Age is starting to take its course with regards to my fellow’s topline. My saddle is a Biarritz with a generic D3D4+ panel, which he likes very much and which is a good basic design for him. There’s no sense in pulling the panels off and refitting them considering that no matter how much yoga he does he will continue to change, and the basic geometry of the saddle is correct. But, his wither hollows have filled in some (great) and his back flattened, and it is inclined to sit pommel-high. Since the front is good, I’m looking for the thinnest shim pad in the world so as not to change the fit of the shoulders, or a low-profile lifter pad behind.
Right now I’m riding with a folded baby pad under the back of the saddle for maybe 1/4" of lift, but I’d like something more stable than that or the “cut the front off a ThinLine pad” approach. I have the ThinLine Trifecta shim pad but it’s just way too much material. I’ve seriously thought about just taping the shims from it on top of my shaped pad and calling it a day. Any ideas?
Our saddle fitter shared this hack. I have two full sets of the ThinLine shims, one for the Trifecta pads and one for the full sheepskin bottom pads, You don’t really need the shims, but it makes it much easier to get the shapes right
Yoga mats come in different thicknesses: 3mm, 6mm, etc. I have used yoga mats cut in the shape of the shims that go inside ThinLine Trifecta pads, using a ailver Sharpie to trace the outline of the TL shims, going larger than the shim so i have room to trim if needed.
If I need to shim the whole left side, for example, I will lay the front and rear shims, with space between them, and trace. I try to make the full side mat shims a bit larger and longer than the TL shims, so there ia no “edge” that part of the panel will sit on. I want it longer and a bit wider than the panel. Before I cut, I measure the panel where it rests on the back, and measure my yoga mat shim to be sure it will be long enough, front to back and wide enough, side to side.
Easy to cut with typical scissors, and you get enough “real estate” in a yoga mat to make several, in case there’s an “oops”. Also easy to stack, if needed, 3mm+ 3mm, for example. Easy to make front, mid, rear, across the rear, or any combo you need. Once I have the mat cut for the left side, for example, I will flip it over and trace it to make the right side shim.
There are similar materials that are easy to use, like non-skid shelf liner or certain placemats that are grippy but smooth, with some thickness to them.
PM for details if needed. Yoga mats are pretty cheap, under $20, you can make quite a few shims from just one, and may even be able to pick an unobtrusive color.
alternatives: felt from craft store, stacking several thicknesses of the shape as needed.
I have the shims that come with the Trifecta, but if I need a different thickness, I am going to put that in my back pocket.
Do you put your yoga mat shims inside your ThinLine shim pad, or have you sewn a different container for them? I was thinking about rigging up a “pocket” for my shaped pad (I use an EcoGold) to contain the shims but know I’ll have to experiment a little to find the right way of attaching the pocket to the pad without creating a pressure point.
I have not put the yoga mat shims inside the pocket. I usually place them between saddle and pad. The reason I do it this way is because I do a straight cut through the mat. I don’t bevel the edge, as you will see the TL shims are beveled, to avoid the shim’s edge creating a pressure point.
If you are very craftsy, or even just more craftsy and patient than I am, you can make your outline, and use an X-acto knife that you can hold at about 45* to the mat, to create a beveled edge like the TL shims have, just be sure to note where they have the bevel. If you cut the piece the very same size as the TL shim, it should fit inside the pocket.
Please post if you try it!
The shim you create should stay in place on its own, no need for a pocket unless you dont want it to show. At least it does for our dressage saddles!
I find the thinnest shim pad is the ECP. I hate the shims it comes with since they are a very thin foam that compresses to nothing quickly. I use Mattes felt shims or thicker felt shims from my saddle fitter. We had to cut down the Mattes shims to correctly fit the ECP. The ECP pads come in lots of colors.
I have used the yoga mat shims before but I put them in the saddle between the panel and the saddle. My horse had a really low back so we put the shims in the middle of the panel to help with prevent the bridging. The saddle was not foam or wool it was a felt “flocked” with some wool wrapped around the felt. You could not adjust the flocking.
Any ideas?
