Superstar
Well-Known Member
Any recommendations or experiences please..?
Thanks
Thanks
Any one use saddle pads on their chunky table backed ponies...?
- Thread starter Superstar
- Start date
Peregrine Falcon
Looking forward to drier days
Yes! We do on my son's pony. She's a NF X shitland and was rather porky (297kg on the weigh tape) when we got her. The saddle she had didn't fit her well and slipped sideways and forwards if used without a crupper. I tried quite a few saddles but struggled to find ones small enough as she's only 11.2. She started getting a bit twitchy when she saw the saddle so I stopped using it as it was obviously uncomfortable. I used a thick nummah and made my son ride bareback whilst I bid on ebay for a saddle pad.
It didn't take long for it to arrive and it's been brilliant. April is much happier and the pad doesn't slip at all. The thorn pads are supposed to be good too.
I am very pleased now as she's lost more weight, according to the tape she is now 236kg, a loss of 61kg
! I can see and feel ribs which with spring round the corner is a good result. Now I can think about saddle shopping.
I would recommend a saddle pad for sofa shaped ponies, much better than an uncomfortable saddle. I used to hate putting the crupper on as the thought of her feeling the pressure when the saddle moved made me feel guilty.
It didn't take long for it to arrive and it's been brilliant. April is much happier and the pad doesn't slip at all. The thorn pads are supposed to be good too.
I am very pleased now as she's lost more weight, according to the tape she is now 236kg, a loss of 61kg
! I can see and feel ribs which with spring round the corner is a good result. Now I can think about saddle shopping.I would recommend a saddle pad for sofa shaped ponies, much better than an uncomfortable saddle. I used to hate putting the crupper on as the thought of her feeling the pressure when the saddle moved made me feel guilty.
Superstar
Well-Known Member
Thanks, what about treeless saddles, are they similar, never had any experiences of them before....but then again, never had a table top before either...lol..!
Peregrine Falcon
Looking forward to drier days
I did look at treeless ones but I have to be honest and thought they looked too bulky for a little one (and ugly, sorry if anyone likes the look of them).
I didn't want to spend a lot of money as I intended the pony to lose weight before she got laminitis so would be buying a saddle once she'd slimmed down. She didn't have any withers to feel 6 months ago!!!
The person I got her from mentionned that someone on their yard had a saddle made from a company on ebay for about £160. I'm not sure what the quality would be though, I'd far rather view something to make an informed decision about something so important.
I didn't want to spend a lot of money as I intended the pony to lose weight before she got laminitis so would be buying a saddle once she'd slimmed down. She didn't have any withers to feel 6 months ago!!!
The person I got her from mentionned that someone on their yard had a saddle made from a company on ebay for about £160. I'm not sure what the quality would be though, I'd far rather view something to make an informed decision about something so important.
Sugar_and_Spice
Well-Known Member
I've got a freemax treeless saddle and I love it. A limpet saddle pad held on with a surcingle is effective and comfortable too.
exmoorponyprincess1
Well-Known Member
I do everything in saddle pads/bareback pads on my Exmoors - dressage, showing, hacking, pony round ups across the Exmoor commons....
Similar to Falconers post above, one of my mares got so upset when I brought her saddle near her...which was a new saddle I had fitted to her - it continually slipped to the side and caused her terrible amounts of pain across her back and girth area - fitter came back out and insisted the saddle was fine, back lady basically told me very different!!! I decided to try something "outside of the box" so to speak and got myself a bareback pad which is started using with a thick poly pad and a sheepskin half pad fully shimmed and my mare has never looked back!! Also then got a Zoe Snape Shetland pad made for showing (she did me one with longer flaps to suit my Exmoors body size) and when I had my back lady out at the end of January she couldn't believe the difference! Not a single bit of pain/twist across the back/girth and pony in much better shape altogether. We have another exmoor who is very particular about her saddles - if something doesn't feel right to her, she gives you a 5 second warning (plants feet and won't budge whilst bunching up underneath you!) to get off or she will dump you!! We nervously stuck the pad on her one day as her saddle kept creeping forward....and she loved it!! She is so forward going, striding out beautifully and really using her shoulder now which she couldn't do before.
Can you tell I am a total convert?!!!
Similar to Falconers post above, one of my mares got so upset when I brought her saddle near her...which was a new saddle I had fitted to her - it continually slipped to the side and caused her terrible amounts of pain across her back and girth area - fitter came back out and insisted the saddle was fine, back lady basically told me very different!!! I decided to try something "outside of the box" so to speak and got myself a bareback pad which is started using with a thick poly pad and a sheepskin half pad fully shimmed and my mare has never looked back!! Also then got a Zoe Snape Shetland pad made for showing (she did me one with longer flaps to suit my Exmoors body size) and when I had my back lady out at the end of January she couldn't believe the difference! Not a single bit of pain/twist across the back/girth and pony in much better shape altogether. We have another exmoor who is very particular about her saddles - if something doesn't feel right to her, she gives you a 5 second warning (plants feet and won't budge whilst bunching up underneath you!) to get off or she will dump you!! We nervously stuck the pad on her one day as her saddle kept creeping forward....and she loved it!! She is so forward going, striding out beautifully and really using her shoulder now which she couldn't do before.
Can you tell I am a total convert?!!!
MotherOfChickens
MotherDucker
yes, used one on my older Exmoor (a best friend one). currently debating a cashel or a libra for backing the youngster in.
WelshD
Well-Known Member
Something to bear in mind if you need one for a small pony is that many are too long front to back for them. One I bought as suitable for a shetland was the equivilent of a 17 inch saddle! the end was well past the last rib
Shysmum
Well-Known Member
barefoot saddle - love it !