Horses backs - shape/age/saddle

juliecwuk

juliecwuk

Well-Known Member
Mar 2, 2006
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Wolverhampton
Please help!

i have been having concerns about Moets back shape/muscle....back people never pick out anything of concern particularly but looking at photos theres been a massive change....

Now in the first photo she was only 6 years old and in light work....then went lame and was out of work for 2 years, then in summer 2009 was brought back into gentle work in a treeless saddle (but i did barely ride her tbh - thats the lunging photo on the field).....then changed to a treed saddle in Sept 2010 which i love - but i am concerned that this combined with extra workload has caused muscle wastage etc....bear in mind the photos are over a range of 6/7 years - how many horses backs naturally lose muscle etc over that period anyway? the last two photos were taken during 2012

what are your thoughts....?

I will take a recent photo of her back today.
 

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I don't know but I would have thought that extra work should give her more muscle not less? She looks lighter in the last picture as in weight not colour and to be honest most of the ridden horses on my yard look like that and no one seems in the least concerned. Try not to worry and I'm sure someone who knows what they are talking about will give you a better answer.
 
Raf's back has done something similar over the four years I've had him (since he was 4). I think his withers have grown, but I know what you mean I do look and worry about it sometimes.
 
She does look like she has muscle atrophy behind her withers, but if she is only 12 or 13, then I wouldn't expect that in a horse that is still very much in her prime. However, she isn't carrying a lot of weight, her neck is a lot slimmer than the first pics so it may just be that. That said, unless you stand exactly side-on and take the pic, you will always end up with a horse that looks like it has enormous shoulders and tiny bum (taken from the front angle, as in your case) or a big bum and tiny shoulders if you take it from the other direction!! :p
 
just to confuse the issue she is tubby currently - heaviest she has been really over the last few years but still has the atrophy....though still working lots, the grass is just really rich this summer! ill see if i can get a good pic today/tomoz
 
Just as a curiosity what made you give up on the treeless? I know Belle is pretty much the only ridden horse on my yard who doesn't have that muscle wastage on her back, most of the others look like they have a saddle shaped dent on their backs, but, they are all checked regularly and no one worries about it. I'm not saying all horses should be treeless blah blah, just making an observation of the horses on my yard.
 
gave up because we were doing much longer faster hacks and she got some clear pressure points under the stirrup bars. To be honest i much prefer the stability from the treed, my riding has improved dramatically since changing to the treed.
 
juliecwuk said:
gave up because we were doing much longer faster hacks and she got some clear pressure points under the stirrup bars. To be honest i much prefer the stability from the treed, my riding has improved dramatically since changing to the treed.
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Was that your HM saddle? I heard a lot of reports of pressure marks from stirrup bars with them, I would have loved to use mine on Belle but she's just the wrong shape, I now ride in a sensation saddle which we both love and because of the stirrup attachments the pressure is much more even, I'm the opposite as I find treed saddles so uncomfortable, although some days I'm sure I would ride better in a treed as they do give you that less stretched feeling.
 
I was thinking just the same the other day. Tobes back was MUCH better in treeless - BUT we had pressure points. And the treed saddle doesn't slip. And, like you, I ride much better in a treed - my leg was MASSIVELY far back in the HM Vogue - ridiculously so. But I am beginning to wonder if actually they are better for backs - plus we didn't have the rubbing out issues at the back. But he did buck in them.
 
Looking at the photo's it is quite hard to tell much as firstly when they have their heads down to back will look flatter as they stretch over their back and top line. Also the photo of Moet when he was younger and not in much work will show more weight over his back as he has not done enough strength work to build the muscle.

Over the years their whole body changes shape as does ours and unless all the photos are taken at the same time of year with the same weight you can't get a good comparsion, What I would also add is as weight drops off the body can look leaner and unless they are exercised long and low, over poles etc to build up the muscle over the back and top line it will look like muscle wastage as the fat which was covering the back has gone but the muscle has not been built up either correctly or enough meaning it can looked dipped or hollowed (not saying this is the case).

If you compare a horse to yourself think about if you want to change the way you look, you know diet is the key that will loss the weight but to see a really good change you know that the gym and exercise will actually make the difference in the way your body will finish up. To get a beach body you know it takes months of diet and constant exercise to achieve the look. back to horses building up top line and a strong back takes months or good quailty hard work and how many of us can hand on heart say we work are horses enough for long enough in the correct way to achieve a good balanced top line built with muscle and not fat.

What I am trying to say is I don't think it is the saddle unless you think it is not fitting right just the normal body shape changes as horses get older and may be some more traning working on the top line will help.
 
Thanks everyone for commenting.

We went XC today in the GP saddle and tbh it felt fine, Moët was forward and thoroughly enjoyed herself. I think the back lady (I may add 'new' back lady who I hadn't used before) may have planted the seed a little too well and I've been stressing over potentially nothing 'major' as I'm sure Moët would show her opinion of pain, she's not a 'stoic' cob!

I have sent the pics to an old friend who does shiatsu and has treated Moët over the years, just waiting for her reply
 
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