She is tubular. Honestly. Barely any wither, large round shoulders. We have a saddle that was made to accommodate the shoulders, no prob, but it is incredibly difficult to get the girth tight enough to keep the saddle from slipping bit to either side. I do use a ventilated non slip neoprene girth, a billet connecting elastic breast plate and the suede underside saddle pads(ogilvy, I think). I think the main problem comes from the Ogilvy half pad I use-I did not want to like these pads and actively refused to have one when they were initially so popular, but I’ll be darned if they don’t keep MY back comfortable while riding! Does anyone have a magic girth that is truly non-slip? Or a pad suggestion? Do I need to move to a 5 point breastplate?Please offer suggestions!
As an aside-this is a hunter and for the life of me, I can’t remember if breastplates are legal? I would obviously use something like the nice Prestige one (https://www.farmhousetack.com/products/prestige-d35-breastplate?variant=36646465142933) She doesn’t need any attachments, just the breastplate. TIA
Breastplates are legal in hunters, although I’m unsure if 5-point ones are legal. The one you linked to should be fine though.
In my own past experience with “round” horses, the problem wasn’t so much that the girths would slip back and forth, but that the skin underneath the girth would shift with the girth. If that’s what’s happening here, I’m not sure that a “stickier” girth would help you out.
You also don’t mention if she’s overweight at all. If she is, helping her shed a few lbs will probably help your cause out, as IME the extra fluff tends to exacerbate the skin shifting problem. If she’s not (totally possible), I would try ditching the half pad and see if having the saddle closer to her back helps limit how far it can shift. You could always get one of those memory foam seat covers to help cushion your back, without adding extra bulk between her and the saddle.
edit: It seems Acavallo has a range of seat covers that might fit the bill for you if you choose to ditch the Ogilvy pad.
I have a horse that is a barrel with 4 legs. Originally when I got him I had a neoprene girth and a ecogold sticky pad to keep the saddle from moving, and it still moved. Once I finally got a saddle fitted wide enough (a hoop tree saddle, not a regular A shape) for him I stopped having issues. I can now ride him in any girth/saddle pad situation I want.
So I’d look into saddle fit. Duett makes hoop tree ones. I recently got a killington for him which fits him even better than his duett. The trick with these horses is when you think the saddle is wide enough, you probably need to go just a touch wider.
Thanks to both-she is a thicc girl for sure, but it is a constant struggle to keep her weight down. RB, dry lot, muzzle 100% when on pasture, ridden 5X weekly, 1st cut hay only. I had a custom saddle made for her-it fits. But her conformation is such that a saddle will always be subject to side ways motion-there is no wither plane to stop it. She is only 6 and I am hopeful that her withers may still pop up in the next year or two. If I crank my girth tight enough, the saddle will not shift. It just seems tighter than either of us would like it to be. That may be my solution though…
I really do like this non-slip pad for my round little mare: https://www.bigdweb.com/product/code/EP702.do. It cuts down most of the slipping when her weight is above optimal.
I hate to be the person who says this because 0% of people want to hear this, but a lot of saddle fitters are not familiar with fitting hoop tree saddles and will try to fit a square peg into a round hole. I had this exact thing happen to me. Awesome saddle fitter, had great results with other horses with her, but she was adamant that the A type saddle she had fit my horse. it didnt, and i struggled with keeping it from rolling until i got my duett.
It wouldnt hurt to try to find a used duett to take on trial. They arent my favorite saddles (especially for hunters) but if it stops the sliding issue then at least you know what you need to be looking for.
Yep. Wide body Warmblood mare needed an Antares AO2 (extra wide) tree. Probably could have used AO3 ( not sure they make that).
The Professional Choice VenTECH girth stops most of the slight slipping back.
We used to use one of these on another of our horses underneath the saddle pad to help prevent slipping at shows. Saddle would slip back.
https://www.bigdweb.com/product/jacks+gel+eze+under+bandage+each.do
I think a breast plate is intended to help prevent the saddle slipping back. I don’t know about side to side? You might try the blue gel eze.
Good luck.
Definitely try a different half pad… round + thick padding doesn’t tend to be the be the best combination IME. Thin options I can think of off the top of my head are Thinline (not the sheepskin), Acavello, and Antares.
I actually have those blue gel pads and never even thought about using it! I will try that. I fully realize that my choice of half pad is problematic. But I have zero lower back pain since I started using it and I am super hesitant to switch it up! I guess these are the compromises we make!lol! Thanks for the suggestions everyone-I really appreciate it.
If the saddle is that unstable it does not fit. It still doesn’t fit even if you think it does, and no matter how many times you say it does. It does not fit. Sorry.
Withers are not required to stabilize a saddle. Correct fit is. A correctly fitted saddle is stable.
Regarding your own back comfort, many people like the ultra-thin line pads. The ones that are just a thin sheet of rubber, no fleece, no cotton, no shim pockets. They are thin enough to not effect saddle fit. Though I have to wonder if part of the problem is that the horse’s back is tight due to not having a properly fitted saddle. Often once that is fixed, the horse’s back softens and the rider is noticeably more comfortable.
I also have some spinal issues, and I use an Invictus pad and absolutely love it. Way thinner than an Oglivy. I also have a roly poly so I feel your pain!
