Re: RC: Follow-up on no solution to this...

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

>These welts and now, white spots, were the first indication that I 
>needed a change.  I ride with a thick Toklat wool pad.=

I got the raised "goose eggs" on either side of the withers once...with
an Australian saddle that was very narrow...however, if your horse got
them with 3 different type saddles, I'd wonder if he didn't have more
trouble with being downhill.

>The saddle just came back from the saddle maker.  They thought that 
>the measurements showed that the saddle was slightly =
>too wide and so, sitting too low.

If I recall the SR guy's article, he liked the saddle *slightly* wide so
that he could pad up or down as needed according to their weight.

> The tree now feels very different. 

Maybe if it's narrower, it's not falling down as far forward and you're
not used to the level seat.
 
>I only hope it really fits well.

How do your stirrups feel now?  Sometimes if you raise up the front of
the saddle, which it sounds like you needed to do, then your stirrups
will be more in front of you and you'll have to lean farther forward to
get over them...keep an eye out for that possibility.

>  I feel foolish that I didn't figure this out before causing some 
>harm to his back...

I think if that's the case a lot of us have been foolish.  By the way, I
have seen white hairs go away.  There's so many reasons to have saddle
problems that making drastic corrections may just keep you hopping from
one saddle to another.

I had trouble with my saddle rubbing the hair off on the left side of the
withers...worse in the summer.  I was on the verge of changing saddles (
and I LOVE this one) when someone on ridecamp made a joke about catching
her husband flirting with another rider because his horse had a dry spot
on the left of the withers, and hers had one on the right...so they'd
OBVIOUSLY been turned towards each other all day.  I examined my
equitation closely and realized that since I've practically ALWAYS got my
sponge in my right hand and my left on the reins that my body was
slightly cocked to the right.  Since I've been concious of it I've had no
more problems.  Thank goodness somebody made me aware of that or I'd have
replaced a perfectly fine fitting saddle that I loved for no reason!

Angie


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