If your horse is developing a raised patch, the fascia is becoming thickened or the hair becoming rough broken in this area, your saddle doesn’t fit anymore.
If you keep riding in a saddle causing these issues, you’ll cause a whole cascade of problems that will be very challenging to undo.
Horses’ backs change all the time. Changes in exercise, diet, turn out, soundness, saddle pads, foot care, and more, can all contribute to changes in your horse’s topline and how the saddle interacts with it.
Have a professional saddle fitter fit your saddle. Have the saddle fitter back out to check the saddle again after your horse has had a chance to wear the saddle for a month or so and the flocking/felt/foam has settled, and maybe your horse’s back has already started changing for the better, and then ask your saddle fitter to come out regularly as your horse continues to develop.
You don’t go hiking in shoes that don’t fit well or that rub, or that cause pressure points, don’t make your horse do the equivalent.
Massage, combined with exercise focusing on using good mechanics and a full body range of motion, will be the best way to help your horse recover from ill-fitting tack.
Massage helps the body relax, release, and re-align itself mentally, physically and neurologically. Massage is an important part of keeping your horse fit, healthy, happy and performing at its best.
*central SC friends – I can recommend several very good saddle fitters if you need help finding one.
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