# how can i build up hollow withers?!



## beetlejuice (21 July 2010)

my horse has quite a high wither and a bit of a hollow wither.

How can i build up this muscle?? i do hillwork, lunging, schooling, trotting poles. 

I can only feed him non heating food as he blows his mind! 

cant really strap the area because its not a "meaty" area.

anyone any ideas??

Thank you


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## teddyt (21 July 2010)

Where does the horse carry his head? Does your saddle fit?

If the horse carries his head high or the saddle isnt perfect the muscles will never develop. Feeding everything from the ground will help and i would also advise having someone watch you school if you dont already. The rider, particularly their balance and hands, can affect how the horse goes and you may be part of the problem?


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## beetlejuice (21 July 2010)

horse works long and low and into the contact and collects when required. 
saddle has been fitted recently although ive noticed that it has dropped slightly at the front so saddler is coming out again to re-flock, however, he is not sore there as i am extremely concious about it and have the physio out regularly. 
he has a hay bar and eats from the ground also goes out in the field. 
i have weekly lessons and always have someone watching me from the ground. the horse is very sensitive, so i know my balance pretty much has to be perfect.
he is five so i dont know whether it will develop with age or just resign myself to the fact that it will probably stay like that!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (21 July 2010)

Personally I'd be inclined to get an equine physio out to look at the situation in the first instance; and then following on from that to get a saddle fitter out.


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## beetlejuice (21 July 2010)

physio came last week, she didnt seem to think it was a major problem and said it needs to build up but didnt really say how!


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## Naggy (21 July 2010)

Be aware that some Saddlers will fit to any muscle atrophy, which will mean that the horse won't be able to redevelop the muscle as the saddle won't allow for it - this may be your problem although it is very hard to know for sure without seeing the horse. I would highly recommend a Fhoenix Softree Saddle for a horse with muscle atrophy as I have seen a good number of horses that have redeveloped their muscles again as they allow the shoulder to move and the points of the tree don't dig in - it will also accommodate the change in shape you always get (particularly with a youngster who may still be growing).

ETA - Sorry pressed the reply button too early! 

I would certainly bear in mind that the way the saddle is fitted must leave room for the muscles to develop, so sometimes that may mean fitting a saddle a little wider and using shims for example to change over time and hopefully take them out - your saddler must know what they are doing with this though or you may run into trouble with the balance of the saddle.

Sorry - a bit hurried but I hope that made some sense


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## Christmas Crumpet (21 July 2010)

My TB has hollow withers when hunting fit. At the moment he has no hollows at all because he is very fat. Some horses just don't keep muscle or fat there. A very good example my saddler gave me is of King Solomon who is now doing dressage. He used to have hollow withers and it is only now that he is doing dressage all the time that his have filled in. Unless you want to do dressage constantly they may never fill in. Its just the way it is!!


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## MissMincePie&Brandy (21 July 2010)

Make sure your saddle is fitting him perfectly. Often people have ill fitting saddles and stuff the gap with a front riser and that will often create uneven pressure points and the muscle atrophy will continue because the blood supply is restricted.  Daily massaging can help increase the blood supply, and I do this on my TB here.

Work him long and low. Lots of slow hill work is good, and doing 20 mins pessoa work once or twice a week will help greatly too.


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## Herpesas (21 July 2010)

My horse has had the same problem.

One Master saddler came out and fitted the saddle to him (slightly asymmetrically) and the problem never got any better and he never levelled up, so ....

Went to different saddler, they fitted him one size wider and advised to put a 1/2 numnah underneath.  Horse has gone from narrow/medium fitting to wide fitting in 6 mths and evened up.  This is not down to weight gain (he's a worrier so is difficult to keep weight on) but all muscle development.

It may not work for all horses but for my horse, he needs a flexible and giving space to grow into.  In fact, if you ride him a saddle that technically 'fits' he goes like a bag of spanners!!


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## Oliver12 (21 July 2010)

Herpesas said:



			My horse has had the same problem.

One Master saddler came out and fitted the saddle to him (slightly asymmetrically) and the problem never got any better and he never levelled up, so ....

Went to different saddler, they fitted him one size wider and advised to put a 1/2 numnah underneath.  Horse has gone from narrow/medium fitting to wide fitting in 6 mths and evened up.  This is not down to weight gain (he's a worrier so is difficult to keep weight on) but all muscle development.

It may not work for all horses but for my horse, he needs a flexible and giving space to grow into.  In fact, if you ride him a saddle that technically 'fits' he goes like a bag of spanners!!
		
Click to expand...

Ditto. I bought a flexible tree saddle and had it widened at the front slightly by the manufacturer. I used a sheepskin half pad and his back and top line have built up beautifully. I had very good saddles before and always made sure they were looked at every eight to 12 weeks and were assured they were fitting beautifully but I knew differently.


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## beetlejuice (21 July 2010)

thanks for your help.

got the saddler coming out again, she says that she cant believe its dropped so much with the amount of flocking she put in. 

if i still dont like it, think ill have to use another saddler. The problem is finding a good one in the west yorkshire area!!


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## PurplePickle (21 July 2010)

Have the same issue

Ive got a saddle with a lot of room down the wither and shoulder, and was advised to pad it up till the muscle starts to come back.

Everyone else had been fitting him medium but he actually requires a wide with the extra help


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