The saddle slipping to one side is usually blamed on the saddle fit, or sometimes on the rider or on the shape of the horse. This study, involving 506 sports horses, looked at how often saddle slip could be linked to hindlimb lameness. Almost half the horses were either lame (hindlimb, forelimb, or both), had a stiff and stilted canter, or were short striding all round. The saddle slipped consistently in 12% of horses. Of the horses who were lame behind, the saddle slipped on almost a quarter of them. Of the horses who were lame in front and behind, the saddle slipped on almost half. It slipped to one side in one fifth of horses with a stiff and stilted canter, and in one fifth of horses who were short striding all round. If the horse was lame in front only, the saddle slipped in only 5% of cases. 30% of the horses whose saddle slipped had no hindlimb lameness, but of these, three quarters had an abnormal gait, particularly in canter, which could be suggestive of musculoskeletal pain. The conclusion is that saddle slip and hindlimb lameness are often linked, and attention should be paid to this.
Greve L, Dyson SJ. The interrelationship of lameness, saddle slip and back shape in the general sports horse population. Equine Vet J. 2014 Nov;46(6):687-94. doi: 10.1111/evj.12222. Epub 2014 Feb 27. PMID: 24372949.
You can access the full article here.
Reasons for performing study: Saddle slip is usually blamed on saddle fit, crooked riders or horse shape, but may reflect hindlimb lameness. There are no studies of the frequency of occurrence of saddle slip and risk factors within a tested sample population of the general sports horse population.
Objectives: To quantify the frequency of saddle slip and to describe the association with lameness, thoracolumbar shape/symmetry, crooked riders and ill-fitting saddles.
Study design: Nonrandom, cross-sectional survey using convenience sampling.
Methods: Five hundred and six sports horses in normal work were assessed prospectively. Thoracolumbar shape/symmetry were measured at predetermined sites; the presence of lameness (in hand and/or ridden) and saddle slip was recorded. Descriptive statistics, univariable and multiple logistic regression were performed to assess the relationship between horse-saddle-rider factors and saddle slip.
Results: The frequency of lameness, quadrilaterally reduced cranial phase of the stride or stiff, stilted canter was 45.7%, saddle slip 12.3%, left-right thoracolumbar shape asymmetries ≥ coefficient of variance of 8% (1.2 cm) 0.6%; and 103 of 276 riders (37.3%) sat crookedly. The saddle consistently slipped to one side in 24.4% of horses with hindlimb lameness alone, 45.5% of horses with concurrent hindlimb and forelimb lameness, compared with 5.4% with forelimb lameness, 17.4% with stiff, stilted canter, 20% with quadrilaterally reduced cranial phase of stride and 5.5% nonlame horses. Nineteen horses (30.6%) with saddle slip had no detectable hindlimb lameness; however, 14 had a gait abnormality, particularly in canter. Multivariable analysis revealed that saddle slip was significantly associated with hindlimb lameness and gait abnormalities (odds ratio OR = 52.62, 95% confidence interval CI 17.3-159.7), a saddle fitted with even contact and uniform flocking (OR = 15.49, 95% CI 1.9-125.5), riders sitting crookedly (OR = 6.32, 95% CI 2.9-13.7), a well-balanced saddle (OR = 3.05, 95% 1.4-6.9) and large back shape ratio at T18 (OR = 1.2, 95% 1.1-1.3).
Conclusions: Many horses with hindlimb and/or forelimb lameness go unrecognised. Saddle slip may be a sign of hindlimb lameness. Education of the equestrian population to identify lameness and saddle slip is required.
Dr Sue Dyson and I are in the process of writing a book for horse owners and riders on how to understand and use the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram with your own horse. The book will be published by J A Allen, and available sometime In 2023. Sign up to my newsletter at www.thehorsephysio.co.uk for updates.
In the meantime, you can learn more about the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram through listening to Dr Sue Dyson explaining here it on the Equine Veterinary Education, where you can also listen to her discussing many of the other studies that she has been involved in. You can also take an online course with Equitopia.
© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio 2021
Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity and compassion
