Hi, my horses saddle doesn’t fit 100% because he has slightly narrow withers and a bit of a sway back. Right now I am using a quilted half pad frome horze, but I want to find something with more shock absorbtion and padding
does anyone know something that provides lots of comfort that isn’t crazily expensive?
I would use a Mattes shim pad so you can custom shim it. But a Mattes can add a lot of bulk and may make the saddle too tight.
An ECP pad is thinner and cheaper but get rid of the crap foam shims that come with it and buy felt shims. The cheap foam ones compress too much and become useless. Your best bet is to work with a good saddle fitter to help you with the shims to make sure you have the right thinkness in the right place. Most horses are not even left to right and may need 3 shims on the back right and only 2 shims on the back left. The fitter should also be able to show you how to know when to remove or add a shim in a different place as the horses’s muscling changes.
I wouldn’t say that the ECP or the Mattes pads are great shock absorbers but I think it is more important to make sure the saddle fits well or that you shim it to relieve any pressure points. Putting a shock pad on a saddle that bridges won’t do you any good. I find that a horse with narrow withers and a sway back the saddle is likely to bridge so you have pressure points in the front and back.
Thinline used to have a shimmable pad that you could pad front, back or middle. Most shimmable pads it is only back or front shims and no middle.
How much does it cost to have a saddle fitter out? And yes thinline does make a pad you can shim in three places
I love this pad by Thinline: https://www.thinlineglobal.com/shop/english-saddle-pads/cotton-trifecta-correction-half-pad
I like that you can get the shims in different thicknesses. I only need the thin shims in the front but I love that the thinline material is under the entire saddle, providing shock absorption.
How do you know where you need shims?
Well for me, there just wasn’t quite enough space between the pommel and my horses withers. I will eventually have my saddle properly fitted so that no shims are needed. The ultra thinline shim, 3/16" thickness, provided just that extra little bit of space over the withers for my peace of mind.
I would assume you would know that you need the middle shim if the saddle was bridging, that’s when the saddle makes contact at the front and back but not in the middle, common with sway back horses.
And the back ones you would use if the saddle appeared to be too high in front, tipping too low in back
I’m by no means a saddle fitter so if you’re unsure I would ask a professional. Sometimes if you take pictures of the saddle on the horses back and send them to a saddle fitter they will be willing to give you some free basic advice, but make sure you contact them and ask first 
Thinline is awesome. It has made a huge difference for my back and my pony likes it. How thick of a pad do you need to stop the bridging and fill in what is needed?
You need to add shims under the saddle where needed to prevent pressure points. For a sway back I usually have to fill in the middle to bring everything level. The Wintec rear lift saddle pad can help with some.
On ASB’s with low backs we use this pad and it works fairly well.
http://www.mcconnellshorsesupply.com/saddle-pads/saddle-pad-tacky-tack-low-back-pad-equi-tech/
How do I know where to shim a saddle?
I’m pretty sure it’s bridging just slightly, but I’m not very good with sadly fit, that’s why I’ve been looking at a nice pad to help correct it
I’m not sure how thick of a pad I need, and I need to fill the middle.
Is it a significant dip or slightly low back due to fitness? Post a pic, everyone likes pictures of pretty horses!
Look at the invictus half pads
It normally cost me around $125-150 for the saddle fitter to come out, assess the saddle, take wither tracings and any flocking changes. She assesses fit both in the aisle and while I ride. I would think that price will vary based on area of the country.
Can your trainer help with saddle fit and shimming until you get a fitter out? Remember many trainers don’t know much about saddle fit so don’t automatically assume he/she knows much more than you do.
It’s a pretty significant dip due to the fact that he is 25, and okay!
Okay thank you, and sadly I don’t have a trainer
If the dip is pretty significant, you may need something thicker than the Thinline shimmable pad to help the fit. The Ogilvy half pads are a thicker option, although they don’t have as much shock absorption as the Thinline IMO. If you don’t have someone knowledgeable about saddle fit to help you, it is worth paying to have the saddle fitter come out - good half pads are expensive and you don’t want to waste money on something that won’t work. If you post pictures here showing how the saddle fits, people may be able to give you some better observations.
Okay thank you
Ecogold ! 100%
There is a pad you can get that’s just a gel (?) pad that goes in the center where you might be bridging. It’s a small oval shaped pad and you would use it with a regular pad to correct the bridging. They are a little spendy so you might be able to find something similar.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
