Pics added sway back horse- need ideas

PreppyxCowgirl · 08-08-2008, 10:47 AM

I need some ideas for my sway back gelding. He is still going strong, no issues so I do not see any reason to retire him. He is just doing trail rides, no hard work. He is about to get a new saddle, but what size tree is best for a sway back? (I will put pictures up soon) I also need some ideas about pads for him. Thanks!
-Katie

CowGirlUp1833 · 08-08-2008, 10:54 AM

There are some good exercises you can do from the ground to help strengthen the back.... and also getting the horse to carry themselves properly under saddle will help those muscles as well

Universe1M · 08-08-2008, 08:16 PM

The only pad i know about for sway backed horses is the thinline western where you can purchase briding shims. sometimes just the plain thinline pad is enough but if you need a shim you can just stick it over the regular thinline pad. they sell a very expensive sheepskin pad you can put the shims in but that would probably be too much for just trail riding. Lots of vets, saddle fitters and equine chiropractors use them. http://thinlineinc.com

PreppyxCowgirl · 08-08-2008, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CowGirlUp1833

There are some good exercises you can do from the ground to help strengthen the back.... and also getting the horse to carry themselves properly under saddle will help those muscles as well

Do you have a link, or could you please list some?

WashingtonBay · 08-08-2008, 08:43 PM

This might seem wordy, I've copied some of it from a thread earlier this week about this and tried to rewrite part of it to fit your circumstance but I'm a little blurry and need to be heading to bed!

I had custom pads made by a local saddle fitter, for both Western and English, that help fill the voids on a sway back horse.

You want a saddle with a lot of 'rocker' in it... that is banana shaped to start with, if possible. A long square skirted Western saddle will be harder to fit than a relatively shorter span dressage saddle, for example.

My first suggestion would be to see if you have a saddle fitter in town, a saddle maker or repair shop who can do custom work in a pad. That's who made mine, he made it to the horse, and it wasn't all that expensive either.

Here's my Bay's back... and the custom Western and English pads that were made to fill where he was too low for the saddle to make good contact. The alterations were made from regular off the shelf pads.

Here he is in the saddle we bought for my husband to learn to ride in... a Big Horn.

JBandRio · 08-09-2008, 05:51 AM

He's not sway backed, he just has a curvy back. You want a saddle that is more banana-shaped as opposed to flatter. The width of that is impossible to tell from these pictures. If the saddle is wide enough, and fits the shape of his back, you don't need any special padding.

WashingtonBay · 08-09-2008, 07:25 AM

I agree he's not really all that swayed, but there is a low hollow behind the wither that could either make a saddle bridge or ride down hill if it is moved back. Some kind of customization will likely be needed to make a perfect fit with almost any saddle.

PreppyxCowgirl · 08-09-2008, 10:27 AM

He is somewhere around 25 yrs old. He is not anywhere near ready to quit going yet and he is completely sound. He is not on any supplements (unless you consider rice bran a supplement) so I am not going to retire him until he tells me he is ready. Thanks for the info! Also, my dad is the one riding him now and I am just posting this to get info for him. He wants a good quality trail saddle, does anyone have any recommendations or favorites for trail saddles?

WashingtonBay · 08-09-2008, 11:44 AM

We've sure been happy with the Big Horn we bought. Light weight, not a lot of money, and it's held up really well.

My Bay is 28 and he's not retired yet either! Good luck to yours for many years to come.

PreppyxCowgirl · 08-09-2008, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WashingtonBay

We've sure been happy with the Big Horn we bought. Light weight, not a lot of money, and it's held up really well.

My Bay is 28 and he's not retired yet either! Good luck to yours for many years to come.

Thank you! I have heard several people say that my horse is too old and nobody should ever work him or be on his back. I hate to see a wonderful horse just sit in the pasture because he is "too old"

08-08-2008, 10:47 AM	#1
PreppyxCowgirl Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: TEXAS! Posts: 1,212 Images: 164	Pics added sway back horse- need ideas I need some ideas for my sway back gelding. He is still going strong, no issues so I do not see any reason to retire him. He is just doing trail rides, no hard work. He is about to get a new saddle, but what size tree is best for a sway back? (I will put pictures up soon) I also need some ideas about pads for him. Thanks! -Katie __________________ Katie Last edited by PreppyxCowgirl; 08-08-2008 at 08:26 PM. Reason: pics added

08-08-2008, 10:54 AM	#2
CowGirlUp1833 Senior Member+ Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Holland Lake Shore, West Michigan Posts: 15,657 Images: 378 Blog Entries: 31	There are some good exercises you can do from the ground to help strengthen the back.... and also getting the horse to carry themselves properly under saddle will help those muscles as well __________________ *Kimberly* www.Equine-Endeavors.com Training horses properly is a study in delayed gratification....

08-09-2008, 05:51 AM	#6
JBandRio Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NC Posts: 21,277 Images: 129 Blog Entries: 12	He's not sway backed, he just has a curvy back. You want a saddle that is more banana-shaped as opposed to flatter. The width of that is impossible to tell from these pictures. If the saddle is wide enough, and fits the shape of his back, you don't need any special padding. __________________ - JB Acres, owned and operated by Dynamite animals. - It's a wonder horses as a whole don't just kill us all and be done with their misery. - Keep your voice soothing and low - even when things get western (buck1173) - Rio feels good - he bounced an in-and-out

08-09-2008, 10:27 AM	#8
PreppyxCowgirl Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: TEXAS! Posts: 1,212 Images: 164	He is somewhere around 25 yrs old. He is not anywhere near ready to quit going yet and he is completely sound. He is not on any supplements (unless you consider rice bran a supplement) so I am not going to retire him until he tells me he is ready. Thanks for the info! Also, my dad is the one riding him now and I am just posting this to get info for him. He wants a good quality trail saddle, does anyone have any recommendations or favorites for trail saddles? __________________ Katie

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08-08-2008, 08:16 PM	#3
Universe1M Full Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 25	The only pad i know about for sway backed horses is the thinline western where you can purchase briding shims. sometimes just the plain thinline pad is enough but if you need a shim you can just stick it over the regular thinline pad. they sell a very expensive sheepskin pad you can put the shims in but that would probably be too much for just trail riding. Lots of vets, saddle fitters and equine chiropractors use them. http://thinlineinc.com

08-08-2008, 08:43 PM	#5
WashingtonBay Senior Member+ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tumwater, WA Posts: 902 Images: 79 Blog Entries: 2	This might seem wordy, I've copied some of it from a thread earlier this week about this and tried to rewrite part of it to fit your circumstance but I'm a little blurry and need to be heading to bed! I had custom pads made by a local saddle fitter, for both Western and English, that help fill the voids on a sway back horse. You want a saddle with a lot of 'rocker' in it... that is banana shaped to start with, if possible. A long square skirted Western saddle will be harder to fit than a relatively shorter span dressage saddle, for example. My first suggestion would be to see if you have a saddle fitter in town, a saddle maker or repair shop who can do custom work in a pad. That's who made mine, he made it to the horse, and it wasn't all that expensive either. Here's my Bay's back... and the custom Western and English pads that were made to fill where he was too low for the saddle to make good contact. The alterations were made from regular off the shelf pads. Here he is in the saddle we bought for my husband to learn to ride in... a Big Horn.

08-09-2008, 07:25 AM	#7
WashingtonBay Senior Member+ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tumwater, WA Posts: 902 Images: 79 Blog Entries: 2	I agree he's not really all that swayed, but there is a low hollow behind the wither that could either make a saddle bridge or ride down hill if it is moved back. Some kind of customization will likely be needed to make a perfect fit with almost any saddle.

08-09-2008, 11:44 AM	#9
WashingtonBay Senior Member+ Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tumwater, WA Posts: 902 Images: 79 Blog Entries: 2	We've sure been happy with the Big Horn we bought. Light weight, not a lot of money, and it's held up really well. My Bay is 28 and he's not retired yet either! Good luck to yours for many years to come.

*Pics added* sway back horse- need ideas

Pics added sway back horse- need ideas