Two days after his trim, my 7 year old Mustang, Tucker, told me his hip hurt. His farrier had trimmed him to open his hips up because he appeared tight. I figured this caused his muscles to become sore, so I set an appointment with a body worker for him. During his session, the body worker discovered that he was off in his right hip and his left shoulder and had been for a lot more than two days. She helped him work out some of the kinks while we discussed what could have caused it. We went over past slips and falls, saddle fit, exercise (and lack thereof), herd behavior, and many other things. She advised me not to ride him and give him time to straighten out. She worked on him 3 more times over the next 6 weeks. The last time she worked on him the farrier came out later that day.

I told the farrier what we had been doing the last 6 weeks, and he confirmed that Tucker was taking weight off his right hind and putting it on his left fore. Again we discussed what could be causing it. The farrier trimmed him according to what Tucker's structure and feet were telling him. And as I walked Tucker out so the farrier could see him move, he exclaimed "I know what is wrong with Tucker!"

He asked if I had any pain in my lower back. I told him I usually have soreness in my lower right due to my right leg being shorter than my left. "That's what I thought. I saw it when you were walking." I am so used to it that I don't even notice it anymore, but Tucker sure does. When I ride, my imbalance transfers to the saddle, and I tend to sit back and to the right ever so slightly.

Last winter, I started trail riding him in an all purpose English saddle which is a lot less forgiving than my all purpose Western saddle. The benefit of English saddles is closer contact for the rider to feel the horse. The problem with me riding in an English is just that. Tucker could feel me just as much as I could feel him. My imbalance caused him to get sore in his hip. This then transferred to his opposite shoulder.

So the solution to all of this? I start yoga to get my hips back in line and, and I wear a 1/4 inch wedge under my right heel to keep them there. Tucker keeps getting body work and proper trims to help line him back out. Tucker also told me that I can't ride him in the English until I get straightened out.