Why does my horses saddle slip almost all the way off when i mountif his girth is tight?

Question

I tighten my horses girth all they way but everytime i try to get on him the saddle slips to the side almost on his belly. Because of this i have to either get a leg up or find something to stand on the get on him. Big problem please help.

Answer 1

I notice that you have also posted a question in regards to helping your horse loose weight. My guess is that your horse has a 'barrel belly', is rather round without well defined withers. Most horses who are quite cobby can have this problem. They need a wide saddle to fit, yet there is little to keep the saddle in place when weight is directed in one stirrup, as in mounting.
There are products on the market that will help keep your saddle from slipping but I would ask a saddler to check it out before spending money on saddlepads etc.

While it is important to know how to mount from the ground, and be agile enough to do so, I always mount my horses from a mounting block. It saves damage to the saddle (mounting consistently from one side will eventually twist the tree of the saddle), and it protects my horses backs. Remember, when you mount, you are thrusting your entire weight up onto the horse’s spine, and you’re doing it by pulling quite hard against his spine and all the muscles running under the girth. The more easily you can accomplish mounting, the better for both of you in the long run. There is no shame in looking out for your horse by using assistance or a mounting block...

Answer 2

To rule out the horse as the problem... Tack up like normal. Walk him for a minute, and tighten again. Walk him, tighten. Put your hand in the stirrup and push down, to see if weight will cause it to slip.

If it still does, it's the tack, not the horse.

With the saddle on, but not tighten all the way, push on the pommel (the front). If the back end raises up easily, it's a bad fit. It shouldn't rise more than 1 or 2 inches.

Get on a stool and look under the back of the saddle. You should be able to see clear through to the shoulder. If not, bad fit.

Tack your horse and put him on a lunge line until he breaks a sweat. Remove the tack and look for the saddle marks. Unusual marks means a bad fit. You should see even saddle contact down either side of the topline. Look for pinches on the girth line as well, as these can cause discomfort.

If all of this checks out and you've ruled out saddle fit as the problem, then get a no-slip saddle pad.

If it's still a problem, then it's the type of saddle. I had an Endurance saddle that techniquely fit my Arab mare. But it slipped regardless of the padding. But on my TB cross Gelding, it fit just as well but never slipped because of his high whithers.

You could also be placing the saddle too far back. When you tack up, place the pad on the neck, and slide down. Then repeat this with the saddle until it settles. This keeps the hair going in the correct direction as well.

The girth should lay no more than 3 inches behind the shoulder. If it's more than that, your saddle is not on the back correctly.

After all this, if it's still a problem, then your horse is barrel shaped. As in round all the way around. May as well put your saddle on a big drum. It will be difficult to properly saddle fit a horse of this shape.

Answer 3

Your horse most likely does not have good definition around the withers and your saddle will slip sideways.
Tighten up your girth strap and hten walk the horse around some and re-tighten it up. Many horses tighten up the chest and stomach muscles when you do up the girth so it is not so tight on them. Just a little walking will loosen up the muscles and you may tighten it up tighter.
Then use a mounting block to get up. Using a block to mount from is better on the horses back and you do not pull as much on them or the saddle to mount.

Answer 4

a horse breathes out when you tighten the girth and slow relaxes with exercise. walk him around a bit once you've tightened the girth then try again. alternatively get a gel pad for under the saddle to stop it slipping.

Answer 5

Sounds like your horse may be sucking air while you are saddling up. You may notice some people place a knee in the side of their horse while tightening the girth.This is to make the horse exhale.

Answer 6

I just bought a new saddle for my horse. when walking or cantering... the saddle stays quite well, but when my horse RUNS OUTRIGHT... my saddle slips to the left and I am forced to bail off. I have not been badly hurt yet from this, but is there something I can do to stop the slipping? different saddle pad or something?

Answer 7

he is puffing out when you tighten the girth. its can be fixed but not prevented. put his saddle on first before the bridle and then go back to the saddle and tighten it up very quickly and as tight as you can get it before mounting. this is what i had to do with my horse and i find that it works. let me know if it works for ya. good luck!!

Answer 8

If you have the girth on the last hole maybe you should consider andding an extra hole. If it keeps slipping it may be the wrong saddle for your horse. your horse may have an different shape and certain saddles may slip. hope i helped. Good luck bye.

Answer 9

a couple of things could be happening here. your saddle might not fit properly. your horse could be sucking wind and that will make the cinch loose. if you take a while to mount up the saddle will do this, when you mount up dont mess around get your foot in the stirrup grab a hold of the horn and jump up quick. also the last thing and the one people are kind of touchy abbout is your weight. if you weigh more than about150 ibs then your probably going to have this problem.

Answer 10

The reason your girth would slip is bcause it is not tight enough. Try tightening it all the way, then run her aroound in a circle a couple of times, then tighten again when her breathing is up, so she can't hold her breath.