Tissue Damage & Saddle Fit:

Physiology & Effects

How a Poorly Fit Saddle Can “Hurt” a Horse
Lee Ann Swenson, MS, BSc, CEMMT

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Tissue Damage & Saddle Fit
 Intro: Poor Saddle Fit Poor Performance
 Types of Saddle Pressure
 Types of Tissue Damage Injury
1. Discomfort & Pain
2. Muscle Damage & Injury
 Muscle Soreness
 Bruising & Inflammation
 Muscle Atrophy
 Muscle Tears & Scarring
3. Superficial Skin Damage & Superficial Effects

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Poor Saddle Fit  Poor Performance
One of the most common sources of pain in horses is an ill-
fitting saddle and/or imbalanced rider

 Horses sore from saddles:

 Look and act anxious & unhappy when being saddled
 Wriggle, bite, or kick when saddle is placed on their back
 Work with a hollow, stiff back
 Disengaged behind
 Stumbling in front, difficulty in traveling down hills
 Never walk calm, want to speed up

 So common, this situation is often considered “normal”,

rather than preventable

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Types of Saddle Pressure
 Arch of the saddle, or thick seams of leather under the
arch rubbing the top of the withers
 Profile of the arch catching on the side of the withers as
the horse bends his neck
 Compression of the dorsal spinous processes
 Asymmetry in the weight-bearing panels
 Broken tree, twisted tree, other protuberances
 Inching girth, girth buckles
 Stirrups pressing into horse’s side

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Types of Tissue Damage & Injury
1. Discomfort & Pain
 Attitude changes, light swelling
2. Muscle Damage & Injury
 Muscle Soreness
 Bruising & Inflammation, Capillary Damage
 Muscle Atrophy
 Muscle Tears & Scarring
3. Superficial & Skin Damage & Effects
 Hair Loss, Rashes & Inflammation, White Hairs

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1. Discomfort & Pain
Basic Physiology: Pain Response

Uneven Saddle Pressure


Loss of Blood Supply to Muscles (Ischemia)

Damage to Mechanical Subcutaneous Receptors

Compression of Motor Nerves

Local Paralysis

PAIN
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 Saddle-Induced Pain

1. Pressure from Saddle

2. Nocioceptors send an impulse
via the Somatic Sensory
Nerves to the Dorsal Horn
3. Dorsal Horn processes signal:
4 Sends a signal to a
Motor Nerve which causes
muscle to move away
from the muscle
4 Sends neurotransmitters
to the brain, which
registers an unpleasant
sensation
5. Horse may decide to bite
or kick out!

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2. Muscle Damage & Injury
Basic Muscle Physiology Review
• Muscle
• Muscle Fiber (Muscle Cells)
• Myofibrils
•Sarcomeres (actin & myosin)

Microanatomy
& Physiology

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Mechanisms:
Saddle-Induced Muscle Soreness
 Direct effects of saddle pressure on muscle fibers

 Saddle may physically restrict horse’s normal movement

 Pain from saddle pressure may cause horse to alter his

normal movement
 Use different muscles
 Not use appropriate muscles
 Abnormal movement may cause muscle damage: stress,
tears, strains

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Common Sites of
Saddle-Induced Muscle Soreness

 Trapezius
 Longissimus Dorsi
 Rhomboids
 Thoracic Sling

Ian Bidstrup, BVetSc, MChiroSc, CertVetAcup, MACVSc

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Bruising & Inflammation

Bruising
 The most common injury a muscle can have is "Bruising"
 generally noticed by signs of discomfort or the resulting
inflammation causes a bump/heat to appear

Bruising: superficial discoloration due to hemorrhage into the tissues

from ruptured blood vessles beneath the skin surface

Inflammation: localized protective response elicited by injury or

destruction of tissues
• Heat, redness, swelling, pain, loss of function

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Edema

 Edema: abnormal accumulation of fluid in the cavities or

intercellular spaces

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Edema at Tree Point

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Muscle Atrophy
 Wasting or loss of muscle tissue resulting from nerve
damage, lack of use, or disease
 Even minor atrophy results in some loss of mobility and
power

In a poorly fitting saddle:

• a horse may not flex back muscles, to avoid direct
saddle pressure on the muscle
• A horse may not move symmetrically or may not
engage from the hindquarters
 Some muscles may not receive regular work or may enter
into “disuse”

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Common Sites of Saddle-Induced
Atrophy

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Muscle Atrophy: Physiology
Disuse: Type II Muscle Fiber Atrophy
 Type II muscle fibers are small
• Early changes
 Atrophy in type IIB fibers
 Narrow elongated fibers
• Then small fibers become
angular
 Type I muscle fibers are larger (N.B. at pH 9.4 Type II fibers stain dark,
than type II Type I stain lighter)

Remember:
Type II - walk to trot transitions, canter,
gallop (IIA aerobic, IIB anaerobic)
Type I - fibers are aerobic (walk, long low
intensity exercise)
 Power is reduced in atrophy
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Muscle Atrophy

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Muscle Atrophy

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Muscle Tears & Scarring

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Muscle Tears & Scarring

 Muscle Fiber Tear: Is a result of a complete rupture of

the muscle fibers creating a muscle spasm, inflammation
and swelling will appear at the site.
Generally these tears are minor-however potentially
serious damage can result. We instinctively know that
once a fiber be it a muscle or corresponding soft tissue
has been compromised the result will be a scar. Which is
made up of a denser material to ensure the integrity of
the tissue remains intake, generally arranging in a
crisscross pattern, however it can reduce the tensile
strength, flexibility or elasticity of the fiber.

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3. Superficial & Skin Damage & Effects

Saddle Pressure Points: Impact Normal Skin Function

 May mechanically abrade the epidermal surface
(rubbing, scraping)
 May reduce circulation and impact dermal structures

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Local Anhidrosis – Absence of Sweating
 Uneven contact may result in
airflow drying the hair in some
spots
 Pressure points may reduce
circulation and sweat to sweat
glands
 Pressure may close off sweat
gland opening
 Pressure may injure sweat
glands, which may take up to 6
months to regain function
 Long-term / severe issue may
result in permanent damage

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Friction Rubs & Rashes

 Saddle friction or pressure

may cause a local
inflammatory response or
edema in the epidermal and/or
dermal layer

 Pressure or friction may drive

foreign substances (dirt) down
into sebaceous glands or
sweat glands, leading to
inflammation or even infection

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White Hairs

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Conclusion

 Muscle Microanatomy & Physiology

 Dynamics of Work
 Specific Muscle Fibers & Energy
Substrates
Together IMPACT  Exercise &
Its Effects on Muscle

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