saddle slipping GRRRRR

ticobay831

ticobay831

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any advise please , my lad had his saddle checked last year and all was fine, hes a bit on the heavy side at the moment but not herendously, he hasnt got any withers either which also dosent help.
Its mainly when we canter, it dosnt feel very secure and i really dont want to do his girth up any tighter, im trying to get weight of him but its not moving very fast, when hes slimmed down a bit the saddlers coming out to have another look at it, but in the mean time its driving me maddddddddd....
 
I had a Limpet pad for my barrel shaped mare which kind of "stuck" my saddle to her. The only problem was you needed to get on carefully from a mounting block or it woujld slip a little when you mounted and then stay slipped :rolleyes:

I don't know if they are still sold but it was called Limpet I'm sure x
 
yeas i have seen them, but read some pretty scarey things about them, so wasnt sure, my lads pretty sensative and they were on about them sticking to the horses back and ripping the hair out, and horse going mad when they've got them on, spose they could have put them on wrong, not sure really but i had second thoughts...
 
I would just get the fitter out asap, a saddle that truly fits should not need any sticky pad. You may find different girthing options help, but I would call the fitter and ask him or her. Some horses don't have to change much in shape to start the saddle slipping.
 
sbloom said:
I would just get the fitter out asap, a saddle that truly fits should not need any sticky pad. You may find different girthing options help, but I would call the fitter and ask him or her. Some horses don't have to change much in shape to start the saddle slipping.
Click to expand...

^^^ This. I had similar problem and had to get re-fitted. Made all the difference :D
 
I have a roly poly with no withers and had the same problem. The saddle was professionally fitted but still slipped, there is noting to wedge in central. I used an Acavallo thin gel pad which helped but then I tried a flexi girth and combined with the pad we don't slip at all. If you google flexi girth you will see you can try before you buy so you don't waste any money if it doesn't work for you.
 
Even roly poly horses with no wither should have saddles that don't move and don't need a sticky pad - we need to redefine what actually constitutes a well-fitting saddle! Occasionally, if a saddle slips to one side (and may indicate a mild asymmetry) then asymmetric girthing might be needed, and for truly "wonky" backs then a shim pad may be needed, but otherwise saddles should not slip.
 
I have a limpet pad and my other saddle has a Thorowgood Cob saddle pad that has the grip pad built in which is good if your worried about adding things under his saddle.

Don't use a girth with elastic ends as they can cause the saddle to slip round. If you feel you need elastic in your girth then try a Wintec which has the elastic in the middle

Don't forget to check your balance...if it only happens in canter then check your position as you maybe putting weight on one side more than the other.

Saddles do slip backwards, forwards, sideways and this happens on all shape horses and it doesn't necessarily mean your saddle doesn't fit.
 
I don't agree with theory that all properly fitted saddles don't slip.
If you have a true roly poly with no withers, it's like trying to keep a saddle on a plastic drum, there is nothing to keep it central.
Even just the movement of the horse moving is enough to roll it side to side especially on something over weight aswell.
 
Just to add, do you have a girth with elastic at one end? When I got my saddle checked, the saddler told me for the rounder types, either elastic at both ends or no elastic would reduce slipping. Definitely get your saddler out for a look though.
 
I have the saddle checked regularly, but i will get it checked again asap.
He has a foreward girth line so he has the foreward curved wintec dressage girth with cair, as hes quite sensative in the girth area, which seems to be better then the last leather one i had.
I will speak to my trainer next week re my position because i was having a few issues with that but we sorted that out and im sure she would have mentioned it, if it was a problem again :-/ .
She did however mention the saddle was slightly slipping to the left and to get some wieght of him first before i called the saddler, he has his back checked regularly as well so i know thats all fine.
Thanks for all the advise, hopefully sort it ouit soon, its so frustrating...
 
My little highland has no wither and a flat back...and I have to be honest- his saddle doesn't slip at all.

My arabs did....it was all over the place until I got a properly fitted one.

Difficult when you're trying to get weight off and he will (hopefully) be changing shape often:)
 
Tonibird83 said:
I had a Limpet pad for my barrel shaped mare which kind of "stuck" my saddle to her. The only problem was you needed to get on carefully from a mounting block or it woujld slip a little when you mounted and then stay slipped :rolleyes:

I don't know if they are still sold but it was called Limpet I'm sure x
Click to expand...

You will find them on eBay.
 
jaysh said:
I don't agree with theory that all properly fitted saddles don't slip.
If you have a true roly poly with no withers, it's like trying to keep a saddle on a plastic drum, there is nothing to keep it central.
Even just the movement of the horse moving is enough to roll it side to side especially on something over weight aswell.
Click to expand...

My average fit is between an XW and XXW and I have several XXXXW horses on my books. If the tree and panel is the right shape to give good even pressure over the biggest possible panel area then no, with the right girthing (four straps give choice) the saddle should not slip. Most trees are slightly too curvy from front to back, or too nipped in at the twist, including some trees specifically sold as being suitable for the wide and flat, to truly give a stable fit. The panels must then be flat - again, even "specialist" wide saddles can often have overstuff sausage shaped panels which mean the saddle will perch and roll.

The very widest horses need a tree that is an upside down U and not a V - a V gives only a very small length of the head of the tree that can truly line up parallel with the shoulder, so there is little "grip". A U shaped tree put on a plastic barrel will give much more contact.

Wide flat horses are not easy to fit, but they can be fitted, and I stand by my statement that a well fitted saddle should not slip.
 
sbloom said:
Even roly poly horses with no wither should have saddles that don't move and don't need a sticky pad - we need to redefine what actually constitutes a well-fitting saddle! Occasionally, if a saddle slips to one side (and may indicate a mild asymmetry) then asymmetric girthing might be needed, and for truly "wonky" backs then a shim pad may be needed, but otherwise saddles should not slip.
Click to expand...

^^ This too :D
 
very interesting reading..
I got my saddle from Peter Maddsion-Greenwell, he designs them for iberians, they have wide wieght bearing panels and have a nice wide gullet, they are built on an ideal tree,
Ive had the saddle reballanced once and checked on about 3 occasions now just to make sure everythigns sitting level and its been fine.
I had the saddle when my lad was approx four and a half and he is 7 now so he has filled out quite allot.
I really do my best to make sure hes comfortable and to make sure that the saddle isnt causing him any problems tyhats whay it anoys me so much, hopefully the saddler will be able to do somthing to help, i really dont want to be forking out for another saddle for him :-/
 
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