A final solution... can it be???

Blu's feet have improved immeasurably and his back has been up and down. Dr. Liz suggested I have a saddle fitter out to look at my saddle. She was thinking it was definitely wrong for Blu. So I called Colleen at Advanced Saddle Fit and I was treated to her vast store of knowledge on saddles, saddle fittings and horse back biomechanics. As she explained, Blu has a very high wither that is narrow at the top but gets very wide at the base. He also has a wide back. She said he needed something that would allow room for the base of the wither and distribute the weight and concussion on his back as much as possible.

She looked at my saddle and quickly showed me the issues with it -- pinching at the base of the wither, cantle too low and rocking on his back. Out it goes! She suggested the Detente Argus for its wither clearance and wide weight distributing panels. So she put it on his back and it looked good -- far better than my saddle. She had me sit in it and instantly I felt different and so did Blu. His walk improved, he dropped his head and his back and rib cage began to swing. She took it off of him and flocked it to fit him. She put it back on him and I got on and wow... I felt a perfect position in the saddle and Blu's walk improved even more. She suggest a Prolite pad with a small cantle wedge so we tried that and voila! I had a sound horse at all 3 gaits!

While I am now officially broke, my horse is moving beautifully and we are officially on the road to recovery! I know Blu was smiling. I am so grateful I found Colleen.

Many thanks have to go to my friends who have supported me through this harrowing ordeal. I know we still have a ways to go to rehab but I am definitely seeing the light at the end of the tunnel... Grateful does not describe how I feel!!!