On Wed, Sep 12, 2007 at 09:05:25AM -0400, Karen Thomas wrote: > >>>> I think the damage that causes white hairs can happen fairly quickly. > IME it's the appearance of the white hairs that may be delayed until the > growth of the new coat, or it may even be the next same season coat before > the white hair shows up. > > > That's what I believe too - so it's not terribly likely that a saddle just > purchased in June-July of this year would have caused enough damage to make > white hairs show up now, just two months later, especially if the saddle is > a soft and flexible treeless saddle mainly used by lightweight riders.
*shrug* it seems even less likely that eight years in a properly-fitted treed saddle would suddenly, six months after it stopped seeing much use, result in white hairs. i started with the trial of the treeless in the spring, so i'd say it's been in use for half a year, and the white hairs JUST HAPPEN to be under the spot where the stirrups spread the weight on either side of his spine. i bow to occam (and kaaren of course :). > discussion has been a common one on the treeless list, since many folks > there have struggled for many years with poorly fitting treed saddles. whereas stjarni has never, as far as i know and his coat can tell me, worn an improperly-fitted treed saddle. > Possibly, the damage could show up as white hairs earlier, but I believe it > would take a LOT of pressure in a concentrated area to do so quickly - as > with a very heavyweight rider, or with a treed saddle that is bridging or > pinching really badly. could be that 110# of me jumping him in the sensation has done it. if you look over stjarni's whole body, he's got white hairs here and there, incl. a fairly prominent patch on one hip; it may be that (as discussed previously) some horses are just sensitive that way. --vicka
