Saddle pads / gel pads / back savers..... Which one?

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runaway

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Can you please give any suggestions/feed back/ideas on which ones are worth their money?

Paris, my dad's horse, is the most sensitive horse we have owned. He's got extremely high withers too. We have saddles fitted by a qualified saddler and they fit for an initial few months then sore patchs/white hairs start to appear. We get the saddler back out to check them when this happens but there is rarely anything he can do without totally changing the balance of the saddle to alleviate (sp?) the areas of pressure. So Dad's looking into what pads are on the market to use with the saddle.

Dad's read about the Mark Todd acupressure pad but is reluctant to order one due to the cost. Has anyone got an opinion on a possible solution without changing saddles. The current leather saddle fits but we would like to cushion his back as his is so very thin skinned/sensitive :(
 
Prolite pads are fantastic, as they don't change the fit of the saddle significantly. Otherwise, sheepskin numnahs such as LeMieux may work well?
 
i'd be thinking of changing your saddler to be honest...or trying different makes of saddle?
and maybe considering M2M? my mare has a slight banana shaped back and a tiny bit bum high - no matter what off the peg saddle i used it seemed fine for a bit then she'd start to get pressure points either side of the withers - saddler was scratching her head saying she was sure saddle fitted and i was adament it didn't as saddles should not cause such pressure points... she played and played with different widths - told me to bung a thick sheepskin pad on and kept saying she was sure it fitted...
i think got saddler out who did M2M and he held up a 'normal' tree on her back and it all suddenly became clear - normal (straightish) trees for most horses were actuall being pushed down into her shoulder points - he put a slightly banana shaped tree on and it followed the contour of her back - perfect :) pleased to say nearly a year on and saddle is still fitting perfectly and i now had a dressage version too :)
shows how saddlers can get it wrong sometimes ;)
but... if i was to recommend a pad - i'd say prolite ones are good :)
 
I got a Mark Todd pad and odn't like it as it is too thik and unless being used on a saddle too wide for the horse makes the saddle too narrow and pinch. A prolite would be a good ieda to try.
 
The most success I had with a horse that that had a very prominent wither was to purchase a saddle with a cut back pommel like this as it meant the wither problem could essentially be ignored :o and how the saddle fitted the rest of the horse could be addressed... however since that time I have found and I really like this way of thinking :D :D

...sorry it is no help with pads :o :)
 
I agree with posie honey, change your saddler. If white hairs are appearing that is alot of pressure, which is basically killing off the cells that produce pigmented hair. Because you ride for a relatively short period of time, blood gets back into the muscles when saddle is removed so sores are avoided. But if you were to ride in the saddle all day you would have an open sore. if the saddler says he cant do anything then you really do need to change as that is unacceptable- he has insufficient knowledge to fit your horse.

If there are white hairs and sore patches the saddle does not fit! All a pad will do is move pressure from one area to another and you will get a problem in a different place. High wither conformation requires a specific tree and panel combination, to clear the withers and spine. Going narrower to lift the saddle (for example) isnt the answer and use of a pad will definately make the saddle narrower anyway.

Your dad is going to have to put his hand in his pocket for the welfare of the horse. Its also a safety issue for the riders as sooner or later the horse is going to get fed up with being ridden in a saddle that creates sores. Have you ever worn a pair of uncomfortable shoes?! And thats on your feet, not around your spine and carrying the weight of a person too.

A well fitted saddle does not create pressure points.

Buying a pad is a waste of money as it wont help.
 
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your responses.

posie_honey what you have experienced sounds very familiar and very interesting - have had pressure points appear 1) either side of withers 2) one side to back of saddle and now 3) mid point of panel either side of spine :( Not all in one go but in the course of trying to get a saddle to fit!

It can be very disheartening and you take what the "professional" says as gospel and start to think that it's just how the horse is and you'll do the best you can with what you've got. Especially when you keep having to buy new saddles (think dad's had 2 if not 3 new saddles so has lost a load p/x them in!!!)

I will discuss it with Dad and see what he thinks as I do think your experience in having a horse with a banana type shape to their back is interesting.

Thanks everyone you've all been really helpful.
 
Get a saddle that fits, its obvious in you case your saddle doesnt.

No amount of padding (front/rear risers) will make a saddle fit correctly, they just hide the problems.

Any pads you use under a saddle (as in making it fit) it will only alter it, I agree they do come in handy when they alter shape (loose weight/muscle etc) as we can't always afford to be buying new saddles every few months.

As mentioned above I agree, the prolites are a good pad, there not too thick and provide a nice cushion (if the pannels on your saddle are not as forgiving, some are softer than others).

Lots of saddles are made on different shapes of tree, its finding the 'make' the the model that will suit your horses shape, you don't have to go for a made to measure (which is a good idea) but it will take you longer and lot of hassle trying different makes to find the one to suite your horse, so unless your saddler has about 800 saddles in stock (like mine :D) I'd go for a M2M like someone else said.

Hope you get sorted :)
 
i would be very worried about a saddler who is happy for you to keep using a saddle which is causing white hairs.

i would be looking for a new saddler before looking at pads in your position i'm afraid.
 
Thanks for input, I believe the saddler has only been trying a couple of makes on Paris so the points about trying different makes is very interesting and rational. It may sound like we're muppets but sometimes when you're not in touch with loads of horsey people that often you can only discuss what you think/know and it needs another opinion /line of thought to open the issue up.
 
runaway said:
Thanks for input, I believe the saddler has only been trying a couple of makes on Paris so the points about trying different makes is very interesting and rational. It may sound like we're muppets but sometimes when you're not in touch with loads of horsey people that often you can only discuss what you think/know and it needs another opinion /line of thought to open the issue up.
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hey don't worry - as you say you're looking for more advice now - and you're following your gut instinct that saddle is not right. it's really hard when a professional tells you something - you tend to belive it.

i had my saddler shouting at me telling me it was my fault for putting saddle on wrong, horses fault for being a mare, that she'd changed shape (in a week!) and that she's obviously over sensitive to saddles, it's rememberd pain and how dare i question her fitting ability....

but i was SURE it was wrong still - but everyone only ever banged on about WIDTH of tree - and never the actual shape of tree fitting - i even did a thread on here that pin pointed the pressure points that ended up with arguments betwen folk if the saddle was too wide or narrow ;)

it was only when i got out a saddler who held up trees to her back (normal makes as well as his specific trees ;)) did it all click - he immediatly said look at the shape of the tree and the shape of her back - that 0.5cm lift in the middle of a straight tree - off the shelf makes - was causing all the problems - no other saddler realised that. prob is - maybe another horse would not have reacted adversly to that and would have worked still - prob is my mare came to me with issues due to a bad saddle before and is paranoid about her back

i'm not saying that is the specific problem with you - but i'd def get a few more opinions etc

my heart goes out to you though - saddle issues suck :(
 
This isn't the best of pictures as he's not stood square, has poo mark, etc and it's a year old but this gives you a bit of an idea what we're dealing with.

This is he - Paris.

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