08/10/2026
🐴 The Saddle Room – Episode 5
A Horse Never Lies... But Are We Listening?
Today, we're changing gears ever so slightly.
We recently had a mare come in for an assessment and saddle fitting.
Her owner felt she needed about 30 days of training to straighten her out.
And honestly, that can happen.
Horses can develop bad habits.
They can become sour.
They can become resistant.
And sometimes, things simply change over time.
Owners can unintentionally change the way they ride or handle their horses, and sometimes the horse's behaviour changes right along with it.
But something about this particular situation didn't add up.
You see, we knew this mare.
We raised her.
We trained her.
We showed her.
And we sold her when she was eight years old.
She's actually one of those horses we've always regretted selling.
So when her owner explained what she was seeing, Gary suggested something simple:
"Bring her over. Let's assess her before we decide she needs 30 days of training."
And what was the very first thing Gary did?
He checked the horse.
Not the saddle.
Not the rider.
The horse.
Because horses don't just change their attitude for no reason.
They're usually trying to tell us something.
We just have to be willing to listen.
While checking her over, Gary noticed something unusual.
Her upper left shoulder and wither area was warm to the touch and swollen.
When he compared it to the other side, the difference was obvious—you could both see and feel it.
Interestingly, she was moving sound on the lunge line.
There was no obvious lameness.
This was the only physical sign that something wasn't right.
So Gary asked the owner to tack her up.
We always ask the owner to do this because we want to see how they naturally place the saddle.
When Gary checked the saddle, he immediately noticed a problem.
It was pinching her.
And when she was lunged with the saddle on?
The mare started pinning her ears.
That wasn't her.
This was a horse we knew.
This wasn't a "sour" horse.
This wasn't a horse that suddenly needed an attitude adjustment.
This was a horse trying to tell us something.
So Gary asked the owner to bring out her other saddle—the one she had ridden in previously.
She tacked her up.
Gary checked the fit.
And the difference was significant.
The second saddle fit her much better.
And suddenly...
The sour expression disappeared.
The ear pinning stopped.
The mare was happier.
So what happened?
The first saddle was actually a popular, well-made barrel saddle.
There was nothing inherently wrong with the quality of the saddle.
The owner simply preferred the tighter feel of that saddle for herself.
But here's the problem:
A saddle can be well made and still not fit your horse.
The verdict?
Ride in the older saddle.
And if you prefer the feel of a barrel saddle, then it's time to find one that works for both you and your horse—or talk to the saddle maker about building one specifically for her.
This mare didn't need 30 days to "straighten her out."
She needed someone to listen.
Sometimes the answer isn't more training.
Sometimes it's not a change in attitude.
Sometimes...
It's the saddle.
And once again...
A Horse Never Lies.
The question is:
Are we listening? ❤️🐴