Bareback Pads - Your Experiences?!

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TwiggyL

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I bought my Welshie with a sore back (unbeknownst to me at the time!) he was an absolute plod when he had his “usual” saddle on. I had him fitted for different saddles and he was still the same old ploddy old man who was scared of the mounting block and kicked when I got on him.

A friend of mine had a Christ Lammfelle bareback pad she let me borrow and what a change! He’s a different pony. Responsive and happy. It’s lovely to see! He is 18, and as I mainly hack him, I’d like to keep using the pad permanently now. I am having slight stability issues on it at the moment, haven’t attached stirrups yet as I know it sort of defeats the object, but it would certainly help with feeling more secure especially as he is a narrow chap.

Any tips on this, has anyone used one and if so what set up etc? x
 
I have the Christ Lammfelle one and it is great for having a play, but I would not ride out and about on it. I also don't like the idea of using stirrups with it, as it would need an awfully tight girth to stop it spinning round as it is simply a pad.

I had the same experience as you with a horse who did not work happily in his saddle but did in the pad. It set me off on a quest to find a saddle that did fit to his pleasure. It took 7 saddles before we had it sorted, but sort it we did.
 
Wouldn't using stirrups add a tonne of pressure to the spine with one of those pads?

I think they're cool, though. I've been thinking of getting one myself to improve my core/save my breeches!
 
blimey, I dont know if I quite have the finances to go through 7 saddles! I would love to find one that works for him though. It’s very quiet around our yard and I’m hoping a stirrup-less 30 min walk/trot down the lane in the pad is safe enough for the time being :)

It’s just so nice to have a happy pony again, I would love to take him out for longer!
 
Stirrups should never ever be used with bareback pads, as they will not distribute any pressure and will cause lots of discomfort to the horse.

Without stirrups, they are a brilliant piece of tack if you find one that suits your needs. I have a Best Friends bareback pad and have used it for years - it doesn't slip and makes bareback riding so much more comfortable. Most recently I rode only with it for 9 months as I didn't have a fitting saddle for my boy and it worked like a charm for riding in the school, but I didn't go on longer hacks however.
 
Grandeur make saddles that are very posh bareback pads with stirrups-they are very lovely and very spendy though. I love the Lammfelles but wouldn't use one with stirrups (I have a Best Friend one that I used to hack a pony out with but I'd not hack the current one out in it lol).

have you thought about a treeless saddle OP?
 
I will have a research today on different brands. I’ve only used the Christ Lammfelle as a friend had one for her pony, but am open to any brand! I will take him in the school but really like taking him on short hacks, as he really enjoys it.

I have thought about treeless saddles but really know nothing about them! His back pain has been around the lumbar part of the spine, this is probably due to past riders not fitting him and his old saddle, therefore pinching. He is narrow and high withered. If a treeless saddle is a good option, I would definitely be willing to try! Money not a huge object but I’m on a slight budget!!x
 
I had a bareback pad that I used without stirrups for a little potter around.

As MoC suggest you might be better off looking for a treeless saddle, which provide much more protection if using stirrups.
 
TwiggyL said:
blimey, I dont know if I quite have the finances to go through 7 saddles!
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To be fair 2 of them I had in use when the horse came, they did not suit. One was a Butet dressage, one a Butet XC, and I never forgave him for not liking them as I LOVED them... I did try having them out to fit him up with a new one, but they left a similar dropped panel one to try and it made him sore so Butet were out...

The third was an Ansur treeless, that I already had, but I did not feel it was stable enough for a rather athletic baby horse.

One was an Ideal XC monoflap bought for him, but I stopped using it after a year as he really did go better in a bareback pad and that can't be right.

The other two were FAB, a dressage made for him, where he went as well as in the bareback pad. I then ordered a jump saddle from the same maker, but that one did not meet his expectations, so went back (no 6). Finally a jump saddle was made for me on the same tree as the dressage saddle, and that too was a hit!
 
TwiggyL said:
I have thought about treeless saddles but really know nothing about them! His back pain has been around the lumbar part of the spine, this is probably due to past riders not fitting him and his old saddle, therefore pinching. He is narrow and high withered. If a treeless saddle is a good option, I would definitely be willing to try! Money not a huge object but I’m on a slight budget!!x
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roughly speaking there are two types-those with built in spinal clearance (e.g. Ghost, Treefree-and you can trial either of these for about £50) and those that you have to shim and use treeless pads for (e.g. Barefoot, Torsion). There are many makes and you can spend alot-good thing about them is that they seem easy to sell and hold their value secondhand.

As I have *ahem* slightly rounder ponies, I found those that didn't have spine clearance were not stable enough for me and out of all of the ones I tried I preferred the Treefree and the Ghost. I then found a treed saddle that fit both -if I were to go for a treeless now I'd go straight for the Tor Rider from Treefree.
 
Thank you that is super helpful. I’ll have to have a look into it. I’m not doing anything competitive on him, he is purely a pleasure ride pony! But it would be nice to be sitting on something where I can let him enjoy himself without holding back or feeling like I’ll end up under his belly!x
 
Not many treeless saddles are, but the Ghost treeless can be fitted to a narrow, high withered horse. I have a Ghost myself and LOVE it, as well as my horse goes very nicely in it. If you have a rep nearby, I'd give them a try! They are also fairly affordable for a saddle that's made specifically for your horse.
 
I didn't have time to read the whole thread as at work so please forgive me if I'm repeating things. My friend swears by his total contact saddle. I understand they are designed to be used with stirrups, although won't pretend to know much about it. It seems to be a bit of a haflway between bareback and saddle. Might be worth investigating in more detail?
 
Not sure if anyone has mentioned as I haven’t read all the replies but you can buy a half tree for the Christ lammfelle pads to attach stirrups to which will distribute the weight. That’s if you really liked that pad in particular. There was someone on her a while ago (Sparkles I think) who used one regularly and I think they competed in it.
 
Thank you! The friend I have been borrowing the pad from actually just mentioned this. After much deliberation I think I may we’ll go for the Christ Lamfelle, just as my pony seems to really like it. I’ll give it a few goes with stirrups and see how we get on. Just seen Sparkles threads, great info!:)
 
TwiggyL said:
Thank you. I have a lot to think about! I will certainly look at trialling a ghost!!
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Yes I think it very important to try before you buy. I found Louise from Ghost extremely helpful with fitting - my horse is complicated and she got us sorted out. The saddles were recommended to me by a very knowledgeable chiropractor.
 
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