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  Discussion on Saddle Slides Back CONSTANTLY
Author Message
Member:
Thomboy

Posted on Sunday, Jan 8, 2006 - 9:43 pm:

I need ideas and suggestions please. My barrel horse and I have difficulty keeping her saddle in place. I have gotten her a Bob Marshall treeless saddle and this has helped tremendously, but I still have to adjust it after each run. When we are just doing slow work, I have to stop every so often and move it forward again. The pad she prefers is a contoured(rather high withered horse) wool-type pad. Are there any pads out there that actually keep the saddle from slipping back?
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Sunday, Jan 8, 2006 - 9:57 pm:

Hi Melissa,

I have the same saddle, but it doesn't slide on any of my horses. I use one of those really thin porous rubber looking pads under my blankets, and a breast collar. The pad is a really inexpensive non-slip pad which you can buy in various shapes, or one big pad and cut what you need. Unfortunately is it escaping me right now what other name there is for it. It's neophrene I think.

I have one gelding who has rather high withers and I use that pad under a thick pad with the cutout in the middle at the withers.

Maybe you are putting it too far up to begin with?? Hopefully someone on here can direct you to a saddle placement/fitting site, just in case that is happening. Very easy to do!

Good luck.
Member:
Thomboy

Posted on Sunday, Jan 8, 2006 - 10:07 pm:

I don't believe it is being set too far forward to begin with, as I have had multiple people from vets, chiropractors, the massage therapist and fellow barrel racers all check, because I assumed that was probably what I was doing since she is built different than any other horse I have ever dealt with. I do keep a breast collar on her. Maybe I am riding with the saddle too loose?? Any tighter would just seem entirely too tight for my taste, and it doesn't shift side-to-side, it only slides backwards. I think I know the pad you are talking about, and I might just have one out in the tack room...I hadn't even thought about that thing. Any other ideas??
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Sunday, Jan 8, 2006 - 10:11 pm:

Melissa,
Maybe Angie's porous pad is the key. One of the boarders at the ranch here had a really nice Bob Marshall, and he had a green rubberized type of pad . . . to provide ventilation for his mare's back. I know I have seen the material before, but I can' describe it. I think I've seen outdoor doormats made out of it. The pad was about a 1/4 inch thick . . . very light . . . looked like lots of thin, drizzled, rubber strings all criss-crossed and bonded to eachother. It was possible to see through the pad because there were so many tiny spaces between the rubbery fibers.

The first thing I thought of, though, when I read your post, was using a riser pad or a lollypop . . . to create a "pocket" for the saddle, but that may increase pressure on your horse's withers.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Monday, Jan 9, 2006 - 12:38 am:

You can get that pad material at places like Walmart in the rug department. People use it to keep throw rugs from slipping.
Member:
Dsibley

Posted on Monday, Jan 9, 2006 - 7:09 am:

I had a mare that had the same problem, but for a different reason. She had absolutely NO withers! I couldn't ever seem to get the saddle tight enough on her. It would still slide side-to-side, and would slip back even with a breast-collar. The rug pad from Walmart worked wonders for me. They're so cheap that they can be replaced easily. The stuff also comes in rolls in the kitchen department for lining drawers. Poor Rosie was like riding a barrel!
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Monday, Jan 9, 2006 - 9:53 am:

Wal Mart to the rescue!! I never realized that was the same stuff, but you are right. I was looking thru my horse catalogs and for some reason couldn't find the pad, but it's a material like Holly describes, and "tacky". (I have some rolls of} shelf liner, I wonder if I could just wrap all it around my one gelding who is very ticklish with the saddle and cinch?)

Are you also using a "tacky, stretchy" cinch? It may help some, and if the cinch has "give" you may be able to tighten it more.

There are tons of custom pads out there. Some have gel in various spots like the hollow behind the shoulders. Like the air ride Orthosport (I've had my eye on that one myself) I think a special pad and the thin tacky pad will be about all you can do.

Post a picture of the horse with and without the saddle if you can.

good luck!!
Member:
Dsibley

Posted on Monday, Jan 9, 2006 - 12:47 pm:

If you have access to one of the measuring tools that Wintec saddles come with, you could check the fit of your current saddle easily. Sometimes just adding pads will help the fit so much that it won't slide as much. Unless, of course, you're riding a barrel like my Rosie. Then you're pretty much done for!
Member:
Thomboy

Posted on Monday, Jan 9, 2006 - 11:10 pm:

You guys are all entirely too creative! I would have never thought of the shelf/rug stuff. I am going to try some of that.

Diane, the saddle I am referring to is a treeless sport saddle. It conforms precisely to the horse. The problems you can run into is the pad actually not having enough give to conform as well as the saddle, and then, in this case, sliding backwards because of her funky shape. She is very hollowed behind the withers from years of an ill-fitting, heavy roping saddle and lack of proper conditioning (they would not even get on the poor girl without doping her up with Ace first), so I'm sure the back will build up with time and adequate conditioning along with the current saddle. She has already had a lot of improvement, but still tons more to go.
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