What can happen when a saddle is too wide..

There are a few issues that are the most common problem I see. I am going to help you spot some of these issues so that you hopefully can catch any changes before any significant damage takes place. If you are already a customer of mine, you will know I love to educate you so you can feel confident in spotting when things go wrong but also when all is good !

So firstly let's talk about when a saddle is too wide !

I see this issue very often. It is nearly always when a client has phoned to say their saddle feels to tight, there fore believing the saddle is too narrow. When in fact the tightness in the trapezius area is quite often because there is not enough clearance and the saddle has dropped in front creating tightness.

This can then cause huge restriction to the scapular rotation as it comes back and upwards in every stride. The tree points being too wide can cause muscle atrophy in the trapezius muscle as blood flow is restricted. It has been shown in research that when exercised under saddle the muscles expand. This leads some people to believe it is better to fit a saddle slightly too wide. This is not the case.

Occasionally I may fit with a prolite pad or similar where we have quite a lot of muscle atrophy and use this as a remedial fit. A saddle that is too wide can be unstable throughout the transitions and it has been shown that muscle around the T13 area is also affected in this case.

So what might you notice as a rider / owner if your saddle is too wide.

Rub marks at the rear of your saddle, as the back may be lifting and bouncing, especially in the trot, you may feel like you’re being smacked in the bottom on every rise.

Your lower leg may become very unstable like a pendulum !

You may also find yourself leaning forward to try and rebalance yourself.

You could be sitting in a chair position, finding yourself sitting towards the cantle and your legs therefore more forward. Your horse will have difficulty understanding your leg aids and they may be completely ineffective!

Both of the horses photographed below have atrophy caused by saddles being too wide. Permission has kindly been given by the owners to share these photos and both are now in much better fitting saddles

*horse muscle for illustration only from Google images - Rod Nikkel Saddle Trees

If you suspect any of the above please do get in touch