Re: significance of white hairs

[flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu (Flemmer, Linda)]

Kimberly M. Price wrote:

> Briefly, I get a fairly good fit until we start doing 25+ miles then
> soreness appears to the extent I can't consider doing more.  I'm still
> on the hunt.
>
> ***This is quite typical - a saddle (or any tack) that is a marginal
> fit really starts to sore the horse as you move up in distance.  Waht
> works in a pleasure ride doesn't work in a 25.  What works for 50 may
> cause you to drop out of a 100. Fall is exposing to many of us in my
> neck of the woods, who are also on the saddle saga hunt, that white
> spots on the withers seem to be pretty common on many distance horses,
> yet the  soreness is not in the withers.
>
> *** :-) Get gray horses :-)  It is harder to see pink skin at the
> injured area than white hair on a darker horse.  Just joking. Could
> there be spots appearing equavalent to callouses in say, a distance
> runners feet, which are hair damage losts only but not necessarily a
> good reason to throw the saddle away?
>
> ***The white hair is there for the duration once damage has been
> done.  (They <may> fade over years in a few cases.)  If the damage was
> done when one particular coat was in (winter vs summer), the white
> hairs will show up as that coat comes in.  For example, if your horse
> was injured 2 years ago with an ill-fitting saddle and you have the
> perfect fit now, those white hairs will keep on coming back.  You need
> to feel the area for any swelling, thickening, dry spots, or
> tenderness after rides to determine whether it is still an active
> problem.
>  And could there be a corelation between the higher distances and
> these white areas?
>
> ***Only in so much that the longer the ill-fitting saddle presses that
> area, the more damage is done.
>  I mean, how many of your horses, say 50 milers and up, commonly have
> these areas from saddles that don't seem to sore your horse otherwise.
> (not the current case in Mystery, but in others I've seen..and his
> white spots are in a different area than his soreness right now..).
>
> ***I have a TON of white hairs on my current horse's back - he's a
> GRAY!  (I couldn't resist.)  Really though, my last three horses never
> developed white hairs training for and competing in 50 mile rides.  We
> worked very hard at finding a saddle that fit them well & we refused
> to compromise on the lesser of two evils when saddle shopping.  A
> horse CAN compete without pressure injuries!  My husband's horse has a
> few white hairs on one side of his withers where Mike rode w/ his
> weight to one side without realizing it.  Was the horse "sore" as in
> dropped away from pressure or flinched?  No.  He had mild thickening
> on that side, and an occasional dry spot, depending on how Mike rode
> that time out.  (Mike has learned what to watch for & it hasn't been a
> problem for the last 6 years.)
>
> ***All said and done, white hairs are visible scars.  Each horse would
> have to be evaluated to see if the injury was old and finished or
> ongoing.
>
> ***I hope that this helps.
>
> ***Linda Flemmer