blanket 4 my QH and situated the cinch on my TW.
Ellie May

 

[Linda]

Thank you, I've done some adjusting and they seem to be doing better. Is it bad though to ride a horse if it has saddle sores? Because the hair looks like it growing back but I don't want to make it worse. I got a thinker blanket 4 my QH and situated the cinch on my TW.
Ellie May

I'm glad things are better for your horses. I would never ride any horse that has a saddle sore. Riding a horse that's in pain would tend to make it harder to saddle in the future. Once the area has healed up, you can work on saddling and riding. If you're not sure if the area has healed, your vet could examine the animal and advise you.

 

[Terri]

Thank you, I've done some adjusting and they seem to be doing better. Is it bad though to ride a horse if it has saddle sores? Because the hair looks like it growing back but I don't want to make it worse. I got a thinker blanket 4 my QH and situated the cinch on my TW.
Ellie May

Is there a sore, or is the hair just rubbed off? If there is a sore I wouldn't try it. Not much is worse than trying to sit on a horse thats in pain. If the skin is healed and the hair hasn't grown back yet, check for sensitivity. If there is no pain I'd ride. Just make sure your blanket is long enough so It extends past the saddle. Blankets shift so Its better if its bigger than the saddle.

 

[Ellie May]

Yeah the blanket is pretty big. Her hair has seem to of grown back.
Ellie May