Shim half pad suggestions

[Scribbler]

I have my dressage saddle fitted to my own horse. I want to also use it on an older horse I am riding. The basic saddle fit is fine, but the old gal has a certain amount of age related curve to her back, so the saddle will bridge.

I am hoping to find a shimmable saddle pad to use on her.

I’ve looked on line, and the LeMieux prosorb sheepskin 3 pocket half pad is the closest I can find. Lots of pads including Ogilvy only have 2 pockets on each side. So they are good for filling in withers or bump up, but not for bridging.

https://www.lemieuxproducts.com/sadd…k-black-system

The four brands that come to mind for me are LeMieux and Ogilvy ( locally stocked), Thinline, and maybe Mattes.

Any other suggestions? I don’t mind paying full retail for this wonderful old lady and wanting to find the best bridging shims out there.

Will also be discussing with my saddle fitter this week.

[EVneo]

Ovation’s Europa has 3 pocket shim pads - it’s about half the price of mattes, fleeceworks, etc. I think I got mine from Equus Now? I will say, it runs large - it’s a lot of pad. I have the large and it worked well under my 18" dressage saddle, but there was a lot of extra fluff sticking out of my 17 and 17.5 dressage and jumping saddles.

https://www.ovationriding.com/ovation-europa-sheepskin-6-shim-half-pad-470215

[Scribbler]

That looks good! Does it have a channel down the spine?

I have an 18 inch saddle.

[theresak]

If the pad will only be used with one saddle and one horse, have your fitter take a look and flock the pad for you. I did that with a Mattes sheepskin half pad and a too-wide saddle while my horse was growing. The fitter would take the half pad and add flocking in the shim pockets. I still have that Mattes pad (flocking removed at this point) and it’s 10+ years old with about 4 years of heavy use.

[Scribbler]

@theresak

If the pad will only be used with one saddle and one horse, have your fitter take a look and flock the pad for you. I did that with a Mattes sheepskin half pad and a too-wide saddle while my horse was growing. The fitter would take the half pad and add flocking in the shim pockets. I still have that Mattes pad (flocking removed at this point) and it’s 10+ years old with about 4 years of heavy use.

What a very good idea. I will ask her about this. We could even probably MacGyver one of my existing fleece pads, add pockets just where we want.

[EVneo]

@Scribbler

That looks good! Does it have a channel down the spine?

I have an 18 inch saddle.

I’m 99.99% sure it has a channel down the spine. I can’t “see” it right now, but I know it folds easily at the spine, which makes me think there’s a channel.

[GraceLikeRain]

Following with interest as I have an opportuntiy to ride a sweetheart with lordosis. I’m not digging the current set up of stacking half pads. The idea of using flocking in a shim pad is genius.

How on earth does one find quality bagged flocking?

[bip]

You can also trim the shims. If you are trying to fill the middle area but have only two pockets on each side, trim a front and back shim to fill that space.

[Tigre_Horse]

I have the ECP shim pad - it does have a channel down the spine. Recommended by my trainer/saddle fitter. Very adjustable and very reasonable cost wise.

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/eq…-inserts-11075

PS I ride in an 18.5 inch dressage saddle and it fits fine (ridiculously long leg hip to knee)

[Scribbler]

@GraceLikeRain

Following with interest as I have an opportuntiy to ride a sweetheart with lordosis. I’m not digging the current set up of stacking half pads. The idea of using flocking in a shim pad is genius.

How on earth does one find quality bagged flocking?

My fitter uses a particular quality of raw white wool. I can try to find out the technical name. I am sure it is industry standard. I expect there are suppliers online, or you could get I from the weaving world. There is some skills to flocking, I believe they “accordion” the hunks of wool, they don’t just stuff in random handfuls.

[Scribbler]

@GraceLikeRain

Following with interest as I have an opportuntiy to ride a sweetheart with lordosis. I’m not digging the current set up of stacking half pads. The idea of using flocking in a shim pad is genius.

How on earth does one find quality bagged flocking?

My fitter uses a particular quality of raw white wool. I can try to find out the technical name. I am sure it is industry standard. I expect there are suppliers online, or you could get I from the weaving world. There is some skills to flocking, I believe they “accordion” the hunks of wool, they don’t just stuff in random handfuls.

Ok I just Googled and can’t find an obvious place selling flocking. Most of the places selling saddle making tools in the US seem focused on Western saddles. There are however lots of saddle fitters online. If you want to pursue this, I would message a few and ask the specific kind of wool they use, then search for that with an eye to weavers and fabric arts.

[lifeishorsesarelove]

Total saddle fit makes a 6 pocket half pad that might work for you. Can’t say much for quality as I haven’t used one (I only need shoulder pockets, so I use a thinline shim pad), but another option to consider?

[billiebob]

A couple of my barn friends have the ECP shimmable pad and it’s pretty nice, especially if you don’t want sheepskin. The shime that come with it squish down too much for my taste, so one of my friends cut up a yoga mat and uses that for shims. It seems to work well and was $10 at Aldi.

[Greypolopony]

I recently bought a sheepskin Thinline to correct my saddle fit after my mare dropped some topline due to an injury. I bought the full panel shim inserts and my fitter cut them down to the perfect shape because it was a very peculiar fitting problem. My mare went from being so cranky she would try to bite me when I tightened her girth to standing quietly. The pad also has a nice cushiony shock absorption property which was an added bonus I wasn’t aware of. I believe the make a shim kit specifically for bridging. I would definitely recommend it!

[Scribbler]

@Greypolopony

I recently bought a sheepskin Thinline to correct my saddle fit after my mare dropped some topline due to an injury. I bought the full panel shim inserts and my fitter cut them down to the perfect shape because it was a very peculiar fitting problem. My mare went from being so cranky she would try to bite me when I tightened her girth to standing quietly. The pad also has a nice cushiony shock absorption property which was an added bonus I wasn’t aware of. I believe the make a shim kit specifically for bridging. I would definitely recommend it!

Is that a 6 pocket or 4 pocket pad? If you cut a shim does it stay where you put it or migrate down to the bottom of the pocket?

[Tigre_Horse]

@billiebob

A couple of my barn friends have the ECP shimmable pad and it’s pretty nice, especially if you don’t want sheepskin. The shime that come with it squish down too much for my taste, so one of my friends cut up a yoga mat and uses that for shims. It seems to work well and was $10 at Aldi.

I didn’t need/want the sheepskin - and yes, you can make your own inserts - it all depends on what your horse needs. Some of my barn mates use thinline inserts, some use foam, etc. anyting can be cut to the right shape/size you need.

[Scribbler]

Thank you everyone! It looks like I am going to go with a Total Sade Fit 6 point wither relief sheepskin half pad that my very good independent sadde fitter will order and help me adjust. Of course this is pretty much the most expensive option but it’s worth it to have her help.

In the meantime I have duct taped Dr Schols plain flat foam insoles to the top of my sheepskin pad which seems to help the bridging

[Greypolopony]

@Scribbler

Is that a 6 pocket or 4 pocket pad? If you cut a shim does it stay where you put it or migrate down to the bottom of the pocket?

In my case it actually needed the shims to sit at the bottom of the pocket so it has not moved. There don’t appear to be specific pockets on the one I bought but the premade shims come in front, bridging, and rear shim configurations as if it were 6 pockets. I can’t speak to whether or not those would shift but they are fairly form fitted to the shape of the pocket so I think it would be fine.

[gahorseygal]

@billiebob

A couple of my barn friends have the ECP shimmable pad and it’s pretty nice, especially if you don’t want sheepskin. The shime that come with it squish down too much for my taste, so one of my friends cut up a yoga mat and uses that for shims. It seems to work well and was $10 at Aldi.

Going to go cut up my extra yoga mat tonight, thanks for this idea!

I have a Thinline with front shims for one horse but I think my other needs full shims or just bridging shims. This way I can try out a few options before forking out the money for the actual shims.