ortho-flex loin rubbing

[Rides 2 Far <rides2far@juno.com>]

>>O Problem is it rubs the hair off my > horse's> loins.  As far as I can
tell he is not sore, but I have to think 
> that loin> rubbing is NOT a good thing.  I searched the ortho-flex site
and > emailed> them.  Not response to my emails, 

Hey Jenni,
Forget the dealers.  You do much better talking to people who use them
rather than those who sell them.  I remember the first Spring I had my
Express.  I had loin rubbing. I paniced (this was in 1990) I called the
dealer.  I got the impression he had answered the same call all morning. 
I started telling my tale which I thought was terribly interesting and he
finished my sentence and said, "you've got loin rubs"  I wonder how many
times he's answered that call by now?    I now expect my horse to shed
there first in the Spring. No big deal. No reprocussions.  It has gotten
less noticable with the years.  My horse was never sore, ever.  I don't
know if the saddle or my riding has changed.

  One thing I would do. Take the booties off and just ride with a pad. 
The problem with the booties is that it wicks the sweat and dirt to the
edge and that's as far as it can go.  It tends to form a crusty area at
the back of the weight bearing area.  You can clean it off with a wire
dog brush, but you'll eventually make your booties bald there.  I like
booties fine again once they're in their summer coat, or in winter when
they aren't really sweating them up so much.  I ride with a wool
oversized barrel pad.  It extends just far enough back to wick that dirt
past the saddle.  

I've actually only seen one horse who truly rubbed the hair *off*, not
just shedded down to summer coat level.  The rider was a featherweight
and had a knee problem.  She stood and leaned forward a lot, and when she
posted she had long stirrups and really pumped her legs.  She couldn't
ride with a western type saddle or her fender would rub the hair off the
horse's side!  She took her horse down to the skin, but I felt it was her
riding and not the saddle that was to blame.  That horse is now owned by
a rider who weighs about 20 lbs more and has a new OF which didn't rub
him at all this Spring.

It's hard to imagine getting much of a loin rub at a walk though. Is your
horse gaited?  You might consider trying to loosen up and do the hula a
little more.  I had a riding instructor point out to me once that I was
behind the motion of the walk. I was making the horse move me.  When I
started moving with him there was less resistance.  I guess I'd never
thought about being able to ride wrong at a walk. :-P

Angie
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