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Found a nice gelding to replace my 28 year old QH that I retired a year and a half ago and we recently put down due to cancer. He was the horse of a lifetime and I spent the last 18 months looking for a worthy replacement.

"Nifty", the new horse, is a nice 15h gelding, plain black, coming 7 year old. Hancock all over his top end as far back as you can see and some Doc Bar and Leo on the bottom. He's gentle, dead calm, sweet natured, very, very smooth and supposedly worked some cattle in Oklahoma. He may not have been very good at it though, or I suspect he'd still be there. We just trail ride and camp anymore though, so he's plenty of horse. And he may just be the smartest horse I've ever known...I'm thinking I might let him do our taxes this year...

He's built nice and has some of the most muscular loins I've ever seen on a horse. Which brings me to my problem - he's got a pretty round back and not very pronounded withers. Every other horse I've ever owned - 7 or 8 - has had pretty tall withers. My Circle Y trail saddle fit every one of them fine, but it wants to slip around on Nifty. I can recall an ancient roping saddle that I had about 25 years ago that would probably fit him pretty good. The Circle Y is supposed to be full QH bars. Anybody else have this problem and how did you fix it?


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Britching and breast collar.

Most folks have trouble like this when trying to fit a mule to a saddle even if the saddle has mule bars.It is something that mule riders are faced with all the time. ALthough it is usually no withers and a flat back from front to rear.

Also has he been over fed. Kind'a sounds like it, but can't say as there are no photos. I like to be able to feel a few ribs,but not see them pronounced.

How much space is there between his withers and the gullet? Should be about two fingers width. Is the center of the skirting on the back of the saddle riding on his spine?

Put the saddle on him with no pad, but put a piece of twine down the center of his back before doing so. Get on and have someone try to pull the twine out the back.If they can't that means the saddle is setting on his spine and not the rib cage and the bars are too flat.

If it is perched up there way high,the bars will be digging in at the bottom and the saddle is has too much angle on the bars.

It's not uncommon to have to shop for a saddle with a new horse


If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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Just to expand on saddlesore's question on excessive weight. It is easy to mistake an overweight horse for extreme muscling along the spine. What is the horse's condition?

Are the withers slightly higher than the croup when the horse is squared up?


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I have the same problem to a degree. Not quite muttoned withered, but definitely did not have a good prominent wither. I needed a new saddle anyway so did a wither tracing for the saddlemaker. Ended up with a wade style saddle with Arizona bars. When using this saddle on the roundback horse, I use a 3/8" wool felt pad and a single layer navajo style blanket. for all other horses, I use a thicker pad. It seems to work well on all horses I have ridden with this saddle. BUT, like SS said you should see if the bars are too flat or too steep for this horse before. I had never heard of his way of checking before, but that is what I like about these threads. Learn a lot of new things.


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"built nice" and no withers, is an oxymoron......

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He's definitely not overweight - he'd been in heavy training when I got him. In fact he looks like he could gain some and look prettty good. He's got nice definition everywhere, even with his winter fuzz. There's just a lot of muscle up there. I think it's something that shows up in Hancock horses with regularity. I'll check more closely tonight, but I believe there's at least two fingers over the withers.

I can get on him and the saddle slips a few inches. I can center it again and ride him but you can feel it slipping around a little. I'm using a Twenty X Roper II pad. It's wool felt and has air ride material on top. It's actually probably one of the best pads for this kind of situation.

I'm going to say that he's slightly higher in the croup than the withers.

I'll do the twine thing - that sounds like a good method. I kind of suspect the saddle...hate to have to buy a new one. I do have a breastplate and can try that too.

Thanks for the suggestions, guys!

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If you're only trail riding I'd just try one good wool blanket -- or two wool blankets if they are thin -- and a breast collar and check for dry spots on his hair after a day's riding. Some round-backed horses are just an annoyance for the rider but they get along fine. Post photos of him if its convenient.

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Years ago I had an Arab x QH mare that had low withers. The saddle wouldn't roll, but coming down steep hills I couldn't keep it back. She needed britchin for any mountain work.


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Problem with a little slipping around is that on long or rough couintry rides, you can get cinch galls pretty easily. A lot of folks try to fix the problem by just tightening the cincha more and then the saddle slips around, the cincha follows and you get a gall.

Kudos for trying to fix the problem.

There is also the method of covering the entire back with talc and then sitting the saddle on and see where it is hitting by the impressionon the talc.I have never had much luck with that,but some cliams it works.

I have never subscribed to the thoery that you can fix ill fitting saddles with more padding


If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles

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