Saddle recommendations for a geriatric TB back

[izzy98]

Yes, sorry, ANOTHER saddle recommendation thread. I’m trying to figure out the best way to make my mare as comfortable as possible without dropping $$$ for something that won’t get a ton of use.

My TB mare is 25.5 and still able to do a little bit of work, which I’d like to keep up as long as possible for her long-term wellbeing. The combination of age and limited work has left her with not much in terms of topline, and the CWD that used to fit her well is just sitting too low now. I haven’t found a shimming solution that seems to make both of us happy, but maybe I’m just not trying the right pad combos.

She has a big shoulder and high withers. Any recommendations for something to try? TIA!

[Pokerface]

Sounds like it’s too wide for her now? Did it fit pretty well at one point? Maybe consider trading it in for a narrower model of the same thing?

[Christa_P]

For light riding maybe a Wintec with the interchangeable gullet would work.

[Natalie]

What shimmed pads have you tried? The best pad I’ve found for getting some correct “lift” off of high withers and whatnot is a Prolite pad. The padding is soft but doesn’t compress, and full shimmed it comes the closest to replicating saddle panels built up to provide clearance that I’ve seen of any saddle pad. They’re fairly affordable too.

[Jackie_Cochran]

I don’t know if this will help.

I am riding a 28 year old Appendix QH. There is nothing that “screams” that he needs any special type of pad. However his sitting trot feels like I am trying to sit on a jackhammer so I experimented.

Right now I am using a Fenwick Western pad with a ThinLine Contour pad on top of it. I am doing a Western pad because, like many of the lesson horses, he had a “hitch” right behind the saddle that interrupted the flow from his pushing hind leg. The Fenwick pad is no longer made (there still may be a few on the Fenwick site, on sale) but there are other Far Infra-Red Radiation Western pads out there, like the BOT one.

He obviously likes the Fenwick pad, that hitch behind the saddle disappeared, but his back was still so stiff that I totally refused to sit his slow trot. Adding the ThinLine Contour pad made a LOT of difference in how happy he is about being ridden, AND he is finally warming up to me when we tack him up, plus now I can sit his trot–some.

For any horses I run into whose backs have a fitting problem I also got the ThinLine Trifecta six pocket pad and the ThinLine shims, and I would be using the Trifecta pad on top of the Far Infra-Red Radiation pad. I was going to try this on the other very elderly horse I ride but her owner is suffering from a badly done gall bladder surgery at an out-patient surgery clinic. It may be months before I can use this set up.

Six pocket shimmable pads are simply wonderful. I ride lesson horses and I cannot afford to buy each horse I ride a properly fitting saddle. The six-pocket pads with shims really help to make both the horse and I more comfortable while riding, and with intelligent usage of the shims can help make up for the fact that the saddle no longer fits well any more.

[StormyDay]

I find the early 2000’s Pessoas tend to fit the older ones who have lost some top line. Usually you can pick one up for 500-1k. If she’s now measuring as more of a narrow tree then a Devoucoux narrow may be good as they tend to fit the shark fin withers more.

My older OTTB is going in a narrow devoucoux with a prolite pad for a bit for cushion.

[IPEsq]

I think starting with a Prolite for your saddle would be worth a try. If she has gotten more curvy also with age, maybe a Meyer? You might still need something for lift, but they run a little narrow and have good shoulder freedom.

[cayuse]

I had an older mare built like the OP’s and the ONLY thing that fit her was an old Pessoa. It fit like a glove.

[Turntable]

Try the Horze Gel Front Riser. It is a thick gel pad that fits exactly into the hollows behind the withers. You can put it on the skin directly or under your saddle. Horses love those pads.

[izzy98]

Thank you all for the advice! I’ve been using this Toklat 6-pocket shimmable half pad but I feel like the front pocket goes too far forward and creates bulk on her shoulder where she doesn’t need it and not enough in the hollow right behind/below the wither, where there’s been the most muscle atrophy.

I’ll look into the Prolite and also think that Horze front riser might be able to fill right in that gap that’s a problem.

ETA: I actually had a ~2000 Pessoa for many, many years that I finally realized fit her really badly. Perhaps I should dig it out of storage and see if now it’s found its time!

[StormyDay]

@izzy98

ETA: I actually had a ~2000 Pessoa for many, many years that I finally realized fit her really badly. Perhaps I should dig it out of storage and see if now it’s found its time!

They did come in 2 widths I believe; chubby pony or medium. So that may be why some of us have had luck and others haven’t. The medium tended to run narrow

[Renn_aissance]

@izzy98

I’ve been using this Toklat 6-pocket shimmable half pad but I feel like the front pocket goes too far forward and creates bulk on her shoulder where she doesn’t need it and not enough in the hollow right behind/below the wither, where there’s been the most muscle atrophy.

I solved this problem for my horse by taking a pair of running shoe insoles and cutting a fist-sized oval. Add to shim pad in wither hollow. You’ll have to adjust this between rides to make sure it stays put in your shim pad. If you do not have five thousand pairs of running shoe insoles in your house, an old yoga mat works too.