Chapter Twenty - Back in the saddle again (Saddle Fitting 101)

Over the past few weeks, I've learned more about saddle fitting than I ever imagined.  There are as many views about saddle fitting as there are riders.  One thing I know with absolute certainty, is that a saddle does not fit properly makes for a very unhappy horse, and understandably so.  Harley had put on muscle in his shoulders from all the riding and schooling we had done, and I had no idea it changed the fit of his saddle.  Here is a photo of how my saddle flares out at the bottom front panel, so that when I tighten the girth and the panel is pulled down against his shoulder, the top pinches into his withers.

I have a professional saddle fitter coming out to see if my saddle can be altered to correctly fit Harley.  I am hoping it can be done, but if not, I will definitely invest in a saddle that fits him perfectly. 

Fortunately, my saddle has a Gullet Exchange System, which means that different width gullet plates can be put in the saddle to make the tree wider or narrower as needed.  When I bought my saddle, I also bought the 2 next wider gullet plates, with the idea that schooling and training would bulk him up.  There are no guarantees that a wider plate will make the saddle fit him, as the angle of the plate also has to be correct, but I remain optomistic.

The photo to the right is my trainer's saddle; it fits him much better and conforms to the slope of his shoulder.

Will let everyone know how the fitting turns out.  Meanwhile, I have a much happier horse now that I am using my trainer's saddle and he is not being pinched.  We are both very out of shape and are working on coming back to strength and fitness gradually and carefully.  Soon we will be back to schooling, and hopefully doing ground poles soon on our way to jumping.

Chapter Nineteen - Equine Chiropractic Works

The last month or so has been relatively unproductive, due in large part to the southern California area receiving record rains and cold weather.  However, Harley and I have made a huge breakthrough, not in our riding, but in his physical and mental well-being.  I have known since I bought him that he was very protective of his right side, always turning to look at me even when I just combed his mane.  Over the past couple of months, Harley had become more and more girthy, pinning his ears when the saddle was placed on his back, and fussing a lot when the girth was tightened. 

Everything came to a head a couple of weeks ago when I rode Harley, and noticed he seemed very tense, not his usual happy self, and I just knew something was wrong.  Then, while trotting across the ring, Harley put his head down and bucked me off.  He had never bucked while I was riding him before.  He continued to buck all the way to the gate.  My trainer told me he was literally standing on his head and twisting his back end sideways.  Fortunately, I was not hurt, just had the wind knocked out of me and a bit sore.  After turning Harley loose in the round pen to buck a few more times, and replacing the set of reins he had broken, I got back on him.  He still felt very tense, so I only rode him for a few minutes.  The next day, he had a very sore shoulder so I did not ride him.  Over the next week or so, I noticed that Harley seemed depressed, stayed at the back of his stall and did not come to the gate to greet me.  Finally, after about a week, he perked up a little, and seemed to enjoy taking walks, but something just wasn't right.

I decided to call an equine chiropractor, Dr. Jenny Johnson, V.M.D.  She was recommended by my vet, so I made an appointment.  Dr. Johnson came out and first watched Harley walk and trot away from and towards her.  Then she did a preliminary examination, feeling all of his joints, his spine, and skull.  She found several misalignments in his vertebrae, and also his withers, a hip, and an elbow.  The most "out of whack" area was at the very top of his neck, behind his ears.

Dr. Johnson proceeded to adjust Harley, and he was surprisingly good about it.  After the first few minutes, I could tell that he knew she was helping him.  He was so relaxed when she finished that he wouldn't move, just stood in his stall with his ears up looking happier than I had seen him in weeks.  Dr. Johnson also looked at Harley's saddle on his back, and informed me that it was not fitting him properly, flaring out at the front of the flap and digging into his wither/shoulder area when the girth was tightened, especially on his right side.  He has more muscle there now than when I first got my saddle.  That explained the sensitivity on that side of his body.  We made an appointment for her to come back in 3 weeks, and she left us with instructions to hand walk only for 2-3 days, and exercises to bend his head, without moving his neck, to loosen up the poll area.  From the day of his appointment on, he has been a new horse, walking out freely, loose and relaxed, and his old happy personality was back!




So relaxed, his ankles are crossed!


Yesterday was day 4, and I rode Harley bareback.  I could not believe how relaxed and calm he was, how loose he felt, how big his stride was.  It was like having a brand new horse.  My trainer noticed right away how relaxed he looked and how much bigger his walk was.  I rode him again today, still bareback, and he was even better.  I have to have my saddle flocked to fit him, but fortunately, Jane's saddle fits him perfectly and she has graciously agreed to let me use it until mine is corrected.

Vet exams in the past had revealed no injuries so no treatment was prescribed, and several massage sessions had not made any noticeable difference. I was told he was tight in his shoulders and back, which was obvious, but the cause was never addressed.  I think massage is a temporary "bandaid" that relaxes the horse for a little while but does not deal with the root problem, so the muscles tighten up again and more massage is needed, sort of a never-ending cycle that doesn't fix the problem.  Chiropractic treatment actually addresses the problem, works to fix it, and prevents the problems from becoming chronic.  I would consider massage as a supplement to the chiropractic sessions, but only by an experienced equine massage therapist recommended by my vet and the chiropractor.
I would strongly recommend anyone considering equine chiropractic and/or massage to have your horse examined by your vet first to rule out injury or illness. Dr. Johnson would not work on Harley until I had spoken to my vet first.  I am very happy to have found a chiropractor for Harley who not only was recommended by my vet, but who will work with them as a team.

Visit Dr. Johnson's website at http://www.equineshockwave.com/vetchiropractic.html

Chapter Eighteen - We Have Contact!

As an early Christmas present to me, Harley decided that taking leg and rein contact is a good thing, and is now consistently on contact.  Our next step is to work on impulsion, helping Harley to lengthen his stride without quickening his pace.  This will keep him sound, and will also help towards finding his self-carriage. 

I am so thankful to have Jane Armour as our trainer.  I shudder to think where we would be if I had gone to another barn and tried to work with another trainer, or worse, if Harley had been bought by someone else, who did not have the wisdom, patience and experience that Jane has shared so generously with us.  

Jane selects her clients carefully, and it is refreshing to work with a trainer who only works with riders who are serious about keeping their horses sound and healthy, through lunge work and lessons.

I know Harley adores Jane, in fact, every horse adores Jane.   If you live in the eastern Ventura County area in southern California, and want to work with a trainer whose top priority is the well-being, soundness and safety of your horse, call Jane.  You can visit her website at:  http://www.janearmour.com/