Wool or felt half pad for a massive wither

[BroncoMo]

Looking for either a wool or felt half pad, or half pad that accepts wool or felt shims. Problem being it needs to have GENEROUS wither relief. I really want a Total Saddle Fit cotton half pad with wither relief, which is truly a slit/cut out for the wither; not just a contour. But they appear to only have a large in stock which is too big for my saddle, and I cannot get a hold of anyone to find out if they’ll be getting the small/medium back in stock any time soon. I am intrigued by 5 Star’s half pads as they have an extreme slope to accommodate the wither, but I fear it will be too bulky when added to a show pad.

Any suggestions? Oh, and must be cotton/felt/wool; no fleece/sheep skin.

[Peggy]

Would something like the Thinline Trifecta work? Not cut out at withers, but pretty high. And shimmable.

Fleeceworks makes one that’s not fleece.

My Saddlerite pad is cut out, but I don’t think they make shimmable ones.

[luvmyhackney]

Doesn’t hillason make one with felt? I remember buying one for my pony and cutting the felt to size cause I couldn’t find a pony one.

[SolarFlare]

Check in with Twinholm Design. They’re in Ontario and make wool felt pads in various styles. They can make custom for you too. They specifically mention high wither is an option already, but you can confirm the measurements with them and customize if it’s not enough. They also offer shims in wool felt.

With the exchange rate it will be very reasonably priced.

TWINHOLM Equestrian Services

[JB]

Nuumed has lofty withers, not sure if they have any shim pockets. That said, I used their no-pocket pads with Balance International shims, and nothing ever slid around

[BroncoMo]

It might work if I can find wool or felt shims. I have a few unshimmed Trifectas. But the shims Thinline sells is some sort of foam.

I’ll check out the links you posted. Thanks!

[BroncoMo]

The ability to trim to fit would be a big bonus as I need to cut out room for his massive scapula. I’ll check them out.

[theresak]

@BroncoMo

But the shims Thinline sells is some sort of foam.

I’ve used Mattes felt shims in Thinline pads successfully.

[Posting_Trot]

LeMieux Merino+ line is wool lined without the skin (real wool, not synthetic fleece).

Close Contact Saddle Pads for a Perfect Ride | LeMieux

No pockets for shims, though.

I’d second the suggestion of Nuumed pads. I think you’d probably have to order them from Canada or the U.K., but they do make some that have wool (no-skin) and pockets. They also make a wool-lined half-pad with pockets for shims:

Griffin Nuumed Half Shimmy Pad Wool Lined

[akhunterrider]

Majyk Equipe has a half pad with the wither cut out you’re describing. Their shims are some sort of impact material (I don’t own one of the pads, I’ve just seen them). They are very responsive to messages, so you could ask them if other types of shims will fit the pockets. I just messaged them yesterday and they got back to me promptly.

Ergonomics Full Fleece Correction Half Pad with Impact Protection Shims

[BroncoMo]

Excellent!! Thank you! I’ve wondered but haven’t wanted to waste the time to order shims just to find out they don’t work. But yet here I am, asking for advice because I’ve wasted too much time trying to find something that may not exist so I should just order the shims and move on with my life.

[theresak]

I think I have a ton of Mattes shims, how many would you need for front and back pockets? I’d possibly just send them to you. Also, I had a saddle fitter flock a Mattes correction half pad with wool she used to flock saddles and that worked really well until I could purchase a custom saddle.

[steelerino]

There is a size s/m one on ebay for $140

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276204577739?hash=item404f1363cb:g:dIYAAOSwoHNlan6r&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8NBmv%2BIzidNeNgxfzMYVIeJqaPIS41YFaTGaMMyXhbRhIZqlhZNfnY%2FY5lYkaZz%2FyyLRHrbBK4VfjSFN%2BA1UqKmknDLxNPWzQzgMC%2FlLaU14fPx36lfh2kiIA3uG%2BgNDCDnXkzK%2BKiOPjVkTG4Wz%2F9sRYDHBcM2gpT2k06c7a0VdUdnYumqX4EZGZz0nnygdyQvHNhciNnfN2SuoGUeGSOb2VOWtneU8g5P3j13DXF1c8BFZDTRV6dDaWN0PVOeM3GLija3LDkJX1hNOrZ2BQi%2B5hMbYjeYtKpSTjLeTBb0%2B%2BIpdSqgVtvvM%2BtxN9fK7Eg%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6SZj76MYw

[BroncoMo]

I’m not 100% sure yet but was going to just do a 1 piece set and build up/trim as needed.

[BroncoMo]

Thank you. I saw this but my trainer hates the sheepskin rolls. So I’ve been trying to find one without.