Page 1201 - Adams and Stashak's Lameness in Horses, 7th Edition

Miscellaneous Musculoskeletal Conditions 1167

use is that the saddle should fit the horse’s back like a In properly fitting and positioned saddles, the pommel
well‐made shoe and the saddle pad functions like a sock. and cantle of most saddles are horizontally level, and the
VetBooks.ir pad should result in optimal saddle and saddle pad func­ the center of the seat. Saddles that slope downward in
In a well‐fitting saddle, the addition of a thin saddle
deepest portion of the seat should be located near
2
tion and should not produce increased pressure or back
the front cause the rider’s weight to be shifted over the
pain. However, a proper fitting saddle used with an withers. In contrast, caudally sloping seats cause the rider’s
excessive number or increased thickness of saddle pads weight to be shifted caudally, away from the horse’s
will likely produce localized pressure and back prob­ center of gravity. The position of the girth or cinch
lems. In poor fitting saddles, the addition of a thin pad should correspond to the narrowest portion of the
will likely not improve saddle fit. Likewise, the use of chest; otherwise, the saddle tends to constantly slide for­
several saddle pads to compensate for a poor fitting sad­ ward or backward, producing back pain and altering
dle (such as a poor fitting shoe with several socks) will performance.
likely exaggerate saddle pressure and produce back Properly fitting saddles should have two to three fin­
pain. That said, wide fitting saddles may benefit from gers wide (4–6 cm) of vertical clearance between the
the use of several pads as a temporary solution to mis­ pommel gullet and the dorsal withers (Figure 12.24).
matched saddle horse sizes. Narrow saddles tend to sit higher and produce a taller
The static examination of saddle fit begins with the saddle–wither gap, whereas wide saddles come close to
owner placing the saddle on the horse’s back. The saddle resting on the dorsal spinous processes due to lack
is initially evaluated without any pads or girth to limit of lateral contact and support over the withers (Figure 12.25).
influence by other confounding variables. The owner is Gliding a flat hand under the front edge of a well‐fitting
instructed to place and position the saddle on the horse’s saddle and over the withers should provide a sensation of
back in the usual manner. This provides an opportunity a smooth, uniform, soft contact bilaterally (Figure 12.26).
to qualitatively assess the horse’s response and behavior The angle of the head of the tree should coincide with
to saddle placement and to evaluate saddle fit and posi­ the lateral slope of the withers. Asymmetric trees or
tioning. Horses that pin their ears or attempt to bite or scapulae can produce left‐to‐right differences in saddle
kick with saddle placement likely have or have had issues contact over the lateral wither region. Gliding a flat
with poor fitting saddles and secondary back pain. As hand under the panels or skirt of a well‐fitting saddle
noted above, the tree provides the framework for the should also provide a smooth, uniform contact bilater­
saddle and acts to transfer the rider’s weight to the back ally, which closely follows the contour of the horse’s
of the horse. Therefore, the length, width, angles, and back. The flocking in English saddles should be symmet­
twist (or shape) of the tree ideally must match the con­ ric, of uniform firmness, and evenly distributed with no
tour and symmetry of the individual horse’s back. The prominences or depressions. Overstuffed panels form
flare at the front of the tree should fit over the withers round, firm cylinders that do not readily conform to the
and allow free scapular movements. The width and angle shape of the horse’s back. Underflocked panels are flat
of the tree must match the lateral slope of the withers. and provide no cushion. The panels at the back edge of
In English saddles, the cranial edge of the saddle an English saddle should be flat and in contact with the
should rest at the caudal edge of the scapula. In Western horse’s back. Some saddles have pronounced upward
saddles, the saddle normally covers the dorsal aspect of curving panels that cause a substantial reduction in the
the scapulae, but the skirt should flare cranially to allow surface area over which to distribute a rider’s weight.
caudal rotation of the scapula during thoracic limb pro­ The gullet can be visualized from behind the horse and
traction. New saddles often have very stiff and inflexible should provide ample clearance for the dorsal spinous
skirts that may occasionally rub on the dorsal scap­ processes.
ula cranially or lumbar region caudally. The length of
the saddle should be proportionate to the length of the
horse’s back and the size of the rider. Saddles that are too
short localize pressure and likely cause back pain.
Saddles that are too long tend to bridge across the
horse’s back and localize pressure at the withers and
caudal saddle, with little or no contact in the middle of
the saddle where most of the rider’s weight is located.
Saddle bridging is a common problem in lordotic horses;
this can be temporarily managed by placing additional
padding or shims to fill in the noncontact areas at the
center of the saddle to provide uniform saddle contact.
Proper skirt length in Western saddles should provide
4–6 inches of clearance in front of the tuber coxae. Long
skirts can cause friction rubs on the cranial aspect of the
tuber coxae and restrict lateral bending of the trunk.
Stability of the saddle on the horse’s back can be esti­
mated by applying cranial‐to‐caudal, side‐to‐side, and
diagonal rocking motions to the saddle. Properly fitting
saddles are very stable and allow no displacement of the
saddle. Wide saddles or the use of too many saddle pads
causes instability and excessive displacement of the saddle Figure 12.24. Proper spacing between the saddle and dorsal
during these induced movements. aspect of the withers, with a saddle pad in place.