Meg, bad back and saddle does'nt fit!! Argh

tbosborn

tbosborn

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Jan 6, 2009
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Well i have had meg just over a week now and she has been a superstar! Settled really well and enjoying lots of fuss and giving me kisses:D

We have a problem though and i need some advice!

I went to ride her a few days ago but her girth that she came with, was way to small. The YO's wife lent me hers so i tried that, but the saddle was slipping everywhere:confused: This was the tack she was sent with that i tried her out in 4 wks ago, but now it does not fit. I dont understand how in that short space of time this has happened:confused:

Anyway i tried her again today with a different girth that had no elastic, but still the same problem! I asked 4 a trot and then she seemed very reluctant but no way nasty, more like to say, oh please dont make me, it hurts. So i stopped and someone suggested trying her bareback to see if it was just the saddle, but she done the same thing again. Next step i lunged her, and her trot was fine not a problem! We have come to the conclusion she has a bad back and the weight is the problem for her!

Anyway i need someone to check her back and her saddle, and i just wondered if there is someone that comes out to do both at the same time or seperate people?

And also i wondered where i would stand if i have to buy her a new saddle, because i only have her on full loan? I just think its pretty unfair that i would need to fork out for a new one?

Thanks:)
 
Hi, sorry to hear that Meg has a sore back, I've always used different people for tack and backs - never heard of anyone round here that does both but maybe someone your way does. As for saddles, when I had a horse on loan last year, I bought her a new saddle for me to use as I didn't like the one she came with - but that was my choice - the one she came with was fine it was just that i didn't like it.
 
I did think i might need 2 different people out, but thought maybe there could be someone that could advise me on both at the same time! Just wasn't sure where i stood on having to buy a new saddle, because the owner is saying that it is strange that the saddle is slipping, because it wasn't doing that before, but i cant understand how it could change that quick in just over a wk, because it really is slipping badly:confused:

Someone suggested that i ask the owner to come down and have a look, to see for herself!
 
Pretty sure the owner ought to provide the tack?? Mine did last year when I loaned. Give them a bell and ask if they'll pay for a saddle fitting or worst case scenario, a new saddle? Don't think you should be paying for it.

Are you sure it's the same saddle?
 
cinammontoast said:
Pretty sure the owner ought to provide the tack?? Mine did last year when I loaned. Give them a bell and ask if they'll pay for a saddle fitting or worst case scenario, a new saddle? Don't think you should be paying for it.

Are you sure it's the same saddle?
Click to expand...


Im as sure as i can be:confused: Somebody else asked me the same thing. It looks the same and it definitly feels the same to sit on apart from the slipping!
 
how long is you loan agreement for this mare?. If its for a year then if the owner doesn't want to pay anything towards a new saddle then it's got to be worth buying a new one yourself if you going to keep the horse for that long? But I do agree that she should have come with tack that fitted in the first place
 
happyhacker101 said:
how long is you loan agreement for this mare?. If its for a year then if the owner doesn't want to pay anything towards a new saddle then it's got to be worth buying a new one yourself if you going to keep the horse for that long? But I do agree that she should have come with tack that fitted in the first place
Click to expand...

Yes its for a yr and then we keep renewing it! I just think that if i pay out for a new saddle then if say a few months down the line that she decides she wants her back then i will be left with a saddle that i wont be able to use! I would be more than happy to go halves on one as i think thats only fair.

Just want to get it sorted for her now cos i dont want her in any pain, bless her
 
If you use a master saddler they are trained and qualified to find any back problems relating to badly fitting saddles and will probable then be able to advise you best how to deal with it. She may just say it needs a rest. If more help is sought I would then of course with your vets permission get a chiropractor or a phsiotherapist, you can find a qualified master saddler for your area on their site. Good luck I am riding bare back at the moment know how expensive saddles can be. :)
 
I wouldn't go halves. Because then at the end of the loan you have the problem of whose saddle it is - and obviously if it fits the horse then it should go with her and your money is just gone.

Personally I would get the back and tack fitted - if the animal is sore then it will be you dealing with riding her and the problems that can cause............

I think if you are loaning rather than sharing then get the owner down to try to sort out what is wrong - get out a back/saddler and see what they say - and if they recommend a new saddle then talk to the owner again.

It's hard because both ways cause potential problems. I am loaning out my Taff (I may have mentioned this before!) - and got his back checked and a brand spangly new saddle fitted for the purpose. However, several people have told me I'm mad as a hatter for buying new tack to go with him in case his loanee doesn't look after it/clean it/respect it and it comes back broken/in pieces/irretrievably dreadfully handled.........

I have taken the risk - because the horse means more to me than the money I have spent on the new saddle and on balance I'd rather he was fitted for something lovely by me and my saddler and therefore had no issues come up whilst with someone else. He's also going very very long term like your horse.

But, as an owner, there can be a concern over how someone will care for the tack (I bought a Stubben and it was a considerable outlay)...........

I think in your situation I'd a) establish what is wrong with what was provided and then b) get professional advice and seek an alternative.......... I'd then ask the owner what they wanted to do and SEE if they offered to pay and if they didn't I'd buy it myself. Then it's yours.

The only way I can see sharing the cost working is if you paid half on the agreement that if he was taken away at 6 months she repaid you totally, one year and she repaid say 80% of your outlay - and that figure should be decreasing every year - so if she takes the horse away within the year you get your money back and if she takes it after five years she can have the saddle back with the horse.

But I'd definitely get it done. Sore backs on horses are bad bad news.
 
Has she lost or put on weight, or changed shaped? A saddle that did fit, should still fit, unless her shape has suddenly changed.
I would speak to the owner before doing anything, as this could be costly!
You may also find, that if her back is sore she will be on rest for a while for it to get better and then she would not need a saddle for a while, and may again change shape whilst off work??
I have loaned before, and I told the owner everything just so they knew what was going on.
 
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