Half pad for high withers, down hill build

[CHT]

New project horse has been a little difficult for saddle fit. He is 9, but hardly ridden since being started 4 or 5 years ago, so not a lot of back muscle. He has a high (but not long) wither, is on the narrow side of medium, and after his wither, his back slopes upwards again. His shoulders are big.

He absolutely hates if the saddle pad touches his withers, so I have bought him a Weatherbeeta pad with the Velcro that does up to the D-rings which fits his back contour well, but I would feel better if I could also get some sort of half pad on him until his back fills out (rather than buy a medium/narrow saddle).

I have three saddle options for him, unfortunately the two that fit him the best, both have narrow channels, and I find as soon as I add a half pad, this makes the channel beside his wither a tad too close for my comfort. Are their any high wither half pads that will leave good spinal clearance? I was almost thinking of a pad made for a treeless saddle as an option, but I haven’t seen an English one to know if they would curve up enough off the withers.

[Scribbler]

Can you get a cutback half pad? Like the Total Saddle Fit wither relief shim pad? I have this on order haven’t seen it yet though

[akhunterrider]

I have a slightly downhill horse that is picky about saddle fit. I recently bought a le mieux sheepskin half pad that is really nice for the money (under $120). The wither area is contoured. Full disclosure: I haven’t used in on the picky downhill horse yet, but it will be used on him this evening.

[Against_All_Odds1]

I am pretty smitten with the invictus shimmable pad.

[CHT]

I wedged felt shims under the panels to address fit/shape, but want some additional padding without pinching at the withers. I just need something to work for the next month or two. I don’t think I need a shim pad now.

@Scribbler

Can you get a cutback half pad? Like the Total Saddle Fit wither relief shim pad? I have this on order haven’t seen it yet though

Can you let me know how it looks/works for you? I was worried about pressure points on the V area as I wasn’t sure how you would pull it up into the gullet.

[Belmont]

You might try the Lami-Cell half pad. Generally keeps it’s shape, holds the saddle up off the high withered horses, and since he’s more downhill you shouldn’t have to worry too much about it sitting your saddle too downhill. Also it’s a cheap option to try!

[Redlei44]

@CHT Do the d loops on that weatherbeeta pad work? Do they really keep the front of the pad wedged up into the pommel instead on creeping down to the withers?

[CHT]

@Redlei44

@CHT Do the d loops on that weatherbeeta pad work? Do they really keep the front of the pad wedged up into the pommel instead on creeping down to the withers?

I haven’t found the pad tries to slip down at all yet, so they haven’t really come into play: the shape of the pad seems to do the job of staying into the gullet all on its own.

[eq6375]

The equifit non slip contour half pad is my personal favorite. My horse has high withers and a downhill build as well and it’s been great. It also comes in 2 different thicknesses depending on what you need.

[keatssu]

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/roma-protek-wither-relief-pad-5431

A friend recommended this for my young, downhill horse. I had been using a pad with shims, but the shims would flatten out over time, and they would also not stay in exactly the right place because the spine would flatten out. This pad holds its shape, so it will not touch the withers. For that price, I figured it was worth a try, and it works great.