The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
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34 TheHorse.com THE HORSE December 2017 meticulous about cleaning and condition- ing your tack, it could eventually cause it to crack or break. Dyson recommends that riders who insist on using a pad beneath an English saddle choose one that's thin, fits the saddle without seams under the panels of the saddle, has loops that fit the billets (to which the girth is attached), is of suitable length relative to the girth if using a short girth (to keep the elastic and girth mate- rial seam from rubbing the skin or to avoid bunching), and does not get pulled down onto the dorsal midline. In contrast, Western saddles are not constructed to be used without cushion- ing, so you'll definitely need some type of pad to protect the horse's back. How Can Saddle Pads Help? Regardless of riding style, a saddle adjusted by a knowledgeable, experienced saddle fitter is paramount. The saddle fitter can also make recommendations for a saddle pad based on the shape of the horse's back and the specific saddle. Dyson and Powell agree that if the saddle fits well—that is, if there's no pressure over the spine and there's even pressure distribution everywhere else—a thin pad made of a natural fiber is all you need. For a less than ideally fitted saddle that's not going to be used long-term, Dyson says a well-fitted pad could be seen as a short-term fix. She suggests finding one made of natural fibers such as cotton or sheepskin. "A wool sheepskin pad under the saddle of a show jumper may ameliorate slightly the pressures sustained under the front of the saddle on landing," she says. Powell agrees, emphasizing that the wool must retain its loft to be effective. Can They Do Harm? If the saddle doesn't fit well, a saddle pad is not going to fix the issue. If the tree is too narrow the front and back of the panels apply pressure to each side behind the withers and to the midback, respec- tively; this is called bridging. Powell says adding padding of any kind will only make this worse. Conversely, if a saddle is too wide, extra padding might help stabilize it, but the saddle and padding must be clear of the withers. "A pad, by filling the gullet and nar- rowing the distance between the panels and tree points (see the photo below), can actually increase pressures under the saddle," says Dyson. "Pads can slip down and create pressure on the dorsal midline." The spine and withers should be clear of any pressure, including that from a saddle pad. Therapeutic Pads There are many saddle pads on the market dubbed therapeutic. Manufac- turers claim these are able to reduce pressure points, warm back muscles, and even improve saddle fit. They can range in price from $60 to upward of $300, and they are made from a variety of materi- als, including sheepskin, closed-cell foam, open-cell foam, memory foam, and gel foam. Powell says the various types of foam differ in their abilities to absorb impact and return to their original shapes rapidly enough to be an effective cushion. Gel is a gelatinlike and semisolid sub- stance that she describes as resilient. "It is effective at dispersing the impact energy, but how quickly it can rebound is based on the type of gel used, so it may not have the appropriate rebound characteristics needed to be effective," says Powell. In other words, if the saddle and rider load the gel pad long enough (around 30 minutes, she says), it flattens to the point that it no longer redistributes pressure Deconstructing the SADDLE PAD A well-fitting saddle shouldn't need a pad beneath it, except to absorb sweat. ISTOCK.COM ALEXANDRA BECKSTETT/THE HORSE ENGLISH SADDLE TREE Points Cantle Bars, beneath which lie the panels Pommel Springs