Horse who has high narrow withers

[Bob Gould]

Hi, I have a horse who has high narrow withers, I had him at a trainer for slinging his rear around the barrels, well she said that he had a sore back and so she started using the treeless sport saddle on him, she believes that this was the problem. Is there a saddle pad that would also correct this back problem, or do I need to go treeless? He does seem to be working better but I haven't got to run him in any shows yet. Can you help me?

Thanks Virginia

I am not an advocate of the treeless saddles but they seem to have a place for certain people and horses. Yes, there are pads that will help make your saddle fit your horse better but if the saddle is a poor fit - is sitting down on his withers or pinching his shoulders - then most pads aren't going to solve your problem. Set you saddle on the horse without the pad and then study closely how the saddle fits his back. Is it too tight over his withers? Does it touch his withers? Can you slide your hand under the saddle from front to back without much trouble or is it a really tight fit in places? Maybe you need to change saddles....

Martha Wright