He gets his broad shoulders from me...

My beautiful saddle, the one that was lovingly given to me by my family, does not fit Nox.  I've suspected that the tree was too narrow, but since I haven't been riding, I didn't worry about it.  After the sports therapist fixed Nox's back and legs, I knew I couldn't put my medium tree saddle on him anymore.  I've been riding in one of the lesson saddles that has a wider tree.  It still didn't sit quite right on him and I could feel that it was too tight on his shoulders.

A little lesson about saddle sizes.  The "tree" is the solid base and frame of the saddle.  It distributes the rider's weight and the pressure of the saddle evenly across the horse's back - if it is the correct size for the horse.  A tree that is too narrow or too wide can cause soreness and permanent damage, which then leads to a horse that doesn't like to be ridden.  It would be like making a person run around every day in shoes that are too small or too big.  You'd get a little sore and sour, too.  Saddles also come in seat sizes for the rider's butt.  Most adults fall somewhere between a 16 1/2" to 18" size saddle.

Nox is a big horse.  I knew that, but I didn't realize how very, very big he is in the shoulder.  Most Thoroughbreds are sleek and fairly narrow in build.  Even OTTB (off track Thoroughbred) racehorses usually aren't as bulky as Nox is.  When I told the tack shops I was saddle shopping for an OTTB, they pointed me to the medium tree saddles.  I explained that he was very muscular and big boned.  They pointed me to wide trees, skeptically.  I have driven to Syracuse and beyond three times, tried out four different saddles, and returned them all.  None of them were big enough.  It turns out that Nox is so big in the shoulder that he requires a saddle that is sized for draft horses.  Yesterday I drove an hour and half to a tack shop that carries extra wide saddles, and I brought a tracing of Nox's wither and shoulder.  The sweet and knowledgeable owner showed me two saddles that might be wide enough.  One was used, in my price range, and very wide.  The other was new, more expensive, and even wider.  I took a gamble and selected the used saddle to take home and try out.

It pinches his shoulders.  It's too narrow.

So, I'm going back on Monday to pick up the extra, extra wide, all purpose English saddle for my freakish mutant of a Thoroughbred.  If this one doesn't fit, I guess I'm riding bareback from now on! 

Does this saddle make my butt look big?
(Saddle #4)

A pretty rainbow appeared after a thunderstorm rolled through yesterday.