Re: Big back problems

[Linda Flemmer <bluwolf@earthlink.net>]

Denise Pfalmer wrote:

> When I started riding her again, I noticed
> dry spots and decided that yet another saddle was necessary. I used an
> english saddle that seemed to fit fairly well and could be fitted to
> her. I rode three times last weekend, never over 8 miles. On Thursday,
> her hair started falling out. Her back was never sore, but she now has
> white hair everywhere! This has never happened even when her back was
> noticeably sore. My vet has no answers, and I'm taking her to Colorado
> State University. My Question: Has anybody ever had this happen? I'm
> tending to believe that she is allergic to this pad, possible?

Well, it is certainly possible that she is allergic.  What does the skin
look like?  Any raised areas?  Any redness?  If you see scaling, it could be
from an allergy OR from rubbing or pressure.  I'm not sure I'd expect to see
white hair after an allergy.  In my experience, white hairs seem to indicate
a deeper damage from a wound or pressure.

Hair seems to fall out about 1-2 weeks after the injury.  What were you
doing 2 weeks ago with her?  This time of year, hair can be snatched out by
the pad since it is getting ready to be shed soon anyway.  Is this
possible?  I'm not familiar with the pad you mentioned - "Saddle Rite".

White hairs will come back in with the coat from the season when the damage
occurred.  (ie if it happened with a winter coat vs shed out.)  IF her hair
was "snatched" by the pad, you may be seeing the white hair from the summer
coat that's growing in - peeping through where the winter coat is gone.  Is
this possible?  Are the white hairs where you had problems from last year?

I started endurance in the late 70's, when we thought that dry spots and
swollen pressure points were from heat build up or taking a saddle off too
soon.   (Conventional wisdom had you wait 30-60 minutes before pulling the
saddle, loosening the girth by small degrees.)  I saw a lot of competing
horses with sore backs, bald backs, white hairs, and even open sores.  I'm
SO glad that we've learned better over the years and folks have gotten
better about fitting the saddle to the horse!

Good luck solving your problem!  Let me know what it turns out to be.

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV