Next best thing to a Suber Pad?

[shelby]

I am still having problems with my Suber Pad slipping :((see previous posting) I have tried everything and now think I may have to try another option.

So what is the next best thing to a Suber Pad for under a treed dressage saddle to eliminate any pressure, bridging etc?

[Iron Maiden]

IMO I don't think you should be trying to eliminate those sorts of issues with pads - be it suber or other. If the saddle is bridging or creating pressure points, surely the issue is that it doesn't actually fit the horse. I know suberpads & things like prolite pads and risers can be useful - e.g. to compensate for muscle wastage/weight loss, but they can't perform miracles. If a saddle creates uneven pressure the most a pad can do is spread it over a wider surface area but it will still be there, & can still cause problems.

What is the issue with your current saddle & why do you feel like you need a pad under it?

[Zingy]

Echo IM. If you are wanting to use something purely for your own peace of mind and not to resolve any saddle fitting issues, then you could try a korrector. But your saddle then needs to be fitted with the pad in use, as the fit would be different to without the pad. And in my experience, I think you may struggle to get a saddler to fit a saddle on that basis unless they are seriously struggling to get a saddle to fit without additional padding.

[shelby]

I am of the opinion that no saddle can fit properly as the horses back changes shape as it moves differently in each different pace. Obviously some fit better than others and at the halt there should be no pressure points or bridging but I really dont think this can be achieved all the time.

Therefore I like to put a pad under it .

I may be wrong but there are too many horses with 'fitted' saddles and sore backs or who display behaviours that indicate they are not happy with their 'fitted' saddle for my peace of mind.

Why not try to make your horse as comfortable as possible?

[Iron Maiden]

Yes horses change shape, and yes many saddles don't fit the horses that wear them especially well, but you seem to be convinced that saddle + pad = comfy horse. I wish it were that simple! This is why you can buy front risers, rear risers, suberpads, reactor panels, big fluffy sheepskin half pads, pads you can shim and the front/middle/back....etc. So if you want to use a pad intelligently to compensate for variations in your horse's weight and musculature, great! I really don't think you'll find a single pad that will do every job for you though. The pad will only improve things if it addresses the specific issues that mean the saddle fit isn't 100%.

Don't get me wrong - I use a variety of pads myself on my youngster so I can use a saddle that's fitted a bit too wide & she can muscle up. Just sticking a pad under a saddle won't necessarily make it fit better though. And for you to insinuate that anyone who doesn't use a pad is not trying to make their horse as comfortable as possible - that's a sweeping generalisation that's verging on rude IMO

[shelby]

Er...Iron maiden - I would really like to know what "issues" you are referring to that am I trying to eliminate with my pad???

Please tell me where I mention my saddle having pressure points or bridging.

This thread was about saddle pads not saddle fitting issues.

[Iron Maiden]

I have no idea what you issues are, I'm talking generally. It's basic laws of physics - pressure = force x area. A pad won't change the laws of physics. That's my point.

[shelby]

No saddle and pad is perfect and I am not making the assumption that anything = a comfy horse.

I just want to do my best with a saddle that fits as well as possible and a good pad.

Hence my question. Im not sure why you are being so aggressive!

[shelby]

I have no idea what you issues are, I'm talking generally. It's basic laws of physics - pressure = force x area. A pad won't change the laws of physics. That's my point.

So surely a pad that increases the area the force is applied over and thus reduces the pressure, such as the Suber pad is claimed to do is good - thats the point of this thread!

So back to my original Q - what is a good pad?

[Zingy]

You could try a korrector as I have already mentioned. A prolite might be another option. Either of those would be very different to a suberpad, so could well eliminate the problems that you're having with the pad at the moment, but they would be substantially thinner, so will obviously affect saddle fit.

[freeformuk]

Force and pressure are two slightly different things. Pressure can come from a static position such as just sitting whereas force needs energy which can increase the pressure already applied from the static position. Therefore, a pad that may be good at dispersing pressure may not necessarily be good at dispersing pressure applied via force.

You did say in the sart of this thread that (in your own words):

"So what is the next best thing to a Suber Pad for under a treed dressage saddle to eliminate any pressure, bridging etc"?

I also read this as you having a fit/pressure issue with your saddle. I haven't seen your other thread so don't know what problems you are having. However, I do know that Suber pads should only be used with treed saddles that are too wide - on anything less, they can make the saddle too tight. It may be that your saddle already fits well enough to only need slight adjustment and the suber pad is offering you too much adjustment.

There are many corrective pads you could use but I can't suggest anything without knowing your problem - could you point me to your other thread?

[shelby]

Im not having any problems with saddle fitting, what is happening is the suber pad and saddle - 3 different saddles - slip around my horse. I have had advice from Suber Pad people on this and it may be due to the fact that my horse is a round shape.

I use the Suber Pad because it has awesome reviews and is highly recommended by lots of people and not because my saddle is a poor fit.The thread title is ...'Next best thing to a Suber pad, not 'My badly fitting saddle'.............

[jroz]

Obviously the suber pad isn't so super! :rolleyes:

My friend uses a combination of a baby pad and a wither pad on her horse, but what's right for her may not be right for you.

http://www.doversaddlery.com/wither-back-saddle-pad/p/X1-1905/cn/102/

[freeformuk]

But that's the point we're all trying to make - the Suber like many other back pads is a correctional aid for a poor fitting saddle. Even with the best of intentions, if your saddle already fits well, you will not be helping your horse by adding this amount of padding under it. In others words, extra padding can make a well fitting saddle into a bad fitting one. The rigidity of the tree will not allow any flex to compensate for the extra thickness and if there isn't any extra room that needs to be filled in, your will be increasing the pressure immensely.

Just because a pad has rave reviews, doesn't mean it's going to improve every saddle it's used with. As I said before, it should only be used for those times when the saddle is too wide due to the horse losing muscle etc. If your horse is the round barrel type (and I am speaking from experience), the Suber will make your saddle roll especailly if it already fits well. It's like having a well fitting pair of shoes and then putting walking socks on with them. It might feel ok for the first few minutes and then the pressure kicks in.

If your saddle is well fitting, then well done to you but you will be undoing all that good work by ising such a pad. If all you want to do is use a comfortable pad under your saddle, then use sheepskin. It has good pressure reducing qualities, is natural fibre that most horses love, has natural thermal control etc. However, in some cases this can even be too thick.

As you have still not gone into any detail as to why you feel you need the equivalent of a Suber pad, I can't offer any more help.

[Yann]

Thing is, due to the fact the suber pad isn't a set thickness and the contents are able to flow to some degree, it does appear that you can use it without problems under a treed saddle that fits without causing any issues. I know the maker maintains this too.
I have and I would have known immediately if it was pinching, Rio will make it very clear if she's not happy in that department in the school and she goes very nicely in it. She was ridden in one for a considerable length of time and never showed any problems whatsoever in the saddle area or anywhere else much.

If the pad works for you then it's a very good means of combining some of the advantages of treed and treeless saddles as the micro fit is always going to be perfect. I'm not sure what the alternatives are if any other than trying one of the non slip pads or even reviewing the sort of saddle you use, some types and models are better than others for flat backed horses.

[Zingy]

the contents are able to flow to some degree

If it's only "to some degree", then I don't see how it can't affect saddle fit.

If we take an example where the saddle fits perfectly, then you would need no padding at all at the withers (else you will narrow the fit there). So if you achieve that with the suberpad, it means you've shuffled a lot of the filling backwards. So haven't you effectively created a back riser pad and will tip the saddle forwards?

I use a suber with a treeless, so a slightly different scenario, but I think it shows how they affect fit. My pony is still growing, and I didn't want to be changing shims regularly, so I got a suberpad. If he's in one of him bum high growth phases, I shake the padding in the suberpad forward more so it raises the front of the saddle to level it out. Then I can move it more level again as his front end catches up with the growth.

How can a similar effect not be true with a treed saddle?

[Iron Maiden]

If it's only "to some degree", then I don't see how it can't affect saddle fit.

If we take an example where the saddle fits perfectly, then you would need no padding at all at the withers (else you will narrow the fit there). So if you achieve that with the suberpad, it means you've shuffled a lot of the filling backwards. So haven't you effectively created a back riser pad and will tip the saddle forwards?

I use a suber with a treeless, so a slightly different scenario, but I think it shows how they affect fit. My pony is still growing, and I didn't want to be changing shims regularly, so I got a suberpad. If he's in one of him bum high growth phases, I shake the padding in the suberpad forward more so it raises the front of the saddle to level it out. Then I can move it more level again as his front end catches up with the growth.

How can a similar effect not be true with a treed saddle?


The contents of my suberpad didn't seem to want to move at all, even after in my exasperation I hit it with a hammer :rolleyes: It left ridges in Mrs P's back after I used it too. I really wasn't impressed, and as far as I could tell, neither was she! :o

[birat]

Probably a silly suggestion Shelby and one that you have thought of but have you tried using the suberpad when it is damp?

Just a thought!