I need some help with saddle alternatives. I have been
riding Alpine forever in a Jack Haggis field trial saddle. It fit well, caused
no problems, and Alpine liked it. However, when Alpine bowed his tendon a
year ago, I sent him to my friend’s house for rehab while I brought home
her Appy gelding for some training and ride time. Nancy managed to put 150-200 extra pounds on
Alpine by the time I brought him home with a healed leg. Sigh….
I am working on removing the extra weight, but he’s a VERY easy keeper
anyway, and I’m having a hard time getting the pounds off. In the
meantime, now the saddle doesn’t fit, badly enough that it is causing him
to be lame. He’s been off on his right front foot for awhile.
I’ve had the farrier check it, he couldn’t find anything obvious,
the vet thought it was shoulder, that perhaps he was getting some arthritis (he’s
12). It finally hit me upside the head the last week, when we went for a
short walk. He’s been sound at the walk, so we’ve been taking
short walks a couple times a week, just trying to keep him moving some. Sometimes
I go bareback, sometimes saddled.
We were out, saddled, for about a mile, when he was limping
so bad, I got off and walked him home. When I took the saddle off, I
found the first dry spot I’ve ever seen on him with this saddle, and when
I palpated it, he about hit the ground.
Ok, now that I’ve been hit in the head with the
prerequisite 2x4, I need a saddle alternative. He is a Paso fino with a
sticky-uppie spine and a lot of fat rolls. I can not currently afford
another saddle…I just got married, and you can guess where all my spare
funds have gone recently. I think I’m going to save my pennies for
a used ortho flex, or something similar, but what do I ride him in until then?
I can ride bareback, but he’s spooky as heck, and it’s not always
safe to do so.
Oh, and how long do you give them off for a sore back? He’s had a
week now and is MUCH improved. My farrier was looking at him today and
couldn’t see anything. I detected a very slight hitch still. Is it
the same as a leg injury, twice as long as it takes for him to be sound?
Juli and the herd
Alpine (my back hurts…)
Merlin (so does mine, but it’s because the witchy mare
that lives here bit me)
