Seat savers

[Boulty]

Hi my saddle & my arse are not getting along when I have to sit in it for more than a couple of hours (it’s a Stubben… need I say more?).

Have decided I’m buying my arse a seat saver but looking for opinions on which is best for comfort if spending 3 or 4 hrs in the saddle mainly in walk.

Debating the HM one as I liked my Flexee when I had one but not sure what kind of feel the seat saver will give / if it would be too bulky?

Also thinking about the acavello gel ones which I guess would cope better if it got wet (or would it just make it really slippery?) but worried it may not be padded enough.

Or any other thoughts on other brands & styles?

 

[tda]

I actually got an acavello gel out for the stickiness, not because my saddle is uncomfortable, but I actually don't like it, I realised I like to be able to move about a bit, and when you get on if not completely centred it's awkward to try and move!
Just remembered I have a HM one too that I got 2nd hand when they were popular but i have never used it

 

[meleeka]

I have a Acavello one and an HM one. I prefer the Acavello one. I have the gel out, but if just for comfort the gel in one would be perfect. The HM one is very thick and can make you feel perched on the saddle, but your seat bones won’t hurt.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Gel out acavello too

 

[MereChristmas]

I found the HM too thick and rigid.
On another saddle I found the Acavallo sticky one fine
I used the Shires supafleece on a third but all of them filled the seat area too much.

 

[sbloom]

Seat savers can help but ultimately it's usually that the seat shape doesn't suit your pelvis, something we don't take into account enough. Actually fitting your pelvis offers so much more benefit it's worth considering a saddle that suits you better. Stubbens tend to have narrowish seats, that may be the problem (seatbones hanging off too near or at the welting) but it could be anything

Acavallo - gel out is too sticky to allow for good aiding and mobility in the seat, gel in can mark the seat of the saddle.

You could try something like Thinline and then experiment with padding underneath it so changing the shape of the seat to better suit you. The Thinline is good for impact on your back, less good for major cushioning, used as is.

 

[Fransurrey]

Is it worth considering a HM hip saver to soften the sharpness of the seat? I use one because of coccyx issues, but it also moulds to my bottom and tailors the twist to my pelvis. I'm not sure Acavallo would help in your instance, as they're uniform in their thickness. When first put on the saddle it feels like perching on a brick, but even in winter it soon softens and becomes like a comfy armchair.

 

[Boulty]

I am aware a new saddle would be the ideal but not financially possible to afford what I think I’d want atm (maybe at some point in next few years…).

Think I’m just going to have to see if I can order / try a few different ones and see what I can make work. Interesting idea re a hip saver being less bulky than a full seat saver

 

[Jambarissa]

My favourite is the HM but it does tend to tip you forward.

I replaced it with an acavallo gel out and it was nowhere near as comfy but I persevered and do quite like it now. Looks shabby quickly though and is forever covered in hairs. I guess the gel in would be better for those issues.

I've also got a lovely thick sheepskin one, i wanted to put a thin layer of memory foam under it to emulate the HM but have never got round to it.

 

[Jambarissa]

I wasn't aware that the hip saver was different to the seat saver, mines a 20 year old seat saver, may have to look at a hip saver now

 

[Caski]

I am aware a new saddle would be the ideal but not financially possible to afford what I think I’d want atm (maybe at some point in next few years…).

Think I’m just going to have to see if I can order / try a few different ones and see what I can make work. Interesting idea re a hip saver being less bulky than a full seat saver

I have an HM brown one if you would like it?

 

[MuddyMonster]

I use the Shires supafleece one.

It's super comfortable - the longest adventure done is about 8 hours in it.

It's about £25 so super reasonable too.

 

[vhf]

I recently acquired the gel out one. Mostly to try and help with chronic pain, but accepting that the pain/associated weakness has made me feel very insecure in the saddle on an OTTB! It's a second hand one and so isn't really sticky any more and not a hair magnet - I can move freely in the saddle but feel both more comfortable and more secure because I can sit into it. I resisted for years because I was sure I'd feel stuck/perched/etc. after previous experiences on other people's set-ups. But it's worked for me, for now at least. If it stops I've not wasted a lot of money and I can resell.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

A really thick real sheepskin I find are the best and most comfortable.

 

[Birker2020]

Hi my saddle & my arse are not getting along when I have to sit in it for more than a couple of hours (it’s a Stubben… need I say more?).

Have decided I’m buying my arse a seat saver but looking for opinions on which is best for comfort if spending 3 or 4 hrs in the saddle mainly in walk.

Debating the HM one as I liked my Flexee when I had one but not sure what kind of feel the seat saver will give / if it would be too bulky?

Also thinking about the acavello gel ones which I guess would cope better if it got wet (or would it just make it really slippery?) but worried it may not be padded enough.

Or any other thoughts on other brands & styles?

Acavallo - very comfortable for long hacks. I wore a hole in mine due to my weird back and the movement I make in the saddle when riding due to my back but it lasted a long time.

 

[Fransurrey]

I am aware a new saddle would be the ideal but not financially possible to afford what I think I’d want atm (maybe at some point in next few years…).

Think I’m just going to have to see if I can order / try a few different ones and see what I can make work. Interesting idea re a hip saver being less bulky than a full seat saver

I think you misunderstand me. It's not less bulky, just more malleable.

 

[cobgoblin]

I thought the HM hip savers were only for treeless saddles, to give them more of a twist.

 

[Wheresthehoofpick]

I always go on these threads and talk about vaginal atrophy and the menopause. I also have back issues. Total wreck!

However…. I am the self entitled queen of the seat saver.

HM - you have to let them warm up. They are grim when you first sit
on them. Mine sat unused for months until I worked this out. You have to have enough saddle seat to sit them in as they are bulky and you can end up hardly in the saddle.

Acavello - gel out. Hated the stickiness.

Acavello- gel in. I have the different relief options and the extra thick. These really helped.

shires supa fleece. - good but then upgraded to proper sheepskin.

Le Mieux sheepskin. - I really like these for very long rides. Warm in winter, cool in summer. Rubbish if it rains before you get on.

Ultimately I ended up with HRT and a new saddle for one horse. Can’t afford a second new one. I still use sheepskin every day and the gel out if I am feeling sore.

I bought all of mine second hand via FB and ebay. People sell them all the time.

 

[Fransurrey]

I thought the HM hip savers were only for treeless saddles, to give them more of a twist.

Not to my knowledge. There are special ones for treeless saddles. Mine would not fit most treeless, as it's the same cut as the normal HM seat saver, just more 3-dimensional.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I don’t use one anymore but I did but the gel
In for my previous saddle and was worried about the gel marking the seat. I cut a bit of think cotton, I think it was from a pillow case! And put it between the saddle and seat saver. It stayed in place and didn’t mark the saddle at all.
I also have a HM and I think whilst someone above has mentioned them being a bit stiff and bulky once broken in that are really comfortable.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I loved my HM, had one from when they were first brought out. They are bulky, but didn't feel bulky to sit on IYSWIM.

They don't stick you to the saddle like the modern seat savers do, I hate sticky bum breeches for the same reason. I like to be able to move.

The late chestnut git would certainly have upped his strike rate of dumping me once a year if I hadn't had a HM seat saver on his saddle, though .

 

[splashgirl45]

I am aware a new saddle would be the ideal but not financially possible to afford what I think I’d want atm (maybe at some point in next few years…).

Think I’m just going to have to see if I can order / try a few different ones and see what I can make work. Interesting idea re a hip saver being less bulky than a full seat saver

Have sent you a PM today

 

[sbloom]

My favourite is the HM but it does tend to tip you forward.

They'd be more prone to tipping people backmof they didn't suit as they can make the twist wider. It may be you're compensating for that, or the cantle shape (high or starting too far under your set) combines with the extra bulk to tip you forwards.

I wasn't aware that the hip saver was different to the seat saver, mines a 20 year old seat saver, may have to look at a hip saver now

Not to my knowledge. There are special ones for treeless saddles. Mine would not fit most treeless, as it's the same cut as the normal HM seat saver, just more 3-dimensional.

They're for different purposes, they do make more of a pronounced twist on a saddle, sort of narrower, whereas the seat saver if anything makes it wider. We all need different shapes underneath us to support us correctly.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I had a HM. Awful thing! Like sitting on sandpaper, only managed to stick it for 30mins - and that was a LONG 30mins. Dang thing, rubbed me in all the wrong bits.