Saddles with foam/latex panels

[Orchardbeck]

Can you add shims to these saddles, and would you have to drop the panel to do this? Also would there be any reason to do this - would it have a particular effect, say for example you had a horse with a dipped back?

I am using a working hunter saddle on my mare which has foam panels and she seem to really like it, but I think it bridges a little on her. I am working with a fitter, they have just widened it for me and I am havin to use a prolite wither pad to fill in the pockets behind her withers, along with a nuumed half pad and I wondered if there was a better solution.

You can't change the flocking in a latex panel so I wondered if it was worth suggesting panel shims - but thought i'd ask on here first!

 

[flyingfeet]

To be honest if you are shimming I'd use a pad rather than mess with the saddle, as if the horse changes shape and builds up muscle you'll need to undo your fixes. There are some really good pads with multiple shims by Mattes

 

[sbloom]

Just have a poke about and see where there are gaps where you can squeeze something like a Mattes felt shim in, I've done it a few times, but ultimately it's probably safer to play with a proper Mattes pad, much nicer than Prolite etc - cooler, doesn't bottom out or bounce and is a neater solution than your current set up as all shims are inside the pad. Adding shims to a foam panelled saddle doesn't mean actually taking anything apart, you can just slide them in very carefully between panel and tree.

Beware thinking a saddle is bridging - so often it is just a couple of mm in the middle of the back "in the cross ties" but as soon as the horse is moving the back lifts and flattens. If you start to see daylight etc then you do have a bridging issue but unless you have signs of pressure or movement front and back I'd see how you go first. Did the fitter think it was bridging?

 

[Orchardbeck]

Thanks jen_cots, i'd love a mattes pad but finances don't allow just yet!

And sbloom, I have some felt rear shims from another saddle that I have had a poke about with this afternoon - it was much easier than I thought, I got the saddler to fit them last time. I tried it on and it seems to give more contact in the middle - there was a bigger gap on Tues when the saddler came out. She was worried about the gap in the middle, but as everything is temporary I don't want to mess with the saddle if I can help it this time.

The prolite does look messy, and I would like to get rid of it if I can, and just use a half pad - the mattes one would be the perfect solution, they are just so expensive!

Does it matter what shape the shim is? For eg, the ones. I have used are rear ones but I have moved it to the middle section of the panel - i'm guessing that should be ok, as it won't be a big ridge with the panel distributing the pressure?

 

[cremedemonthe]

Sbloom I'm not following you around the forum tonight honestly but how do you type so fast!
Sbloom is spot on with the shimming, I've done several foam panels, if you judge it correctly you can cut up and make the foam (I used seat foam) fit, effectively shimming it up where needed.
I've even as a temporary measure shoved a handful of flock in between the tree and panel to lift it up!
Oz