Grey hairs next to spine

[dalesponyrider]

I am very concerned about some grey hairs that have appeared next to and either side of Saturn's spine. They are in a line on both sides. I ride him in the Fhoenix GP which is what he was used to at Gill's. (Sandpiper.)

I had grey hairs either side of my mare's withers when I rode her in the SBS. They appeared to be due to pressure from the stirrup bars.

I thought that as the webbing structure had changed on the Fhoenix I wouldn't get this problem again. It seems like the pattern of grey hairs this time reflects the change in structure though as they appear to follow the line of the webbing front to back, whereas D's were more in round spots at the front.

On both occasions, with the SBS and this time, the grey hairs have come after the amount I ride had increased. Both times I had been riding a fair amount of miles on a regular basis.

Money is short at the moment due to some rather large vet bills for all three of my ponies so I am looking for an affordable solution! Has anyone got any suggestions? Is there any type of pad that will spread the stirrup bar pressure or do I need to save for a new saddle which realistically won't happen for a couple of years! HELP!!

[Heather]

We have endurance riders who use the Fhoenix, and never have a problem, and in all the years we have been doing both saddles, I know of only two other cases where there have been white hairs either side of the gullet/wither. It is highly unlikely to be stirrup bar pressure, as when we tested the saddles with the computerised Pliance testing system, even with a heavy rider standing in the stirrups, the pressure was less than with several makes of treed saddles we tested!

It is more likely that the saddle is not making even contact for some reason and that there is pressure therefore going on the edge of the gullet, rather than being spread over the whole back.

Can you pm me and I will give you my email address to send some photos of his back. Need one side on, whole pony, one on the left saddle region side, one on the right, and one, if possible, standing on something higher behind him and looking down on his back.

Heather

[dalesponyrider]

I will take some photos tomorrow Heather. He has put on a bit of weight since the problem started as I've not ridden recently so he is not quite the same shape as he was. He was very slim, actually slimmer than I would like. What sort of things could cause more weight to be put on the gullet edge then?

[dalesponyrider]

I took photos with my phone, not all were any good as I was stood waving it about in the air unable to see what I was actually taking! Also I had forgotten exactly what you asked for so need to take some more! Here are some to start with though.

Is there a reason why, if it is pressure on the side of the gullet, that it doesn't spread right back to where my weight will fall? I thought it was the stirrups because it is more towards the front and stops well before the back of the saddle.

[Heather]

It is to do with the gullet though, if it were the stirrup bars, it would be further down each side. I still think that the Smartpanel would be the answer. I will get Debbie to send you one to try, as it is useful feedback for us too.

Heather

[dalesponyrider]

That's incredibly good of you Heather, thank you. Could you give me any idea WHY there should be this pressure though? What exactly is causing it?

[dalesponyrider]

What exactly does the Smart Panel do? Do I put it under the saddle as it is or do I remove the panels on the saddle? Am I right in thinking it is a cork filled pad like you did for some designs of the Fhoenix?

[Claire]

not heather! but ...

it's very similar to the suber, but high wither cut

you take the panels out of your saddle and then put the smart panel under

see the threads in saddles about the smart panel

[Knight1]

Hi Linda, not heather either but thought my two cents might be some use as I've used the suber panel & now smart panel for several years with Knight.  You're right it's a cork filled pad & yes you remove the panels and use the smartpanel instead.  Seems to do a couple of positive things for Knight.  The cork will shift slightly in response to pressures & movements of the horse & rider, so the contact of the pad remains constant.  It seems to dispurse weight, pressure, movement throughout the entire pad and the entire pad stays in cotact with the pony back which has delighted Knight who gets put off by the padding / saddle having much movement.  When I used to ride endurance my round barrel shaped arab developed somewhat similar issues to what you show which seemed to be due as much to friction of the saddle / pad moving with me and against her back movement as to pressure.  What I see with Knight is that the pad itself absorbs the movement of the saddle and so stays still on the back with pressures equalized.  It's sure worth a try for Saturn. 

[dalesponyrider]

Thanks for that Nancy. It's encouraging to hear other people have had good experiences with these pads. I am still puzzled as to how the problem is being caused and hopeful that it can be sorted. I really would like to understand what is going on a bit more. I don't want to give up on the Fhoenix as it is so comfortable! I've raved about these saddles to everyone since I first bought the SBS. D was just a peculiar shape but Saturn is a bit more normal so wasn't anticipating problems. I can't afford a new saddle at the moment and would really like to keep my Fhoenix for Penley, the yearling when he is backed and I wanted to buy a Vogue for Saturn! But that is in years to come. It will be interesting to see what difference the Smart Panel makes.

[pinknumnah]

Hi Linda, I hope you get this resolved. I saw a thread on another forum earlier in the year where a horse had marks near its spine and under the stirrups.

I will try to find the link

[pinknumnah]

ETA

The marks here ae more pronouced under the stirrups but either side of the spine is very similar to your boy.

http://www.trotonline.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?11626-Always-follow-your-gut-instinct-A-word-of-warning.&highlight=fhoenix

[dalesponyrider]

Thank you for the link Pinknumnah. Thank God Saturn's patches are not as bad as that!

Hopefully the Smart panel will help. I'll have to see.

A really silly question maybe, but won't there be creases in the leather that the panels are tucked inside if I take the panels out? Won't the creases cause pressure or does the cork absorb it all? Is there any way the smart panel attaches to the saddle or does it just balance on top?

[dalesponyrider]

I haven't received the Smart Panel. I'm presuming you have my postal address as I am a member or perhaps I am mistaken? Hoping it hasn't been lost in the post.

I'd still like to understand what is causing the uneven contact on the edge of the gullet Heather. What sort of things are likely to cause this?

[dalesponyrider]

Here are some photos of just a few hairs I have now noticed further down. All these hairs are coming out quite quickly, if I brush my hand over them they fall out. Does that mean that the damage is not too serious? Or am I kidding myself?