Page 555 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

Individual horse problems

Not all horses are symmetrical. Just as humans are right-handed or left handed, horses will
VetBooks.ir have a dominant forelimb, often leading to asymmetry of the feet, the height of the shoulder

blades and development of the shoulder musculature. If a horse has a specific injury there
may be unilateral loss of muscle. In these cases, the saddle needs to be adjusted as required
on a regular basis. Equally, if a horse loses or gains weight dramatically, its saddle will need

to be altered.

Horses that have worn saddles that are too narrow for them develop hollows just below
the withers on both sides, behind the top of the shoulder blades (Figure 12.14). Fitting a

saddle to this shape will not allow correct development of these wasted muscles. In these
cases, temporary padding using a wither pad under a wider saddle may provide the solution.

This should be fitted by a qualified saddler. A common mistake is to place a pad under a
saddle that is too narrow to lift it away from the withers. This actually compounds the
problem and increases the pressure.

Figure 12.14 A horse with deep hollows either side of the withers due to muscle wasting