Experiences with Shimmable Half Pads

[One_Two_Three]

I don’t want a lecture on saddle fit. No seriously, I don’t. There is a professional involved and for the sitation at hand, at this point in time shimmable half pads are needed. Currently the horse goes in THIS foam front riser. It lifts the pommel off her withers and fills in the dips behind her shoulder/around her wither giving her a well balanced and fitted saddle (for the short term). I would like to get her something that absorbs more shock/stress on her back and leaves her feeling a bit more comfortable, as this foam pad is very thin and doesn’t do much more than fill in the space and protect her withers.

I am in LOVE with THESE with the wither relief and they come with shims so I can pad up the front where I need it.

Anyone else have anything in a comparable price range that they use that is shimmable and also helps protect the back? I’m open to ALL materials as I’m not a sheepskin snob (I actually dread it because it’s a pain to clean)

[skipollo]

I use a Fleeceworks Perfect Balance half pad. It’s shimmable and pretty affordable (I got the pad and front shims for $150.) I’ve used it every day for over a year, and it’s held up great. I don’t put it directly on my horse’s back (I put a thin AP pad under it), so I haven’t washed it yet.

[ToTheNines]

Ha, no one seems to agree with anything I say lately. But here goes. One of my horses has pronounced shoulder blades that stick out wide and then leave a big dip under his wither. Then his back gets nice and broad and flat Typical half pads end up padding his shoulders, which I do NOT want. Typical half pads, for this horse, have too much padding too forward over his shoulders.

My solution was to take a shimmable Thinline half pad and make my own shims. I cut out crescent shapes at the front bottom of the shims to accomodate his shoulders. Then stuck the shims into the Thinline pad. Works great for that horse. My advice is to figure out your horse’s back and make your own shims. I actually laid front shims against his bare back and traced out the area I wanted to not shim with a sharpie. Then trimmed those parts off.

Start with a good shimmable pad. I use the plain Thinline with the cotton quilt lining and the thinline rubber sewn on. The shims were also the thinline material.

[ParadoxFarm]

For schooling, I use this. Very economical and it really helps my somewhat-swayed old horse. I only use the back shims, but it comes with both. I also have their square pad with shims for showing. http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/ECP_Correction_Half_Pad_with_Memory_Foam_Inserts/descpage-ECPHALF.html

[sheltona01]

I love these pads. I have one on my jackhammer of a horse just to help with my back. New it is 130.

http://www.prolitepads.com/balance-altering-relief-pads/29-tri-pad

[LuvMyTB]

Not quite in the price range at $250, but worth a look nonetheless:

https://ecogold.ca/shop/flip-reversible-half-pad-jumper/

Easy to clean, shimmable with memory foam, non-slip. The shims are quite thick, but compress down enough that your saddle is not “perched” on top of the horse’s back.

[Come_Shine]

Ditto on the prolite pad. I love mine, too.

[2foals]

I use a Thinline half pad with front shims on one horse, it’s very stable and seems very comfortable for him. My horse is shaped very similarly to ToTheNines’ and the Thinline has worked well. I have also thought about customizing it similarly.

I have that same Roma pad the OP as well, I don’t like it as much. I also have stayed away with the pads with three pockets, because I think that ideally a front shim should sit a little bit further back than where the first seam on the three pocket pads would allow, to fit that “hollow” behind the withers and not dig into the shoulders.

[vxf111]

There’s nothing wrong with shimming a saddle to make it fit if you’re properly shimming and it does do the trick. I’ve always liked the Mattes correction pad (with or without sheepskin depending on what you need) with Thinline inserts. You can do a whole LOT of jerryrigging with that pad because it’s got 4 different pockets.

[Madison]

I am also very happy with my Mattes shimmable half pad - my lease horse is an older guy and is a little bit out of shape, so his shape just needs a little bit of help. The 4 pockets and the adjustable shims have let me fill in and support where we need it, then gradually start removing them as we get his muscling back, and I like that they are thin so that you can make even very minor adjustments.

[hjprincess09]

Seconding the Mattes half pad - though I much preferred having the bag of wool to stuff and create own shims vs. the shimmable inserts. But having tried other half pads over the years, I keep coming back to the Mattes half pads. I think at my last count during a spring cleaning, I had 5?

[ParadoxFarm]

[QUOTE=hjprincess09;7997586]
Seconding the Mattes half pad - though I much preferred having the bag of wool to stuff and create own shims vs. the shimmable inserts. But having tried other half pads over the years, I keep coming back to the Mattes half pads. I think at my last count during a spring cleaning, I had 5?[/QUOTE]

Explain said bag of wool! (intrigued).

[vxf111]

You can buy felt at the fabric store and cut it up to whatever shape you want. Or memory foam or whatever material you desire.

[FoxyRoxy1507]

I also use this pad and have thrown it in the washer multiple times and my horse loves it.

http://www.bigdweb.com/Exselle-Saddle-Fitting-Shims/productinfo/158527S/