Re: RC: More Saddle Woes

[BMcCrary27@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/19/99 5:32:33 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Louisa_Pierce@ne.3com.com writes:

<< Of course I am not riding my horse, and I did go and buy a woolback saddle
 pad, and  I have called for a saddle
 fitter to come out to the barn - but can any of you give me any hope of
 ever riding  my horse again? >>

I've had the same problem with two horse in the past, and am dealing with it 
on another now.  The pressure point which causes a nasty hard welt eventually 
heals ... don't remember how long it took.  The skin turns to a parchment 
consistency, peels off revealing pink skin.  Then white hairs replace the 
dark originals.  Both of the horses with older, healed damage are doing just 
fine now.  We just have to avoid another saddle that doesn't fit, or as in 
the case with the recent damage, I believe a thicker plushier saddle pad 
would have prevented it.  It's a real problem, isn't it?  The stories of ill 
fitting saddles are legion.  Endurance riding certainly brings out the 
problems, wherever they lurk, because of the greater stress we are placing on 
the horses' bodies.  But we have all (vets, researchers, riders, et al) 
learned an enormous amount BECAUSE we are asking the horse to do so much 
more.  And because of what we have learned, there are so many more good 
products on the market.  Not all products designed to solve our problems 
work, but many of them DO.

BMc


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