OMG Cair!

Wagtail

Wagtail

Horse servant
Joined
2 December 2010
Messages
14,815
Location
Lincs
Visit site
Well I've just had my rock hard cair panels replaced by nice soft wool flocking at the cost of £50 and what a difference! I asked the saddler to keep what she took out of the saddle. It is no wonder the panels were so hard. There are four black air panels that are only half an inch thick and are the consistency of hard rubber. These are wrapped in a white thin type of foam varying in thickness between 2 and 5 mm and with the feel of the type of cardboard used for milk cartons. Outside of this there was a softer foam (about 5mm thick). I went to my local tack shop and had a feel of all the cair saddles there. Some felt absolutely fine, but at least half of them were hard, like mine was. So be careful when buying. There is no doubt at all that had I persevered with my cair panels, my horse would have suffered severe damage to his back, if he hadn't bucked me off first!
 
First job when I get to the yard will be to check mine! Though I am steeling myself to have to get a different saddle for my young horse, when he comes home...

Thanks for the heads up.
 
Vetwrap said:
First job when I get to the yard will be to check mine! Though I am steeling myself to have to get a different saddle for my young horse, when he comes home...

Thanks for the heads up.
Click to expand...

The part that was the worst was down the gullet. Even through my sheepskin numnah, when I put my forearm down the gullet and twisted, the panels felt like concrete against my arm. No wonder my boy had panicked when I girthed him up. He's got a saddle phobia as it is and it's taken me ages to get him used to his flocked saddle. Now this has set him back. Hopefully, when he realises it's softer he will get over his fear again.
 
I have two Cair saddles, one wonderful, soft, horse loves it and one still quite soft but not as squidgy as the first and same horse HATES it (identical in all other ways! - it belongs to my other horse, who also hates it) .... It's been sitting round for over a year now, unused, but will be going to workshop when my chap is muscled up to have the Cair removed and then be fitted to him with flock :)
 
MissTyc said:
I have two Cair saddles, one wonderful, soft, horse loves it and one still quite soft but not as squidgy as the first and same horse HATES it (identical in all other ways! - it belongs to my other horse, who also hates it) .... It's been sitting round for over a year now, unused, but will be going to workshop when my chap is muscled up to have the Cair removed and then be fitted to him with flock :)
Click to expand...

Strange how they can be so different isn't it? I just rode my boy in the saddle that has now been flocked and he's fine. A little bit forward still, but that's because he takes ages to get used to a new saddle even if it's perfect. So hopefully I can start to get back to where I was with him before buying the new saddle. :)
 
I'm also not a fan. Had mine replaced with flock a couple of years ago. Must be much comfier for the horse and makes it easier to make minor adjustments to the fit. :)
 
Glad you got it sorted and you actually got to see what is in that panel!
It's surprising what I have found in other saddles, you don't want to know!
Oz :)
 
unicornleather said:
Glad you got it sorted and you actually got to see what is in that panel!
It's surprising what I have found in other saddles, you don't want to know!
Oz :)
Click to expand...

I can't understand why they sell them for so much more than the flocked. The materials used look so cheap and tacky. Thanks for your help though. My saddler did it for £50. She is a master saddler but not a qualified fitter, so I had to trust my own judgement there. I wouldn't have known that the quote of nearly £200 from Milners to come out and do it was rather high if you hadn't have advised me.
 
detest cair.

have had both my innovas gutted and replaced with flock, one horse wasnt bothered when we initially tried the saddle on him with the cair but the other rodeo bronced in the stable, hence i dont trust it at all!
 
love mine had it years. work on a yard with quite a few and never had a problem but guess its like anything everyone has different experiances and not all will be good. i have herd some horror storys for treeless saddles, wow saddles, flair saddles and traditional saddles, latex panels and so on. yet i would happily use them all if i felt they were right and it was working and the horse was happy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top