A saddle fit with half panel numnahs question

[Tarragon]

The question I have is "does having a half panel numnah affect the fit of the saddle if the saddle previously fitted with a full numnah of similar thickness?"
The reason for the question is because I have, on the advice of a saddle fitter, recently bought a beautiful, but quite old, second hand Strada saddle for my pony and it came with the Strada endurance pad. The saddle fits beautifully, with a lovely low profile, BUT the pad kept slipping back, especially at canter, even though the saddle stayed put. I tried it with a numnah with tabs to the stirrup leathers but while the numnah stayed in place it was being pulled back as the tab was at tension, if you know what I mean.
I am now trying it with a sheepskin half pad I had stored away and it fits the saddle well, the pony likes it and it has really solved the problem of the numnah slipping back as neither it nor the saddle budge an inch ... but, it has got me wondering whether it has affected the fit of the saddle now that the bottom part of the saddle flaps hasn't got quite such a close fit to the pony's sides as before. I would say that the thickness of the half pad matches the thickness of the Strada endurance pad.
Am I approaching the problem of the slipping numnah from the wrong angle?

 

[EnduroRider]

I cannot answer your question but can relate to the problem of keeping a numnah on underneath a Strada saddle! So far the best I have found is a WH Nuumed with half sheepskin and the short D ring straps rather than the longer girth straps.

 

[Tarragon]

I cannot answer your question but can relate to the problem of keeping a numnah on underneath a Strada saddle! So far the best I have found is a WH Nuumed with half sheepskin and the short D ring straps rather than the longer girth straps.

Thanks for that. Very interesting!
I thought that the reason the Strada Endurance pad was slipping was because the sticky pads were no longer "sticky" due to it's age. I thought about investing in a new one but really I need a brown numnah for my Exmoor Pony; the white ones look so wrong on him!

 

[cobgoblin]

I always thought that the numnah slipping was a sign that either the saddle was a bit too wide, or had sideways movement when ridden.. giving a ratchet effect.

 

[Shay]

I'm not a saddler - but our saddler told us that a sheepskin 1/2 pad and a numnah with sheepskin on the upper 1/2 would be the same for the purposes of fit - this was for a pessoa foam backed SJ saddle fitted to be used with a 1/2 pad. From what I undersatnd the sit relates more to where the saddle touches the back rather than where the flaps are on the sides if that makes sense? But I guess to be sure you would have to have it checked professionally.

 

[ihatework]

I always thought that the numnah slipping was a sign that either the saddle was a bit too wide, or had sideways movement when ridden.. giving a ratchet effect.

Me too. Surely any saddle with significant pad/numnah slippage isn’t fitting in some way?

 

[Red-1]

If it were me, and the horse approved, then I would go with the new arrangement.

Of course, I would look out for any problems.

 

[sbloom]

I always thought that the numnah slipping was a sign that either the saddle was a bit too wide, or had sideways movement when ridden.. giving a ratchet effect.

Many reasons for pads to slip back, the saddle is often "trying" to move forwards but actually fits quite well and the pad takes tthe brunt. Othertimes it can be a fit issue but not just too wide.

I'm not a saddler - but our saddler told us that a sheepskin 1/2 pad and a numnah with sheepskin on the upper 1/2 would be the same for the purposes of fit - this was for a pessoa foam backed SJ saddle fitted to be used with a 1/2 pad. From what I undersatnd the sit relates more to where the saddle touches the back rather than where the flaps are on the sides if that makes sense? But I guess to be sure you would have to have it checked professionally.

The fit of a saddle ends some way below the tree points, the flaps don't need to "fit" in the same way. A half lined numnah (the term half panel is reserved for saddles) is better for leg contact. If the flaps are sticking out a long way then it MAY be a fit issue for the saddle. Basically swapping between pads is absolutely fine if they're the same thickness, in almost all cases. As long as the horse is happy and the saddle stays still, of course.

Me too. Surely any saddle with significant pad/numnah slippage isn’t fitting in some way?

Not always, on some saddles it may be a warning sign that it needs adjusting, on others that it doesn't fit full stop, but some numnahs move on well fitting saddles, Mattes produce a clip system that can be used with any of their pads to anchor them to the saddle.

 

[Tarragon]

Thanks all for your replies.
The saddle passed the "jump sideways at a scary sheep" movement and a canter up a steep hill test and neither saddle nor pad budged so that is a success.
Interestingly I also noticed the unexpected better leg contact with this new arrangement and I am hoping that this added benefit will perhaps make a noticeable improvement to my riding but that is still to be proved