February 5, 2020

Why is Connor NQR: Part 2, Diagnosis

Last week, we had our sporthorse vet out (who is not local, as opposed to our emergency vet, who is local).  I had asked for a lameness exam, chiro and a teeth float, even though he's still never taken a lame step in his life.  First I told her what had been going on:

Connor telling me he wants to be a Western Pleasure horse in December, PC: Austen

- Saddle fitting festival since October
- Riding mostly in the flapless since the beginning of November, in an extended trial to make sure everything was good before I buy
- Started to notice NQR in late November, abrupt change. Change occurred right after we REALLY started to push Second Level work with GP trainer
- Goes better on a loose rein than with contact
- Bit or bitless doesn't make a difference
- Even when he's going well with rein contact, which still happens sometimes, his back just never really loosens up and I don't have the forward button
- Never taken a lame step, but the left hind has always tried to get out of work if possible


We HAVE had SOME good rides since the NQR started. Flapless here

She started by running her hands all over him, and found the culprit almost immediately: back pain, confirmed.  Before I even told her what kind of saddle it was, she found two areas of soreness: one along the spine under the rider's seat, and one at the very back of his saddle patch:

Saddle patch, for reference.  I've noticed some ruffled hair there just in the last few rides, so this didn't come as a complete surprise to me. PC: Austen

When she asked to see the saddle on him, two points on the saddle lined up with the areas of soreness: the back edge of the panel seemed to be digging into his loin, and the top inside edge of the panel in the channel area was digging diagonally into his spine.  She felt like the flapless would fit great on a full-sized horse, but even though Connor's back is relatively long, the uniquely long panels are poking him in a place they wouldn't poke a full-sized horse.

My own thoughts: it's possible that the saddle fit his conformation in November aside from the panel length, but as the back edge got more and more sore, he lost muscling in his back, and then the area of soreness under the rider's seat developed as a secondary issue due to the muscles there shrinking.

(The teeth and chiro were interesting in their own right, but not ultimately related to the NQR, and I'll cover them in a different post.)

TEETH DAYYYYYYYYY

Because I do genuinely love this saddle and we're so far into this process already, I'm giving ESS a chance to figure it out.  Via video call, their owner/founder taught me how to palpate his back and she was able to see his back muscles spasm when I hit the sore spots.  She assessed the fit of the saddle relative to the sore spots and ultimately said, "I've been fitting these saddles for 20 years and I've never been this stumped before.  He's clearly sore and it's clearly the saddle, but nothing jumps out at me as to why, and I don't know why nothing showed up on the pressure pad either."

We just finished another round of Nexium and he's back to being ears up under saddle all the time, even with the soreness, so that's good.

ESS's founder and my vet both recommended the same thing: go back to the CWD for a while, let him heal, go from there.  The vet also gave me a stretching regimen for him.  They do not want me to stop riding, because it takes active work to help his back recover from the soreness, just chucking him in a field won't help.  ESS is going to go back to the drawing board with some ideas also, and has asked me to do pressure testing on the CWD just for the sake of having a comparison on the same back.

Vet also recommended using Back on Track before I ride, and I was like "AWESOME because the sheet I got for practically free in Canada finally arrived this week!" This shade of bright navy is definitely his color

How do I feel about this?  Mildly upset that my little buddy is hurting, but also, not beating myself up over it, because this is exactly why I wanted an extended trial of this saddle.  Better to have him tell me "no" like this than to drop [mumble] thousand dollars on a saddle and then figure out he hates it.

I'm not throwing ESS the bus, the fact that he's back sore doesn't mean this is a bad saddle.  In fact, I still freaking love it and don't want to ride in anything else.  They've been nothing but honest and amazing to work with, with the founder telling me she will not take my money until my horse is going better than ever.  However, it's possible that as much as I love this saddle, the panels are just not right for Connor's particular back shape, and I'll walk away if I have to.

We'll see!

28 comments:

  1. UGH! What a bummer. But yay for a solid answer and reason and WOW to ESS customer service on all of this. I'm really impressed.

    Also, I'm curious if there's a way for the rest of us to get that sheet for "practically free"? lol I've always coveted one but haven't had the disposable income to pull the trigger!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah! They have really gone above and beyond, which is just one more reason I want to send cash their way.

      Go to the Canadian Royal? Haha. I mean, if you count my airfare and all that, this sheet was hilariously expensive but I'm going to stick to the version of the story that is "practically free".

      Delete
  2. The customer service of this company alone is enough to make me want to stay with them. I hope that you get this worked out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same, I'm glad that was your takeaway too. They've been great.

      Delete
  3. Ugh, so sorry to hear that about the saddle, but glad the company is working with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's a sucky situation but I have good help!

      Delete
  4. Aaaaaargh what a frustration than most be after thinking your saddle search was over! I'm hopeful though, sounds like ESS is working hard to make it right.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm glad it was something as "easy" as the saddle that was bothering him but also ugh it was the saddle and now you are back down the rabbit hole.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's not a soft tissue injury or something that needs intensive therapy from the vet, so all in all, it's a "good" problem, on the problems spectrum.

      Delete
  6. I'm glad that you got some answers. Short backs are hard to fit! Two of our three ponies have short backs and even some "cob-specific" panels didn't work for them. I prefer to ride in a 17 1/2" seat so that can make saddle fitting even more challenging. It's great that ESS is willing to work with you on this issue. I found your saddle-fitting posts very interesting to read. Thank you for sharing all of your findings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! He's really not short backed at all, but the ESS panels are LONG. They extend far beyond a normal saddle. So it's an unusual fit challenge!

      Delete
  7. Isn't it crazy to compare what we know 'now' of how much saddle fit effects our partners, then think back to 10 or 20 years ago when saddle fit wasn't even a 'thing'? I remember my first saddle and I bought it not because it fit me or my horse, but because it was within our measly budget. I think back and cringe, lol!

    Glad you're on the right track - Kidd was horrific to fit due to his short back - i'm sure you'll get him fixed up in no time at all!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had that same thought honestly, I'm being so neurotic about this saddle shopping process, but it wasn't that long ago that I just bought an eBay saddle for him and hoped for the best.

      Delete
  8. Oh man, that sucks. I hope you find a way to make it work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too! I honestly just wish the darn thing was wool flocked.

      Delete
  9. Oh nooooooo! I am so disappointed that this was the answer, I was starting to root for that weird little saddle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too! It's not written off quite yet, but it's not right in it's current form, that's for sure.

      Delete
  10. Sounds like they really want to work with you on the saddle, and that's wonderful! I hope they can figure out a solution. I'm glad you go to the bottom of the NQR, but what a bummer that it's the dream saddle! Ugh! Fingers crossed this can all work out, and that Connor is feeling better asap.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's really frustrating on the saddle, but I'm glad it wasn't anything else. I hope that ESS can figure it out for you.

    Also, I love your CO helmet. I bought two of those in different sizes hoping they would work, but it was too deep and covered my eyebrows almost entirely. It looks great on you though! Despite my weird fit issue, it felt comfortable sitting on my head.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's such a bummer! It's definitely a very specific fit. On mine, I can feel helmet touching my skull on the top sides of my head. Not in a way that makes me think it doesn't fit, but in a way that's like "oh, this is for a very specific head shape and you're probably SOL if you don't have that shape". Luckily more MIPS helmets are coming online soon so hopefully you can find one that works.

      Delete
    2. Definitely for a very specific head shape. I was hoping that the CO would fit well since I've owned several AYR8s over the years and they fit me really well. However, they're 1) out of budget and 2) poorly ventilated. I have a Trauma Void EQ3 that is navy blue and I like it well enough. I am wanting to get a black helmet on the off chance that I reach my goal of showing this year. So I'll likely either get another EQ3, or I may wait until the One K MIPS helmet comes out. I know one is coming eventually, but I haven't been able to find out when.

      Delete
  12. SO good to have this crop up during the trial. Saddle fitting can be such a p-i-t-a...

    ReplyDelete
  13. How unfortunate to find out that it is the saddle, but HUGE kudos to ESS for having quite possibly the best customer service I've ever heard of! I hope you guys can find a lovely flapless solution for him!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, after working with so many not great saddle fitters, they are a breath of fresh air even if we're having problems with the saddle itself.

      Delete
  14. That’s a huge bummer! Fingers crossed that his back continues to feel better. I’m working on getting saddle fit/teeth/chiro all scheduled as well since Katai is due.

    ReplyDelete