the first injury was caused by saddlepad too, but I always say it is a saddlefit injury. because he was being ridden in a tucker saddle that left white marks below the withers and each spring they would shed out so i knew it was hurting him. I took him to a person who sold tucker saddles and showed it to her. She took some measurements and said well, see? there's your problem. he is a normal size tree everywhere but at the shoulders where he is wide tree size. But if you get a wide tree it will sit right down on the withers and rub him there. So she suggested I buy a wide tree tucker and pad it behind the withers. to lift it off the withers but still allow shoulder room. (I have since been told the problem is that tuckers do not have any "flare" allowing for shoulder room). so then she suggested I take a saddle pad and fold it and lay it across the dip behind his withers to fill it in and that would help his problem until i could afford to buy a wide tree tucker saddle. sooo. I did that and voila, he's injured for freakin life. not that I'm bitter :) actually things could be much worse. The fistula could have opened and he could have died or had to be put down, the injury could be in a place where theres no way to avoid pressure and rubbing and he could be unridable, but its ok as long as he has total spine clearance. I am very very lucky and blessed i can still ride him.
I cannot ride him in a treeless because there is no spine clearance but I am gonna try him saturday on a short ride in my hybrid sensation and medi cheval and see how the sweat patterns look. we are gonna ride in a brief 15 minute parade at a stop and start walk. basically i feel bad because i was a person who rode so hard and so often i really needed three horses instead of just my Jas. I almost rode him to death. I rode him on the average 300 miles a week, much of it very rough and rugged terrain. janice-- yipie tie yie yo
