ArizonaRealCountry.com 13 May 2018 HORSE PROPERTY REDUCED $60,000! OWNERS SAY SELL! 13 ACRES surrounded by state land with horse set up and large turn out/potential arena. $625,000 MLS 5685202 PENDING LAND FOR SALE 3 ACRES with runway privelages; shared well. Bring your horses and airplane! $99,500 MLS 5602101 8 ACRES flat and usable; private well + 4 shares in a shared well. $160,000 (agent/owner) MLS 5657012 47 ACRES private, secluded and easy access. $198,500 MLS 5382128 16 ACRES in Congress with water & power. $300,000 MLS 5685254 COMING SOON... 8 pristine acres in the heart of Wickenburg. HORSES WELCOME! FOR MORE DETAILS CALL MAUREEN SERRANO 623-521-2355 Saddle Up Realty and Property Management There are a variety of reasons and combinations of things that can make your horse’s back sore. Because our horses can’t tell us when they are sore or what is making them sore, all we can do is speculate or make an educated guess. Some problems could be more obvious than others, and after seeing some, it may help to educate us to identify a problem in an earlier stage later on with another horse. Some different things to consider as individuals or in combination would be the load or the rider, the saddle and how it fits, the pads or blankets and the horses condition or shape. Some people can ride a horse on a long, hot, hard day and maintain a good back, while another rider may take the same horse with the same gear and have problems. In a situation like this with the person being the only difference, we could assume the problem is the way that person rides. For example, some put more weight in the seat or may sit without much rhythm with the horse. I have found this type of rider can experience more problems than someone that rides lighter in the seat with more weight in the stirrups and on their thighs. The more the rider is in time with the horse’s rhythm, the less drag or dead weight the horse experiences. This will cause less consistent pressure in a given spot on the horse’s back. Some people may have a reason to ride one side heavier than the other. The saddle should be balanced from left to right, and if the rider isn’t, this could create a problem. The amount of weight the horse is carrying can be a factor. When the person starts getting up into the two-fifty-plus pounds they may experience more problems than someone closer to one-fifty. This is where the rhythm plays a big role. Someone weighing one-seventy that rides heavy can cause more damage than a rider that weighs two-forty and rides light. We also need to consider the horse’s condition. If a horse is lean, a saddle may fit fine, but a saddle on the same horse weighing a hundred-fifty pounds heavier with a crease down his back may cause an ill fit, not to mention softer muscles and more heat contributing to the problem. The shape of the withers in relation to the angle of the bars and the width of the bars on the saddle can be one of the biggest factors. If the horse doesn’t fit the saddle we can do only so much with padding, then we may consider the condition of the horse or the shape of its back. If the same equipment didn’t sore him at one time but then started causing problems later, look at the differences in the horse. Some saddles may work fine and then start to sore a horse. If the bars get warped or broken so the fit changes, this can obviously affect the soundness of their backs. Thinner high-withered horses generally have trouble on top or on the sides of the withers and they are usually easy to help with cutout pads. Rounder-backed horses can be harder to help when they get fat. The saddle can roll easier so the cinches need to be tighter, which prevents movement and causes more pressure in the same spot. The horse’s back should be reasonably clean. If they are dirty or have longer hair, this can contribute to problems. Clean blankets will also help maintain a good back. Some materials hold dirt more than others, some sweat a horse more than others, some sweat without creating heat and some create heat and may or may not sweat. Vinyl or neoprene sweat without overheating. The old car seats made of vinyl would sweat you without burning you. Some pads are made with a rubber lining and these can create heat that will irritate a horse’s back. Basically, most of the contributing factors can be narrowed down to two issues: pressure and heat. Pressure in a smaller area can bruise, rub hair and hide off, and decrease blood flow, which can decrease sweating and cause dry spots and callous the hide. Warmer weather is going to contribute to more problems than cooler weather. Regardless of all the odds that may work against us, there is one thing that will always help to minimize our problem. If the rider will get off every hour or so depending on the factors previously mentioned and loosen the cinches and raise the saddle up off the horse’s back for a few minutes or just unsaddle to allow some circulation to the pressure points and some cool air if their back is hot, this will do as much or more than anything and it doesn’t take much time or effort. By Buddy Uldrikson Buddy Uldrikson Training at Rancho Rio Bonita: buddyuldriksonhorsemanship.com Sore Back?