Issues with a saddle being too narrow ..

This week's highlighted topic that is one of the most common problems I see, is the saddle being too narrow.

Is your horse showing signs of discomfort ? Moving from the mounting block suddenly, swishy tail, reluctance to move forward, reluctance when tacking up, short choppy strides ? Are you struggling with your position ? All of these can be signs your saddle is not quite right !

In the wild when lions or other prey would attack a horse grabbing the base of the withers. There is a nerve right here, the cranial nerve 11 also known as the accessory nerve. When this is pinched it creates a reflex to hollow away from the pressure (in the wild a prey animal) or in equestrianism the saddle, lunge equipment or other training aids. This area needs to be clear at all times. The horse is a flight animal and will bolt and flee from this pinching.

Here are some indications your saddle may be too narrow:

1. Bridging, you may have heard of this term. All the pressure is in the wither, (trapezius area) and in the T18 area affecting the lumbar. There will ve very light or sometimes no contact in the centre of your saddle.

2. Pommel high, if you notice your saddle is settling cantle low and pommel high, again check the balance, step back and take a good look, the saddle will be in rear balance.

3. Not enough clearance at the rear.

4. Atrophy of the trapezius, brachiocephalic, and sternocephalic muscles can occur if the nerve 11 is damaged, which can be assessed by palpation by a body worker.

5. The longissimus dorsi muscle, can be damaged which leads to restricted movement, tightnes in the muscle and potential long-term damage like lameness and sometimes tripping, bucking, rearing or napping can also be a sign of discomfort.

6. Irregular sweat marks after working your horse.

7. Rider position, you may be finding your lower leg not sitting in correct shoulder, hip, heel alignment. Your heel may be shooting forwards in an attempt to rebalance yourself. You may be sitting at the rear of the saddle and rotating the pelvis and putting pressure in the lumbar area of the horse.. you too may experience lower back pain .

So please check the balance of your saddle regularly. If your horse gains muscle or weight in the trapezius area by even a couple of mm either side, this can be a full tree width to size up .

Please see images for example of an incorrect balance

(One image of rider has been used from - Christie Wolhuter Biokinetics)