Saddle Fit: Dry Spots?

"This looks like an ink spot test..."

In February 2013, I became the proud owner of a custom Hastilow Concept H/J saddle (more info on how I made this decision in my Quest for a Saddle post). I was thrilled- great saddle, made to my (and ruby's) measurements, great support, comfortable, lifetime warranty, and adjustable. I thought for sure my saddle fit struggles were finally over.

Unfortunately, I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a 'perfect fitted' saddle. Your horse's body can change due to a number of variables: health, physical fitness, age, etc.

When I bought my saddle, it came with two tree bars- a medium-wide, and a wide- in theory, to compensate for her usual weight loss changes throughout the year. I started noticing a few changes in the saddle fit a few weeks ago (it felt like I was tipping forward and the saddle was pinching at her shoulder).

According to old school fitters, one of the most obvious saddle fitting concerns are dry spots. You can clearly see that there is an area behind her shoulder where there is no sweat. There are some mixed reviews about this online:

Although my first reaction was that the saddle was not touching her, it is actually the opposite case. Dry spots occur because the saddle is pinching to the point that the blood flow is restricted, causing lack of sweat in those areas. However, I was told this this is the case only if dry spots are less than the size of a coin. The dry spots you see here are actually considered good, as it means that the saddle is not rubbing.

Information about dry spots and general saddle fitting tips can be found at The Saddle Fitter. I have spoken with Cordia in the past and she has always been very polite and helpful when I have had questions. Another perspective I have seen can be found at Jochen Schleese's page.

My next thought dealt with the saddle sliding. Interestingly, the pads stayed where they were supposed to be, but the girth and saddle moved up her wither. Ideally, your saddle should sit an inch or two behind the shoulder blade. For ponies or horses that have wide/broad shoulders, this can be a challenge. I tried adding my ThinLine pad to see if it would grip a little better, but it did not seem to make a difference.

 Although I have been told that no slip pads and anatomic girths can help with the sliding, I would like to get the saddle fitting properly first to try to fix the issue. I have learned that the horse word is full of gimmicks/marketing ploys, so before I jump on the bandwagon, I will start with the saddle.

You can see in the next two pictures that the saddle is a little bit too narrow. It seems to fit pretty well on her shoulder, and I did not notice any bridging, but that gap is a bit too much. Most fitters recommend 2-3 finger-widths of space- I do have small hands, but I can pretty much stick the entire thing in there (photo below). When I have the girth cinched and am in the saddle, the saddle gets pressed down until the gap is lessened, but I can feel by sliding my hand down that is it really tight.

I have contacted Hastilow and ordered another bar up (extra wide); I will be out this evening to switch the old one out and see if there is a noticeable difference. I am fairly certain that widening the tree will then cause the saddle balance to shift forward, so I would not be surprised if I need some flocking changes.

Either way, I have the name of a recommended saddle fitter in my area (thanks Tammy!) and will have her come out to check and validate (or not!) my thoughts. Sometimes it is best to just step aside and let the professionals handle it :)

Once I get the fitter out, I will update this post to include her observations and solutions! Hopefully we can get this resolved soon- a comfortable pony is a happy pony.






Update: January 7, 2014
Finally had the saddle fitter come out (I wanted to coordinate with other boarders to split the farm call). Putting in the extra wide (orange) bar turned out to be the right decision (yay me!). Some flocking was removed near the center of the saddle as well: the fitter thought that my saddle might be riding up Ruby's withers because it was rocking. I will have to ride in it a few times and see if there is any difference, but I am hopeful for good results.

For others in my area who might be interested, the fitter I used was Embrace Saddle Fit. The farm visit, fitting, and flocking came out to be $120.