UPDATE on sweating, dry spots & saddle fit

["Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@TheNetEffect.com>]

Several people wrote me after my original message and asked me to keep the
list updated on my saddle-fitting prob, so here's the latest:

First, several people wrote and said they had damaged spots that never
sweat again, and several people said these spots began sweating again
after a long period of time (from a couple months to a couple years).  I
assume the amount of damage done, how long it takes you to realize it,
determines how long it takes for the skin to recover.

>Just beginning to appear on Lakota's back are a couple of spots on the
>withers with white hairs and thick, whitish, callous-y looking skin,

A couple of people suggested that these spots are actually saddle sores
that just haven't "broken open" yet, and suggested a month of rest with no
saddle to give them time to heal.  So ...

I haven't had a saddle on Lakota for nearly 3 weeks now, riding him
bareback or not at all.  Every day I rubbed a bit of aloe gel (didn't know
whether it would actually help, but I figured it couldn't hurt) into the
sore spots.  After about a week, the puffiness under the whitish spots
went away.  After another week, the skin began turning black again.  The
white hairs are still there, of course, and I guess they always will be,
but at least the sores appear to be healing.

I have a new Stonewall saddle on order, this time a wide tree to fit him
(I did a back tracing and sent photos for fitting).  I'm not going to put
another saddle on him until the new one gets here, so he'll have a good 2
months of saddle-less vacation.  I fully expect him to be fat & sassy by
the time we start riding again in the fall!

The first sign that this saddle was really uncomfortable for him was
Lakota's reluctance to move out.  I blamed it on the hot muggy weather,
his diet, a bad attitude, everything but saddle fit, because I was getting
a good sweat pattern.  It took me quite a while to realize the good sweat
pattern was from lots and lots of sweat running all over him in the summer
heat & humidity, essentially faking a good sweat pattern.  So, anyway, I
hope this experience helps others out there going through similar
problems.

Glenda & Lakota
Mobile, AL
AERC # M18819 & H27310
SE Region