Shimming the asymmetric horse

Caol Ila

Caol Ila

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 January 2012
Messages
8,714
Location
Glasgow
Visit site
Hermosa has some noticeable asymmetry (I wonder why...oh, wait), where the left shoulder is bigger than the right. I have a Grandeur saddle pad with pockets and have been trying to fix it with shims, but I am not sure that it is best pad for the job since it only has two large pockets, and if you are trying to shim one bit of the saddle, the shim tends to move, which isn't ideal. My shims are made out of a chopped up yoga pad. A bit of research suggests that there are better materials out there.

Just to add to the fun, the person who fitted the saddle is no longer doing yard visits, and the company who made it has completely deleted their presence from the UK internet. It was like it never existed. But my friend in Germany was able to find them, so they do kind of exist. Just not here. It's a weird leather tree Iberian thingme, so I think pigs will fly before any of the regular saddle fitters who come to the yard touch it with a bargepole. So I'm on my own, unless I get rid of it and replace it with something that people do fit, which is pretty cool...Oh, wait... Plus, I like the Iberian design. Really don't want a boring old English saddle.

I'm looking at saddle pads with a better design/materials for fitting/shimming. Edix? Mattes? Something called Ecogold? They are all kind of pricey so I'd rather get the right one straight off rather than screw around with different ones.
 
I don't know if it would be precise enough, but I've found a polite pad useful, it has three pockets and came with two thicknesses of shim for each. It wasn't cheap, but you might be able to borrow one/find one on eBay to try?
 
CanteringCarrot said:
Have you looked at what Mattes has? They have all sorts of shapes.

Konfigurator für Sattelunterlagen, Sattelgurte und mehr

Mattes Konfigurator für hochwertige Sattelunterlagen, Sattelgurte, Reitdecke und mehr. ✓ Direkt vom Hersteller ✓ Made in EU ✓ Fachberatung ➤ Jetzt Online konfigurieren und kaufen
shop.mattes-equestrian.com shop.mattes-equestrian.com
Click to expand...

Aye, I did. I like their baroque ones. I was close to getting one last year, but the pads I got were cheaper (I know!) and those had like an 8 week waiting time. I am slightly regretting being cheap and wanting instant gratification, though it's not just about instant gratification when you need something to ride your horse in.

They had an already-made Spanish one on their website at that time, but when I tried to get it, they would not ship to a UK address. F&(&9ciing Brexit. I got fed up after that.
 
Regarding asymmetric issues though we see this a lot. People do everything on the near side. There is no reason for this. Level up as much as possible. Start to mount, dismount, lead from the offside. Working your horse start on the right rein. You will soon see a difference.
 
I once sewed my own pockets onto a pad and used second hand shims from Marketplace that I then cut to size. Did the job.

You can fix asymmetry though if there is no enduring physical issue, through schooling (or groundwork if that’s your preference). I have brought spectacularly wonky horses back into work and shimmed like anything to start with, but they even out with work. My son is currently doing the same with his ex brood mare who had the wonkiest back end ever. I was watching her figure out exactly where he wanted her back legs to go on each stride yesterday, experimentally placing them more straight (she was plaiting and twisting at first) and then looking very pleased with herself!
 
Last edited:
Cloball said:
I think sbloom is a distributor of mattes in the UK and is now in Scotland?
Click to expand...
In turn yes, and I wish, it's still dragging on but I do most of them mail order (and am in Scotland a week per month till I do move). Most of the squareish shapes in the right size will look fine with an Iberian type saddle, and the shim system (two pocket) is good, and secure. Just check all measurements (I have all the sizing up on the FB group Buy and Sell Mattes UK).
 
I know you're not an unbiased source on Mattes, sbloom, ;) but is there a reason you chose to supply them over all the correction pads available?

What do you like about them, as opposed to some of the other ones?

There's just too much choice out there!

Totally off-topic (but it's my thread and I can do what I want), I see you are now selling Ghost saddles. If I continue having some glitches with Fin, I might have to look into a new saddle for him. I did not like Ghosts on Hermosa (we tried a couple), but I rode him in one that a pal had on trial, and I thought it had potential. If it comes to that, you might hear from me.
 
Kaylum said:
Regarding asymmetric issues though we see this a lot. People do everything on the near side. There is no reason for this. Level up as much as possible. Start to mount, dismount, lead from the offside. Working your horse start on the right rein. You will soon see a difference.
Click to expand...

I think the reason might be that people carried swords on their left hip, so you wanted that to be the side that was away from the horse when you mounted. But since not many riders carry swords these days.....
 
Caol Ila said:
I think the reason might be that people carried swords on their left hip, so you wanted that to be the side that was away from the horse when you mounted. But since not many riders carry swords these days.....
Click to expand...
Exactly, no reason to do this and many riders cannot mount up on the offside due to muscle memory. This is particularly noticeable when riders have to do the road safety tests and have to mount and dismount on the offside.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tda
Kaylum said:
Exactly, no reason to do this and many riders cannot mount up on the offside due to muscle memory. This is particularly noticeable when riders have to do the road safety tests and have to mount and dismount on the offside.
Click to expand...
We did this as part of a Christmas games evening at the riding school and it was absolute chaos 😂 brain starts giving 404 errors
planete said:
Have a look at Thinline Trifecta saddle pads and shims. The Comfy Horse sell them. Not cheap but the shims' edges are tapered instead of blunt cut.
Click to expand...
My saddle fitter has just put a FB post up mentioning this. She shaves them all down herself.
 
Kaylum said:
Exactly, no reason to do this and many riders cannot mount up on the offside due to muscle memory. This is particularly noticeable when riders have to do the road safety tests and have to mount and dismount on the offside.
Click to expand...
They don't have to do this any more for precisely the reason that nobody can and it is therefore more dangerous for them to try.

There are obviously loads of different reasons for asymmetry, but it isn't usually getting on from one side that does it, more that most riders are wonky once they're up there.

Oh and using saddles with tree points that dig in the horse and make it compensate by going along crooked (I like finding the dents from tree points to prove this).

I do not have a sword :)

OP I'd be having a conversation with SB about Ghost saddles and then you know you will have the back up of a good saddle fitter going forward :)
 
SpeedyPony said:
I don't know if it would be precise enough, but I've found a polite pad useful, it has three pockets and came with two thicknesses of shim for each. It wasn't cheap, but you might be able to borrow one/find one on eBay to try?
Click to expand...
this is exactly what I've used for my mare who went wonky last summer! my saddle fitter came out and made sure we had the right pads! then I did some work with her, which was recommended by my physio and now she's back to normal again, so I've taken the tri pad away.
 
Rowreach said:
They don't have to do this any more for precisely the reason that nobody can and it is therefore more dangerous for them to try.

There are obviously loads of different reasons for asymmetry, but it isn't usually getting on from one side that does it, more that most riders are wonky once they're up there.

Oh and using saddles with tree points that dig in the horse and make it compensate by going along crooked (I like finding the dents from tree points to prove this).

I do not have a sword :)

OP I'd be having a conversation with SB about Ghost saddles and then you know you will have the back up of a good saddle fitter going forward :)
Click to expand...
Haha don't they. Well it was a long time ago we were teaching it and why our horses could be mounted each side, therefore leveling up. It really does help. It was not dangerous at all. In fact it should still be taught.
 
The mattes are worth the money. I spent a few years trying cheaper options (still £200) but finally got Mattes 2nd hand, and the difference is night and day. So much so that I have 2nd one on order.
The mattes shims look like nothing, but they also work well and stack well, I find them much better than the other yoga mat type shims.
The western mattes come up secondhand reasonably often, especially if you can cope with a medium. I need the large size, which is more challenging to find.
 
I have a Prolite, Mattes, and ThinLine. All with shims. I prefer the Mattes and it's a worthwhile investment, especially if you need a "special" shape.

I did have one horse that preferred the ThinLine over the Mattes, but he didn't like sheepskin against his skin. Because horses, I guess.
 
This DIY saddle fitting thing is for the birds. I was looking at the horse today and thought the asymmetry had actually *improved.* She is still uneven but less so than she was last time I stared hard at her. So that's good. But a change in shape means that whatever I had going on no longer works, hence me finding tight parts of her bacl. I faffed with the pads yesterday, and the bit of her back that had felt tight/sore wasn't. Win! The lose was that a completely different part of her back felt tight (that had never been sore before), and when I poked around the pad, my new shim configuration was sort of poking through the bottom of the pad exactly where she was flinching. Okay, so that's not viable. Let's reconfigure the shims to get the balance right, which I managed, but without the pokey bits. Ugh.

Why is everything hard? sbloom needs me to fill out a form, but I get panicked and stressed by forms (if Fin was human, he would too), so I just feel like I have to wing it until I get it right. Be the Doctor.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: tda
Sorry about the form, feel free to type the answers into an email if that's easier! I just need lots of info, legally, and to do a good job :)

And yes Mattes are worth it, neat pockets, inexpensive felt shims that you can easily replace if you've trimmed into shapes that are no longer right for what you need. Beautifully made, top quality materials and a TON of choice in terms of colours and shapes etc, it's basically design your own pad.
 
Feeling almost more positive today. Had a lovely chat with sbloom, and today's attempt at shimming Hermosa's saddle worked a bit better. She felt happy on the hack and no soreness afterwards.

I've had a bit of an ongoing issue with Fin evading the bridle since I started bringing him back to a wee bit of work after his foot thing. He had been lunged when comfortable and taken out in hand, so not completely off work. Vet looked at his mouth on Friday. Found a few sharp edges but nothing sinister. Since getting his teeth rasped, he was improving (but no way 100%) with the bridle but then yesterday, I maybe got too ambitious, and my friend rode him on a very short hack, 99.9% in walk, with me and Hermosa. He seemed fine on the hack. But today, he was worse again with the bridle. I eventually got it on, and we went on a short in-hand wander around the yard. So, is it something else? Saddle? Does he just prefer being a big dog?

Before all this, he would lower his head and open his mouth.
 
I would recommend taking regular back photos (and if you can prop your phone somewhere while you ride, movement videos) to help track progress and changes. Once a fortnight or so. Then you can look back over time and see issues develop or resolve.

I would also say that if you can ride in a bareback pad in the arena once in a while, it’s a good indicator of saddle fit. If the horse goes better without it, then the saddle needs an adjustment. I don’t know if Fin would allow that?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top