Anyone had success with suberpads?

[Laura+Phantom]

I've worked out that Phantom is so much more relaxed and well behaved in his treeless because he's slightly sway backed, and the treeless follows the line of his spine, whereas his treed saddle probably bridges and made him uncomfortable. Whilst I love my treeless and will use it for hacking, schooling, and dressage, when he's fit I want to do showjumping (up to 3 footish) and XC, so I want to be able to use a treed saddle for support.

I thought a suber pad seems like the perfect answer, as it will mould to his spine on the bottom, and mould to the shape of the saddle on top, so there won't be any bridging or pressure (as long as its wide enough). He takes a 17" wide saddle.

What do you think, anyone had success with suberpads on weird shaped horses?

Here he is...fat and after his bath, I don't feed him, honest! He WILL get in shape this year!

[Laura+Phantom]

*BUMP* I know some of you use them ;)

[Remmy]

Laura - if you want to use a treed saddle for jumping then it might be worth contacting The Saddle Company as they can make you a saddle which will work with shape of back so you wouldn't need to use a pad.

Otherwise, some of the treeless saddles are pretty good to jump in! Which one have you got?

[Laura+Phantom]

Thanks, when I have a lot more money that's the route i'd go down.
I've got a Trekker Talent treeless, haven't tried to jump in it yet but Phantom sometimes has quite an explosive jump!

[Denbenj]

I always thought after seeing an advert for a Tempar mattress ( like one that molds to your body shape..if you press your hand in it leaves a print)

I always thought it would be a great basis for a numnah

[Remmy]

I always thought after seeing an advert for a Tempar mattress ( like one that molds to your body shape..if you press your hand in it leaves a print)

I always thought it would be a great basis for a numnah

Yes, it's a nice thought isn't it! The only problem with pads and panels made out of this stuff is that it's rock hard when cold, and when it gets warm there is no resistance to support the saddle as it flattens under pressure completely..... well unless the saddle pad was a similar thickness to a matress anyway! So, in reality, it's totally useless :( kinda like a chocolate teapot :eek:

[Laura+Phantom]

A Suber pad is filled with cork granules, kind of like a bean bag though...

[Yann]

I really like them, I've used one successfully under both treed and treeless saddles, it is one product that does appear to do exactly what it says it does :)

[sharons star]

Hi,
I have a suberpad for my t/b he is the usual stamp high withered and in the past has suffered with sores as he is so thin coated. My frend who does indurance with a treeless has one which is a different shape and swears by them. I believe the houshold cavalry or one of the mounted divisions use them. And I have had mine for 5 weeks and think its great he has even coverage all over and will never use a normal numnah again. Although higher in cost well worth investing in. Good Luck!

[Remmy]

Although higher in cost well worth investing in. Good Luck!

Well..... actually.... there is a cheaper alternative out there.... David Ahn (who makes the Suber Pad) had a previous pad called the Ergo pad. It is actually the same as the current standard model. It's made with the same materials, filling and by the same machinist in the same workshop. Every so often they come up for sale, usually on Ebay. They typically go for about £30 new, give or take a few quid. But if you see any then these are well worth snapping up. I've got a Suber and an Ergo :D Never know when you might need them ;)

[~Perdita.M~]

*whispers* I have an endurance shaped suber pad I don't need any more. Barely used. Just mentioning it of course:D

[Laura+Phantom]

Ooh...might see if you still have that knocking around when I get some more money in the bank Perdita ;) Roll on final student loan installment...

[tasha]

I use on with my SBS and Im not totally happy with it. It doesnt seem to have helped Kal's muscle wastage and I think it presses down on her withers. Ive heard talk of a hi wither design which would probably suit her down to the ground, but Im not sure it exists! Can anyone help??

[Remmy]

I use on with my SBS and Im not totally happy with it. It doesnt seem to have helped Kal's muscle wastage and I think it presses down on her withers. Ive heard talk of a hi wither design which would probably suit her down to the ground, but Im not sure it exists! Can anyone help??

Suberpads don't always work well with these saddles and can make them unstable as well as the pulling down on the spine.

Hmmm.... could be homemade numnah time! I might be tempted to made a special pad with layers of fibregee attached and layered on each side to give the support and ride height. A good base would be one of the NuuMed HiWither numnahs. You could also consider using a 'Prolite Wide Relief' pad and adding the layered fibregee onto this also.

If you're not sure of what I mean then I'll try and draw something to show you!

[tasha]

I use a hi wither numnah with it, the 'everyday' one I think! I'll have a play with some Fibregee tomorrow, before getting the sewing kit out...could you possible draw a diagram of how much and whereabouts you'd attach it? Thanks!

[Remmy]

I use a hi wither numnah with it, the 'everyday' one I think! I'll have a play with some Fibregee tomorrow, before getting the sewing kit out...could you possible draw a diagram of how much and whereabouts you'd attach it? Thanks!

OK, I've done a sketch! The Everyday is a great base. You may need to buy several large sheets to do this properly. I don't know how many exactly but I'd suggest starting with 5/6 layers each side. It'll look quite thick to start with but you need to get on board to see how it works.

Make sure the back and bottom edges are staggered but the top edge where the gullet is made, is level. The crosses just depict a simple tack stitch.

Hope that helps?

[tasha]

Wow, thanks for that! Looks like Ive got myself a project over Easter! Can I just clarify, the stitching - do you mean just round the edges or over the whole lot? (As you can probably tell, I am no seamstress! :D )