half pads for saddle fit

mandwhy

mandwhy

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Had the saddler bring my new saddle the other day (its a Kent and masters cob for a haflinger). I ordered it at the fitting in November and it took ages to arrive! Well in this time horsey has lost weight as discussed in previous thread and it seemed that the smaller gullet would be too small and current one may get to be too big when flocking settles.

He said I could put a pad under it if she does not put on weight (which she no doubt will in spring but I like her as she is now!) So what pads do you use? Is a sheepskin the obvious choice although my bank balance will cry after recent spending? What about prolite etc?

Would preferably like something semi grippy as she is so cylindrical I defy any saddle not to move a little bit! Although will probably be on top of normal saddlecloth. I did get some of that gripping mat stuff to put under the saddlecloth but will the half pad then slip on the saddlecloth? Slipping upon slippage!
 
Sheepskin are fab- fit really well into the saddle, much better than prolites etc so worth the money if you can afford it!

For the grip - Acavallo gel pads are fab, although I don't think they're very thick, so might not adjust the fit very much.
 
If you want a little narrowing and also grip, I'd go for a full thickness (the 1" thick standard size, they squish down a bit) Limpet pad. You won't need another numnah with it. Just don't put it on the spin cycle in the washing machine because it tears them, drip dry only. They're about 50 pounds and last forever.

Prolite are good and will narrow the saddle a little too (standard 1/2" size, the slim saddlecloth-and-prolite in one won't make much difference). But they're not grippy. You can get an adjustable front riser one though, which with all the inserts in will narrow the saddle by a whole size. Machine washable and last forever. About 60 pounds.
 
Ah yes E&G I think my friend has the gel pad you speak of, I thought I might get one but then it would be gel pad, saddlecloth, half pad... It's too many pads to get my mind around right now haha! I might just sew some of the grippy mat stuff (the stuff they use for floor rugs) underneath my saddle cloth, we shall see!

Hmm yes SS the Limpet pad did seem like a good idea with the added bonus of grip! I bet it gets manky with no numnah but oh well.

I couldn't do the girth up very well to start with as its all new and stiff, plus the poor love hasn't had a saddle on since the fitting in Nov so didn't want to shock her too much, but if she were to move suddenly (which was definitely NOT a concern as moving at all was a big ask) then I probably would have slid off sideways!
 
I have two adjustable shims ones (best idea for you I reckon as she will change loads!). The Prolite is good but I reckon the Griffen numed hi wither is better (neither of mine have any withers, you can still use it). It's a wool rather than sheepskin, and easier to look after. They don't sweat as much with wool (sounds bonkers but is true!).
 
Well fitting saddles should not slip, however round the pony. The only remedial pads I work with are Mattes correction system pads, well worth the money. They will not stick your saddle down, but I'd never recommend doing that, the saddle must fit - right tree, right panel and flocking, right girth straps and neither horse nor rider wonky and everything should be stable. I fit wide and flat horses as a speciality and a saddle that slips doesn't truly fit.
 
Is it actually slipping op or are you just worried it might? Really the saddler should be doing more to aide you, since the reason there is the problem is that it took so long to arrive. I had a similar problem with my welshie as every time the saddle arrived from being adjusted she had changed dramatically. My saddler came back as often as necessary to keep me with a saddle that fitted (not nec mine!). I think an adjustable pad would be what you need to get her into work and them reassess saddle once she stops changing so much.
 
sbloom said:
Well fitting saddles should not slip, however round the pony. The only remedial pads I work with are Mattes correction system pads, well worth the money. They will not stick your saddle down, but I'd never recommend doing that, the saddle must fit - right tree, right panel and flocking, right girth straps and neither horse nor rider wonky and everything should be stable. I fit wide and flat horses as a speciality and a saddle that slips doesn't truly fit.
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Yes I also tend to "buy" wide and flat horses as a speciality. I love the Mattes range of pads after buying one years ago from the people who fitted my Native Pony Saddle. Since then I have amassed quite a collection from their platinum range. At the moment I'm using a Mattes correction pad which is amazing. Well worth the money.
 
Well I think I had the girth quite loose because the straps were all stiff and it did slip slightly as in was not rock steady sideways, but not a lot (the saddle she had when I tried her, now THAT slipped!) I'm more concerned that it will start to slip more.

I did think the same thing sbloom, I always think they should fit no matter what but I can see why this round shape is harder than one with high withers... he is a master saddler with a good rep and has been doing this many years... Not that that necessarily makes him better than anyone else but they do have their own brand of saddles as well, so I figure if you can design them you must have some understanding, plus my neighbour had endless trouble with saddles and he sorted her out.

Think I might use someone more local next time anyway just because it takes a while getting an appointment with this one!

I think the tree fits well, its just that shes in between sizes, I said she will definitely put weight back on and he said the flocking needs to settle, if it starts to drop then I can put a pad under it, and I will book him to check it in 3 months. I wouldn't want any more flocking in at this size but I guess he could take some out at the smaller size, but then it would quickly become too small I think.

I will prob ride in it today, I know there is this distance trading thing that means I don't have to keep it. It was new so 700 quid, might not be a lot for a leather saddle but its a heck of a lot for me!!
 
I did look at some with the removable shims, I think it was le mieux pro sorb I was looking at.

He said to use the 2nd and 3rd girth straps as the first may pull it down at the front, does this mean it would benefit from a front riser.... I think I have always used 1 and 3!
 
All saddle fitters have their own experiences, their own approaches, and their own specialisms. I also know plenty who have their own saddle range who cannot fit certain shapes and sizes to save their lives!

Wide and flat horses ARE much more difficult to fit than "normal" shaped horses and many saddle fitters duck away from doing it. Some are very good at it. Many of those will have to custom make, I generally recommend against M2M for many good reasons, much better to be able to properly try before you buy and have the protection of the Distance Selling regulations.

I'd love to know WHY gel is "much better than sheepskin" - get retains heat, some of it actually moves away from pressure so can't protect from it...I've seen weird gel rise pads that collapse downwards and then wiggle sideways when used....sheepskin with nice stable dense felt shims, can't get better than that!

Strap selection - to me it is 90% about where the girth groove is. Using the point strap should be entirely possible with most correctly fitted saddles - if the headplate of the tree isn't entirely suitable in shape, or the tree is too curvy then yes it might cause harm, and in the latter case might cause the front of the saddle to be pulled down. But if the tree is flat enough and the headplate the right shape then there is no problem with using a point strap. On natives and cobs they are very useful, I use them most of the time, and very few horse and ponies object to them. I rehab muscle wasted horses using them!

If the point strap is pulling the front of the saddle down (does it also drop in front if you press firmly on the pommel?) then there is an issue with tree shape or width.

All these issues are separate and must be addressed separately - tree shape, tree width, girth strap choice, possible need for front riser to correct front to back balance....that is all a front riser should be used for and the saddle should always be in correct balance.

If you'd like to post photos (girthed firmly, no pad) then I might be able to give further help :)

Oh and if flocking does settle, as it often does, then a thicker pad or in more extreme cases a front riser, may be useful as a temporary fix until the fitter can get back out. If a horse is between sizes then a traditional laminate tree can be adjusted, and it's easy actually to adjust flocking to compensate in most cases. And try not to talk about smaller in terms of tree width - too narrow, too wide, these have meaning :), people also say "too tight" which isn't helpful - is it tight high up or lower down? These are opposite things, one is too wide, one too narrow :)

And no, never go too narrow. Too wide with extra flocking and/or pads is acceptable in some cases, too narrow never is.
 
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I am the neighbour :)

Saddler in question is very good and has been the only fitter who has managed to find a saddle that fits like a glove, she is hard to fit wide flat withered pony, who the fitter for the Olympic horses couldn't find anything for on a bigger budget :)

If you need pads, risers etc, I may possibly have some you could try :)
 
I have seenbadly fitting saddles on natives that were fitted by Olympic/GB Team etc saddle fitters - it really is a different skill, being able to fit a big warmblood is nothing like fitting a wide flat horse. Our trees, panels, girth straps etc are all geared specifically for wider horses and ponies and we do fit slightly different to many SMS type fitters - from saddle design to little flocking "tricks". I can PM who I work for if you want to do more investigations.

In my experience the TG cob does not have a deep enough panel at the front, can be too narrow in the head for some very wide horses and can be unstable on many wide flat horses, same as the Wintec Wide. I also think that synthetic trees, even if the perfect shape with the perfect panel, can be inherently less stable than woode trees on these shaped horses.
 
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