Do the Cair panels in Bates saddles break down over time?

sidesaddlegirl

sidesaddlegirl

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www.sidesaddlegirl.co.uk
I'm thinking about buying a second hand Bates close contact saddle I saw online the other day (LOL, like a I need ANOTHER saddle!!) but was wondering about the Cair panels in 2nd hand saddles?

Do you with Cair tend to find they break down and go flat over time or do they retain their "springeyness"?
 
If they puncture then yes, they'll go down. Most of them aren't very "springy" in the first place as most are over-filled and like concrete. So Unless they puncture they'll be concrete forever
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i dont agree, I have a caprilli close contact jump and would say in no way was it like concrete! How old is the saddle as if its only a few years or so old it shouldnt be a problem. If it is Flat you could prob send it back to Weatherbeeta and they would put new cair pannels in it, however i wouldnt sya it should be a problem.
 
I did say "most of them" are like concrete. So not all. I do actually have a cair saddle that isn't like concrete, but in my experience a lot of them are over-filled and you're lucky if you find one that isn't. As someone once pointed out to me, how can air replace flocking as air doesn't compress?
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But the cair is a relatively small panel surrounded by foam, so the foam does compress

However unlike conventional flocking, it will not need reflocking and will never ball and have lumps.

I've moved onto to flair, but still have cair in my aussie saddle
 
Unfortunately, it doesn't say the age of the saddle on the website and I doubt whether the seller will know either as it's a second hand saddle site.
I had this vision in my head of them flattening out over time. Like the rubber or plastic (whatever it is) which encases the air, just flattening down (LOL, hope this makes sense!
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I can test ride the saddle as I've dealt with this site before but was just a bit worried that if buying a 2nd hand one, that the Cair won't last as long.
 
Mine is 4 years old, has never been like concrete - always had good spring to it, and is still in perfect nick.

Bonita - I would send it back to Wintec rather than Weatherbeeta!! Weatherbeeta might be a little confused!!
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air panels will feel like concrete if they're overfilled. someone explained it to me once as "like a crisp packet" - you know how solid one feels just before you open it, when you're applying pressure.
tbh that's why i stick to white wool and serge, there's always some cushioning feel.
 
I've had 3 Bates Caprilli saddles with CAIR (a GP, a Dressage and my currant VSD). None of them have been over-filled!

I agreee that the CAIR shouldn't go down unless puctured.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Bonita - I would send it back to Wintec rather than Weatherbeeta!! Weatherbeeta might be a little confused!!
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[/ QUOTE ]
Weatherbeeta are Wintec's UK stockist! Sorry I work in a tack shop, can you tell?!
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I have a wintec saddle with Cair which has been the best thing i ever bought. My TBx had a very sore back, with hard lumps of muscle where the back of her saddle sat when i first bought her, and when i turned her saddle over i could see why! The flocking had been packed in to the front of the saddle to lift it (when it was just to wide for her) and this had produced two solid lumps of flocking at the back. Two years on her back is strong and supple (we have had help from a local physio and spent hours massaging it) but i feel that the cair panels have helped with this improvement.

Also if your panels seem to be flat it is generally because they have squashed outwards, a good saddler will open up the saddle (it opens for the gullet to be changed anyway) and can manipulate the panels back as they were to start with. I know other people have had bad experiences with the cair, but if i ever replace my saddle i would not have anything else.

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