Still looking for a saddle for my young horse. I’ve tried saddles with latex panels and wool panels. She seems to like the close contact latex panels better. I am getting her an all purpose/jump saddle right now until she is more developed. What have been your experiences with your horses? Thanks!
The problem with latex/foam panels is they cannot be restuffed. Well, these days they can, but it’ll cost ya.
Older foam panels would eventually flatten, and then you were done. You ended up having to use all sorts of extra pads, lollipops and half pads etc.
OTOH–I think the materials have probably come a LONG way, and if the price is right, and the horse likes, and it’s a ‘starter’ saddle with plans to upgrade in the future anyway…
I have a Princeness and the Pea stallion, who is the fussiest horse I’ve ever met–not in a naughty or bad way, but when he LIKES something, it’s quite obvious vs. ‘very slightly dislike.’ Sue Schurer is a saddler in PA who has restuffed a couple saddles for me. She does wool, but it is SO SOFT AND SPRINGY, it’s as soft and buoyant as the Flair panels I had on one saddle were. And His Princeness LOFFS them.
So if you found a wool stuffed saddle that you really liked, that fit otherwise, a very affordable restuff by Sue might be just the Three Bears’ Porridge.
Oops–another thought, often the foam panels are a different shape panel, is it possible that’s what the mare is happier about?
Usually (not always) foam panels are done in the French panel style. If the mare likes that better, you might try some half panels (also called Owen panels) in wool and see if she likes that.
Just different distributions of weight, and of course, different fits.
Latex panels were good enough for Andy Foster & his Lauriche saddles. I have had a couple Lauriches and my horses loved them. Real latex foam is very resilient. I bought used ones and the foam was still great.
Currently I have a Laser 747 adjustable with gel “flocking.” The Laser fits me better than the Lauriches I had but, for horses with flat backs, these two saddles are great. Best thing about them is they fit a variety of horses. A little too wide? Put on a Thinline or a sheepskin half pad.
They are great – and best of all they don’t need reflocking.
What do you mean by french panels? Would these be the thin panels that are independent of the underneath flap? The saddle I am currently trying is a Toulouse jump saddle. The latex/wool combo is soft. The gullet is wide and the panels have a decent weight bearing surface. The panels are maybe 1" thick and lay flat on the horse’s back. It seems like saddles stuffed with wool have a rounded weight bearing surface rather than a flat one. I guess this is what my horse finds more comfortable. I am assuming that the only flat panels are the latex ones. Do you have contact information for Sue Schurer?
My mare far prefers a foam panel to a wool one. Even if the weight-bearing surface is smaller and the saddle isn’t a perfect fit, she will still go a lot better in a foam panel. If the foam is hard, I just add a ProLite pad underneath.
my sensitive backed horse prefers latex and gel-foam to wool. I like the thinness and contour that latex seems to be able to achieve better than flock. I also like the resilience and even nature of quality latex or gel-foam, unlike wool, it will resist bedding or conforming (or deforming). The one major downside however is that it can’t be altered as easily as wool.
wool over foam panels seem to afford a compromise, though I’ve not had any of my wool over foam panels altered. I did have a wool over foam tolouse and it was indeed very soft. sadly, it never fit my horse well though.
according to this, a french panel is foam encased in felt:
http://www.trumbullmtn.com/saddle-fitting/saddle-terminology/
I once had a barnsby that was a swiss panels according to the link.
I think wool over foam is called just that, wool over foam.
