So, my trusty old saddle pads seem to be causing disturbed hairs toward the cantle end of my new Specialized Saddles Trailmaster.
I have tried my Limpet pad, plain wool saddle blanket, and 1" thick compressed wool pad. They each have caused, to greater or lesser extent, disturbed hairs toward the back of the saddle. None of these are contoured to the shape of a horse’s back.
For those who have Specialized Saddles, or TW Saddlery saddles, what pads have you used that you think work well?
If every pad is causing the problem does that suggest that the problem is the common element, the saddle?
Not a snark, here, but a serious question.
Have you tried the saddle without a pad?
G.
Agree with G. Sounds like the fit of the saddle is an issue. Try using your saddle without a pad for a brief ride. If the hair is disturbed in the same way, you’ll know.
My question - how does the saddle fit the horse? Is the horse disturbed? I would not worry about disturbed hairs if the horse is happy. The back muscles are supposed to lengthen and contract depending on exactly what the horse is doing, and so there will be some amount of friction with the pad back there.
Have you tried a 5 Star saddle pad? They are made with a french curve on the back to fit the shape of the horse. You can see one here: http://www.bitterrootsaddleco.com/contoured-saddle-pad-5-star-saddle-pads/
And if that doesn’t contour enough, then there is the self-contouring pad. This is a style that adapts to the wither height of any animal, and provides airflow down the back line. This is especially beneficial for horses with pronounced backbones (sometimes known as ridge-backed). Mutton withered animals also benefit from the Self-Contouring Western Saddle Pad as it form fits to their individual back line. http://www.bitterrootsaddleco.com/self-contouring-pad-w-wear-leather-gullet-piece-5-star-saddle-pads/
thanks for the input, folks!
The concept of the Specialized Saddles is that you place shims so that the saddle is a perfect fit; you can even shave shims to make the fit absolutely customized… saddle is too new for me to go there just yet. [those shims are a bit costy, so I don’t want to go there until I know I need to]
First, I think my next step is to adjust my saddle pad; what I want for my next pad is a natural fiber, and contoured to the rise and fall of the contour of a horse’s spine… since none of my current pads quite fit that description.
I am a bit concerned that my expensive new saddle lacks a rear cinch… I wonder if being able to fasten the back end down would help. On the other hand, there is quite a bit less of saddle “back there” than I am used to, and have to say, as I think back, I even was having some ruffled hairs in about the same area for my Tucker trail saddle with a rear cinch.
[just replaced my trusty Tucker with the Specialized Saddle, due to my ageing mare’s dropping back + my ageing shoulders wanting a lighter saddle]
I don’t see how you could add any sort of rear girth to the Trailmaster. Just how it’s rigged is unclear due to the skirts.
“Custom fit” saddles are always problematical as they are a DIY program. Their success is dependent on the skill of the fitter, in this case the owner. This not an indictment of the owner, just a statement of fact.
Some maintain that with a correctly fitting saddle a pad is not necessary except to keep the saddle clean. This is usually a “maybe so and maybe not.” It really very much depends on the saddle and the horse.
I’ve found that the best pad available for a normal horse with a normal saddle (no conformational issues requireing a saddle with an unusual shape in the tree) is a wool blanket folded “cavalry style.” Here’s an example:
https://sreinhold.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/which-saddle-pad-is-best-is-there-a-right-answer/
This is the U.S. version. The British used a different system but got the same result. I don’t have a good picture of the British fold (in fact they had three different folds).
A major advantage of this system is that the pad is, in fact, a six layer laminate which not only give cushioning but also absorbs lateral movement. The McClellan saddle had no integral padding on the saddle but other U.S. military saddles did. It worked for all of them.
Once you get the fit right then you can select a pad and refine the fit of the combination.
G.
I don’t see how you could add any sort of rear girth to the Trailmaster. Just how it’s rigged is unclear due to the skirts.
“Custom fit” saddles are always problematical as they are a DIY program. Their success is dependent on the skill of the fitter, in this case the owner. This not an indictment of the owner, just a statement of fact.
Some maintain that with a correctly fitting saddle a pad is not necessary except to keep the saddle clean. This is usually a “maybe so and maybe not.” It really very much depends on the saddle and the horse.
I’ve found that the best pad available for a normal horse with a normal saddle (no conformational issues requireing a saddle with an unusual shape in the tree) is a wool blanket folded “cavalry style.” Here’s an example:
https://sreinhold.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/which-saddle-pad-is-best-is-there-a-right-answer/
This is the U.S. version. The British used a different system but got the same result. I don’t have a good picture of the British fold (in fact they had three different folds).
A major advantage of this system is that the pad is, in fact, a six layer laminate which not only give cushioning but also absorbs lateral movement. The McClellan saddle had no integral padding on the saddle but other U.S. military saddles did. It worked for all of them.
Once you get the fit right then you can select a pad and refine the fit of the combination.
G.
When I rode in a Specialized, I used this pad: https://www.toklat.com/Products/BP/40-0701
When I moved on to a heavier saddle, I didn’t like the 5 Star pads and actually had the trouble you are talking about (granted, the saddle also wasn’t a good fit so I sold it) - the back edge of the 5 Star pad rubbed my horse’s loin.
I ended up going to a pad like this: https://www.toklat.com/Products/BP/18-0206 - I liked it better because the “edges” are “rolled” and soft, not corners like the felt pads (which I’m sure makes me sound like a weirdo, but oh well). Of course I also bought a new saddle, sigh.
ETA: These saddles aren’t designed for a rear cinch and there would be no way to affix one. Plus, I don’t think that would make the problem any better. The problem I was having with the saddle that caused rubs was that the bars were too straight for the curvature of my horse’s back, which sounds like could be your problem since your horse has a bit of a swayback?
Personally I do not like the long extension this saddle has behind the cantle. Instead of having an upward curve the rear of the saddle is completely straight, almost curving downward. If you ride a horse with a long flat back this might work but having looked closely at these saddles when used on shorter backed horses I think the design is a bad fit. When a horse begkns to trot and canter their loin really rises upward and will causes a rubbing over the loins by the rigid back of the saddle.
You might be able to improve the situation by using thick foam panels under the saddle then use a wood rasp to file and shape the foam at the rear of the saddle so that the foam panels taper gradually thinner towards the back edge of the saddle. This is one of the benefits of the velcro on foam panels. The panels can be shaped. A dealer of Specialized Saddles told me that he often did this custom shaping of the panels. Tapering the front edges a bit can also allow more freedom for the horse’s shoulders.
Oh, I also prefer wool fleece pads but wool fibers do have tiny little barbs that can grab the horse’s hair and break it off. I had this issue when using a Sport Saddle but found it worked to use the rear cinch rings in a “Y” configuration.
Chicamuxen
I just purchased a specialized saddle. According to the instructions that I received, you are only supposed to use a pad no thicker than 1/4" . If you do you are compromising the fit of the saddle.
So coming from another owner of a specialized saddle…I use a skito pad. Both the saddle and the pad were recommended by saddle fitter and fit by the saddle fitter.
That being said…I like the skito pad but I’m fairly ambivalent about the saddle. For all the talk about specialized saddles being able to be customized to any horse, I’ve struggled to get the saddle to fit my horse correctly. I will fully admit that the horse I’m trying to fit is super hard to fit though. I am actually considering selling the saddle and trying to find something I like better that I don’t have to keep adjusting.
Not so great on the eurolight. Slips backward, even after fitting. Would not recommend, especially considering the price.
I use a Specialized Eurolight on my one mare and had the same issues- until I started using a Skito and got the panels just the right width apart. It did take a while for me to figure it out and get everything adjusted right but since then it’s fit great- I’ve ridden up to 12 hours in it
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