Saddle bridging/pinching?
I’ve got the saddle fitter coming out on Monday, but over the last 10 days or so my pony has turned into the tensest, spookiest thing, and although he can get a little bit fresh sometimes, especially if the weather changes or the temp drops, this last week he’s been like sitting on an unexploded bomb at times - but ONLY under saddle. He’s been happy and willing to lunge, do groundwork & when being groomed, it’s just under saddle that he will suddenly become and then stay very tense and reactive.
He has gained some muscle recently, and also a fair bit of weight over the last 2 weeks as he’s been put into a new field with good grass, and I believe this is maybe causing poor saddle fit and this could be what’s causing him to act so unlike himself when ridden. I’ve attached photos of his Equitex pad and his back (sorry for the poor lighting) after a warm & fairly active 2hr trail ride about 10 days ago - I swapped him to a plain cotton pad a couple of days later because I believed the Equitex was making the saddle too tight (though this tense/spooky behaviour has been happening in the cotton pad & Equitex over the last week).
The reason I don’t think it’s just high sugar/low magnesium in the grass or the UK weather changes making him tense is because he’s still been himself on the ground. He saw the physio 4 weeks ago and is up to date with the dentist, so all is good there, but I would love if someone with a more expert eye could take a look at these photos and see if they think the saddle is bridging/pinching? The saddle also seems less stable at the back, lifting slightly and moving to the side without a rider, when the horse flexes his spine to the side, so clearly something isn’t right.
Again, the fitter is coming on Monday, so any issues should be sorted quickly! 🤞🙂