Saddles are restrictive and very often “a bit tight”. When your horse is in motion, the whole structure of the leg moves and the back of the shoulder blade pushes into the bars of the saddle. We have identified this area, just down from the withers, as the most common place of discomfort through saddle usage. In the past when this area was acknowledged as sore, more padding was put under the saddle to cushion the area. Putting thicker padding under a too-tight saddle is like putting extra socks on and trying to squeeze into a pair of too-small shoes … ouch!