Equine Massage Answers

Tuesday, 16 March 2010 11:55 | Written by The Horse Man | | Print | E-mail

Equine Massage Answers

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Our first Question is from Kelly Harrington of K Bar R Farrier Service

Dear Karen Chinnes,

Does the Cair panel system have the same problem that they have with the treeless western or flex tree western??? Hideous products. Damages a lot of good horses. Sorry to bug you, but curious as we are farriers....information is gold for us. Thanks for your time!

Kelly Harrington

Karen Chinnes Answer

Kelly,

Well, it depends on the horse. Treeless saddles generally are NOT recommended for high withered horses or horses with wither pockets. Also, horses with a visible spine (visible spine above the the back muscles) are not recommended for a treeless saddle. The problem is that there is no channel for the spine and the rider is actually riding on the horse's spine. Therefore, a horse with a visible spine, needs a pad with a "gullet" (like a Mattes correction pad). Quarter horses, Morgans or a horse that can collect rain down the center of it's back is fine for a treeless saddle without a special pad, because the back muscles are above the spine. I would suspect that most western riders (and English, too) neglect to use the correct pad with a treeless saddle.

The concept of flexible bars is actually a good thing. The problem is that often the bars are too long to conform to the shape of the horse's back, so they leave a gap in the center of the saddle, thereby creating pressure points at the top of the shoulder and at the croup. It's called bridging.

So, flexible bars are fine as long as they are the correct length, made of a good flexible material, and not too flat (rocker) for the horse. Another issue is that the bars are generally attached at the 4 corners of the tree, which can also create pressure points. This is where a saddle fitter can help to determine if the bars are the correct bars for your horse.

Joyce Harman DVM, has two saddle fit books printed for english and western riders. They are excellent. Also, if trees are a concern, check out this site: http://www.steelesaddletreellc.com/index1a.html. Hope this helps.

Karen Chinnes, CSF, CMMT

Perfect Horses