You Have Said That A Poorly Fitting Saddle Can Cause Foreleg Lameness, Headaches, And Bridle-Lameness. How Is That Possible?
First we start with the saddle. Perhaps it pinches his withers or the opposite: it is too wide and has collapsed onto his backbone. Either way, the horse’s back will become sore, and he will hollow his back and lift his head and neck to avoid the pressure of the saddle. A horse that hollows his back CANNOT COLLECT, thus the engagement of the hindquarters is very minimal. If a horse cannot round his back to bring his hindquarters underneath himself to collect, the forelegs will be forced forward, producing short, jarring steps. Abnormal jarring of the forelegs has proven to lead to the formation of sidebone, navicular disease, collapsed heels, and increased incidents of pulled suspensory ligaments and bowed tendons. To top it all off, perhaps the rider is determined to have this horse go deep and round or collected no matter what (the horse resists either of these directives because he cannot function with the pain of the saddle on his back, and must lift his head to escape this pain),
