treeless saddle

[juliecwuk]

Right, i have aquired a treeless saddle for my extra wide high withered cob, it is only a cheap make but i wanted to make sure a treeless would be suitable before spending loads of money! As you know from my previous thread my horse has high withers and is extra extra wide, i just wanted some advice on where to begin with the saddle pads.

Obviously she has muscle wastage due to being out of work for a while, so what shall i get?

I have been using a rear riser pad under a wintec 2000, can i still use the riser pad along with a special padded numnah for the treeless?

Where should i concentrate/apply extra padding - the rear riser pad would make the saddle level (like it does with the wintec 2000) but should extra shims/padding be put just behind the withers in the padded numnah to help with the muscle wastage? with regards to slipping - if its padded correctly then hopefully it shouldnt slip, but would it be worth getting a gel-eze anti slip pad or something similar?

Any information/advice/experience welcome!

PS as she is just coming back into work after her tendon injury i ride her twice a week in walk on hard surface and shes barefoot (not sure if that might be of any use to you!)

[Showjumper]

What saddle have you bought and what padding did you buy with it?

[Daffy Dilly]

Personally I'd hold off on the riding for a while. How old is she? Cobs don't really have withers, and there does seem to be quite a lot of muscle wastage there. Have you got a recent picture of the whole of her?

I'd get a chiropracter/physio out to have a look. Its possible that whilst shes been trying to reduce the strain on her tendon, she's gotten herself all twisted. They'll be able to give you advice on how to best rebuild the muscles.

I'd then do lots of longreining, gentle at first, and get her back to a reasonable shape before riding again.

[Bebe]

Where should i concentrate/apply extra padding - the rear riser pad would make the saddle level (like it does with the wintec 2000) but should extra shims/padding be put just behind the withers in the padded numnah to help with the muscle wastage?

Yes. If you haven't already invested in one I think your horse would benefit from having one of the special treeless pads that come with extra shims so that you can pad as necessary. You can always use the rear riser on top if you still need it (I use a prolite rear riser with my Fitform at the minute).

Echo the other posters re: getting her checked by a physio/chiro before you start doing any real ridden work with her. If nothing else you'll have the peace of mind of knowing that you're starting with a clean slate.

[juliecwuk]

Hi, thanks for your replies.

I am riding her just in walk on a hard surface for about 15-20 minutes a few times a week as per the vets instruction. I am not allowed to lunge her or take her into the school as the vet feels that the soft surface and circles will be too much for her due to her tendon injury. I did spend about 6 weeks leading her up the road with her tack on prior to riding her.

Yes i will find a local chiropractor after i get back from hols, as i do think that would be very worth while, thanks for suggesting it.

The vet wants me to ride her very very gently, but i need to make sure i can get the saddle fitting comfortably - im sure anything will be far better than what shes been used to.

Heres a bit of info about her. She is a 15h shire cross - basically i describe her as a cob (although i know cobs commonly have low withers - we have a gypsy cob also) but we are not really sure what breed she is. She wears an extra full head colour to give you an idea! I have had her for about 3 years and she has always had the same back shape - although emphasised due to the muscle wastage lately.

She is approx 13 years old. However, the vet thinks she is over 15, she has got proressively more grey all over during the last few years.

What about a Suberpanel? would this work better than a conventional treeless saddle pad? would i then not need the rear riser, but do you think it might be compatible if the saddle isnt level enough? Are there any other treeless saddle pads that you can recommend?

You can see some full body pictures at the bottom of this thread:

http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=114378

With regards to the make, it hasnt got any name on it and it was given to me, i think it is a cheap make though. it doesnt come with any saddle pad so thats why i am buying one.

Many thanks
Julie

[Chip]

Not all treeless saddles fit all horses, and if you are needing a riser pad, then this one probably isn't fitting your cob (we have a shire cross too and we call him a cob - amongst other things!!)
It is important to buy a saddle cloth designed for a treeless saddle, as you are probably aware.
Also, because one treeless doesn't suit, it doesn't mean another make won't, as they vary as much as treed saddles.
Hope you find your new saddle good though:)