Chat
06-06-2015, 09:27 PM
Poor fella. The swelling sure sounds like an injury. This could be an old injury from "back when" or it could be related to more recent saddle fitting issues. Has he had problems since the first time you saddled him up, or did it start shortly thereafter and get progressively worse? The fact that he's skinny points to the possibility of the saddle resting right down on the spine. Have you set the saddle down on his back without a pad? A well-fitting saddle should slide into place right where it needs to be, just behind the withers and shoulder blades. It should sit solidly without rocking back and forth and it should look level front to back. The forks should clear the spine both front and back. If you slide your hand flat along the underside of the tree between the saddle and goat, you should feel even pressure along the whole length--no bridging or pressure points.
Is the sore spot under the back fork or in the middle of the saddle? This will give you clues as to what's going on. The forks should give good clearance front and back even without a pad. While it is more common for the front fork to rub at the withers, it's quite possible for the back fork to cause problems if he's skinny enough, especially if he has kind of flat withers. Skinny goats usually have high, bony withers, but not always, which means that your saddle could have enough clearance at the front but not in the back. This would shift the weight toward the back of the saddle and onto the spine. If this is your problem, simply adding an extra pad might not fix it since you'd be lifting the front as well as the back and the pack would still be tilted rearward.
If the sore spot is in the middle of the saddle, you may be having problems with the saddle rocking forward and back, with most of the weight bearing down in the center instead of distributed evenly across the tree. This is not uncommon if your saddle tree is too wide for your goat. A fat goat will have a tree that "bridges" and puts more pressure front and back while leaving a non-weight-bearing area in the center. A too-skinny goat can have the opposite problem because he doesn't have enough flesh to support the saddle under the forks, so the saddle rocks back and forth on its center. This commonly causes a rub at the withers, so look for broken or thinning hair in that area. As long as the saddle is rocking evenly, extra padding can help, but it still doesn't beat having a saddle that actually fits properly.
Even if you sort out the saddle fitting issues, your goat will need time off to heal in both body and mind. Depending on their severity, back injuries can take a long time, so you may be looking at giving him the summer off and taking him for hikes without any pack at all while he heals. This will give him time to flesh out, muscle up, and regain his confidence since he's probably started to think that hiking is an unpleasant experience. You'll have to decide whether he's a nice enough goat to take the "wait and see" approach, or if it might be best to start looking for a non-working home for him. If this is an old injury, there's less chance of him healing sufficiently without risk of re-inflaming it. But if it's related to recent saddle-fitting problems then I think he's got an excellent chance of recovering rapidly. You've obviously been very proactive in recognizing that there's an issue and taking measures to avoid exacerbating it. Kudos to you for asking for help right away!
Is the sore spot under the back fork or in the middle of the saddle? This will give you clues as to what's going on. The forks should give good clearance front and back even without a pad. While it is more common for the front fork to rub at the withers, it's quite possible for the back fork to cause problems if he's skinny enough, especially if he has kind of flat withers. Skinny goats usually have high, bony withers, but not always, which means that your saddle could have enough clearance at the front but not in the back. This would shift the weight toward the back of the saddle and onto the spine. If this is your problem, simply adding an extra pad might not fix it since you'd be lifting the front as well as the back and the pack would still be tilted rearward.
If the sore spot is in the middle of the saddle, you may be having problems with the saddle rocking forward and back, with most of the weight bearing down in the center instead of distributed evenly across the tree. This is not uncommon if your saddle tree is too wide for your goat. A fat goat will have a tree that "bridges" and puts more pressure front and back while leaving a non-weight-bearing area in the center. A too-skinny goat can have the opposite problem because he doesn't have enough flesh to support the saddle under the forks, so the saddle rocks back and forth on its center. This commonly causes a rub at the withers, so look for broken or thinning hair in that area. As long as the saddle is rocking evenly, extra padding can help, but it still doesn't beat having a saddle that actually fits properly.
Even if you sort out the saddle fitting issues, your goat will need time off to heal in both body and mind. Depending on their severity, back injuries can take a long time, so you may be looking at giving him the summer off and taking him for hikes without any pack at all while he heals. This will give him time to flesh out, muscle up, and regain his confidence since he's probably started to think that hiking is an unpleasant experience. You'll have to decide whether he's a nice enough goat to take the "wait and see" approach, or if it might be best to start looking for a non-working home for him. If this is an old injury, there's less chance of him healing sufficiently without risk of re-inflaming it. But if it's related to recent saddle-fitting problems then I think he's got an excellent chance of recovering rapidly. You've obviously been very proactive in recognizing that there's an issue and taking measures to avoid exacerbating it. Kudos to you for asking for help right away!