Saddle fit for aging horse - wither relief

[huxlius]

My horse is starting to get on in years, having just turned 21. He is in still in great shape, being ridden about 6 times a week and jumping - smaller jumps than before, but he still loves it. However, I can see some inevitable changes in his body shape, namely that his spine is becoming slightly more prominent and he has lost some fat around his withers/spine. (He is still at a good weight overall, although I have had to increase his food to maintain it.) I was riding the other day and noticed that my saddle is losing some of its wither clearance. I want to make sure that I fix this before he gets any back soreness. His saddle generally still fits well otherwise, so I am hoping that I can just change the pads instead of getting a new saddle.

I’m currently using a regular square pad and a basic Thinline pad. My trainer suggested using a wither relief pad with a cutout to make sure that his withers and spine have enough room. I’d like to spend less than $100, so am considering these two pads from Dover:

http://www.doversaddlery.com/traditional-wither-relief-wool/p/X1-19866A/

http://www.doversaddlery.com/wither-back-pad/p/X1-1905/?ids=ervrbbrtappsqx5uwgo1gxtp

Or is it worth spending more to get a saddle pad with adjustable shims, in case his shape changes more as he ages? Anyone else have suggestions on how to adjust saddle fit an aging horse?

[dani0303]

I use the Fleeceworks wither relief pad on my 22yo. His saddle still fits (thank goodness, it’s custom!) but he’s needing more wither clearance as he ages. So far it works great

[Renn_aissance]

Since you are using a Thinline now, you may be interested in the Thinline Trifecta, which is their shimmable pad. It can be configured for wither relief. When I expect a horse to change I like a pad that I can adapt with the horse.

[x]

When I have a horse like this, I just add a 3/4 inch Cashel Cushion–the thickness of the pad fills in where the wither is and it helps it fit considerably better. In addition, the pad overall gives more cushioning to the horse. They cost around $30 or so. I have had a horse that was so thin around the withers that I had to use a reverse wedge Cashel Cushion, and I currently have an older TB gelding that is beginning to drop in the back, plus is thin in the withers–for him I use a regular wegde Cashel Cushion. But as a general rule, for what you are describing, I use a regular 3/4 Cashel cushion. I like them better than wither relief pads; I’ve found they work better.

[huxlius]

Thanks everyone for the help. This is supposed to be a Christmas gift, hence trying to keep it under $100. I think I am going to order the Fleeceworks pad and see if I can keep the Thinline on as well. If it doesn’t work I’ll return it (or sell it to someone at the barn) and chip in the extra money for the Thinline Trifecta.

[OTTBs]

Quoting from my 2014 post. My “other mare” has the more prominent spine from aging like the OP’s.

“I spied the ECP correction half pad with memory foam inserts in the Dressage Extensions catalog, then found it for $39.95 on ridingwarehouse.com. I got one and plan to get another. Using it on my mare with a too wide saddle and on the other mare as a Mattes alternative for the summer.”

[jaybird660]

I also suggest a half pad that can be shimmed in the 4 quadrants. Thinline offers the extra benefit of concussion protection, supposedly more so than some of the others. It also offers a bridge insert should that be needed in the future.