Uneven Shoulder

[ILoveJoe]

I was recently made aware that my horse may have saddle fit issues. While taking photos of his back as I did a wither tracing, we noticed that his left shoulder is larger than the right.
Has anyone encountered this with their horse and how can you recondition your horse to have more even shoulders?

Here is the view from Joe's backside, yes it is a LARGE one. ;)

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o138/IloveJoe_photo/saddles/DSC_0017.jpg

[CurlyWurlyRach]

i had exactly the same problem with my mare, it turned out to be due to a misaligned pelvis (quickly fixed by a chiro) leading to uneven muscle development.
I have had to do 1 month of long and low in walk, 2 weeks long and low trot and the attempt long and low canter and polework for 2 weeks thn get her checked again. Its been boring (im at week 5) but her neck muscles are getting visibly harder and hopefully there will be a change in th next tracing.

the long and low is basically to undo any muscles and rebuild them in the right place.

[Daffy Dilly]

Ditto the misaligned pelvis, although Daffy's neck was out too. Can't do things by halves.

Our rehabilitation has been slightly different. It started in October, so I'll see if I can remember it all.

Week 1 - walk inhand, no sharp turns
Week 2 - walk inhand, introduce ground poles on the straight
Week 3 - physio, continue as before but put ground poles on the corner
Week 4 - begin gentle long reining
week 5 - physio, introduce ground poles whilst long reining, and gentle trots because the pony insisted.
Week 6,7,8 - continue as before, trying saddle on horses back towards the end of week 8 but no rider, decided saddle was causing overreaching
Week 9 - physio, saddle fitter out, saddle doesn't fit. Able to ride bareback, but in walk to begin with

From then we've gradually built up to walk and trot, a small amount of hacking (pony tanked off on our two solo hacks) and small jumping. Still no saddle. Daffy is visibly better muscled now, and much better temperament and movement wise.

I have a saddle fitting a week on thursday. To begin with I couldn't afford a new saddle anyway, but didn't see the point if he would obviously be changing shape. He has had regular physio (now at 2 month intervals) throughout, and it would've been pointless doing all the work without the physio, and vice versa!

[coss]

i know of a horse who had a one shoulder bigger than the other due to a kick in one of them, the owners were told they couldn't right it!
my instructor said it really affected the stirrup lengths, stirrups were the same length but one look 3 holes shorter than the other!

I believe complete reschooling, spirals (i'm a little obsessed with them) and as others have said, long and low to recondition the muscles.

[ILoveJoe]

So this has more than likely been an issue for my horse for awhile?

It is probably not from him jumping a 4 foot gate from a standing position a week ago?

I appreciate your responses, thank you very much!

[Daffy Dilly]

No, the difference in muscle stems from one being used more than the other. So for example, my horse has mild arthritis in his off hock, and the twisted neck/pelvis very possibly stemmed from this. His off bum cheek was a lot smaller than his near bum cheek, because he tried not to use that leg and over compensated with the other.

How long it took to really become uneven I couldn't say, as I never really noticed him being uneven until the physio came. However he did bolt into a dry stone wall at the end of August. I imagine that will have made things worse even if it didn't cause anything. A week is definately too short a period of time, but it probably didn't help.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

my horses problems was from going belly-up into a ditch about 9 months ago. the chiro said she probably wasnt in pain per-se but was distincly uncomfortable for quite a while.
She's also not allowed to work in small circles or jump (so she starts jumping anything in sight...puddles, shadows, trot poles....)

do you have a phisio/chiro/mctimmony practitioner in your area? Its not very expensive (mine was £40) and has made the world of difference to my horses way of going. Apparently if i didnt get it fixed she ran the risk of it becoming un-fixable.

[ILoveJoe]

I don't know of any chiropractor in my area. I am going to call local stables tomorrow morning and ask around. I know where one is, but you have to trailer to them, and I don't have a trailer, so that is not my first option.
I have had the horse for 2 years and I remember the previous owners talking about a fall where he hurt his right back hoof, and he also fell and rolled completely over chasing after a mare about a year go.
I wish I had noticed this before, I hate to think I have been riding him and his back is hurting.
I am going to keep a photo type diary of my other horse who will be 2 end of May and keep track of his back that way periodically.