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  Discussion on Corrector Saddle Pad, anyone used it?
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Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 12:39 pm:

Looking for feedback on the Corrector Saddle Pad, developed and sold by Len Brown, the guy who helped develop the Ortho Flex saddles. (he's not with the company anymore)

Claims to help any saddle fit better, with the addition of shims where needed. Looks to be a really simple thin pad. Pretty expensive and he does not accept returns.

Many positive testimonials on his website. He answers emails promptly and encourages phone calls.
Member:
Sumnera

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 8:14 pm:

Hi:

I purchased the Corrector pad a couple of months ago. I had been having ongoing problems with saddle fit with my new horse. I even bought a new saddle that was custom fitted and she was still getting dry spots. I've tried almost every saddle pad on the market with no improvement. I saw the ad for the Corrector in Trail Rider magazine and decided to give it a try.

I'm thrilled to tell you that my saddle fitting problems are gone. We no longer have dry spots and the white hairs that my mare was developing are almost completely gone. A second benefit to the Corrector is how much better your horse moves while wearing it. My horse was much more relaxed and moved more fluidly the first time I put it on.

My husband just tried it on his horse and was so impressed with how much better his horse moved at the trot and canter that he's ordered a Corrector for himself.

Of course, this is just our experience with the Corrector and I can't say it would be the same for your particular situation. In my opinion, the Corrector works and is well worth the $160 price tag. Hope you find this helpful!
Aimee
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Sunday, Jul 2, 2006 - 9:27 pm:

Aimee,
I'm so glad to hear that as I must have seen the same advertisement and didn't know whether it was worth trying out. You have convinced me as I don't yet have enough treeless saddles to go around when we go out in a group and I am so invested in happy horses that I am concerned for their discomfort, one in particular who has a very high withers and a sway back, she came that way. I use equipedic and skito pads but Rosa just never looks quite as happy as I suspect she should. I will order one and give feed back. She is a Peruvian Paso and their shoulder freedom and saddle cut-back and fit is most important for a good gait, not to mention being comfortable herself.
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 8:07 am:

I ride with a treeless saddle also, BM sport by Circle Y. Len used to really go on about how bad they were on his website, and how much you really, REALLY, needed his pad if you used one of them saddles. He don't do that anymore, maybe the saddle makers got on him?

Aimee,

Can you pretty easily move the shims around? I am getting the impression that they just velcro to the pad? I have a sway backed horse, with one shoulder higher than the other, hoping it works for her.

Also have a gelding that needs some padding in the hollows behind the shoulders as the treeless is getting close to his spine at the withers.

I am not clear as to how this pad helps, having used it yourself, can you describe what you see it doing, how it's made?

Ilona,

What kind of treeless are you riding in? I have considered the skito pads also.

I love my treeless, my horses seem to also, but it is a little long on 2 of my horses. I plan on calling Len next week as he is willing to answer questions on the phone.

Thanks for posting.
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 10:38 am:

Angie,
I'm not sure what you are referring to as a'a little long'. If you clarify I will be happy to give my input.

I have a Bob marshall endurance deluxe. I used to have the standard endurance which is a little shorter in the back. Combined with the Skito pad it is like riding on a cloud. I recently used the equi-pedic as my original tack with skito pad was stolen but I remembered how different the ride was on the skito. I recently re-purchased the skito, and I was correct, it is a much superior ride. They added some stuff for me as Takumba is very high withered, and my fiancee can top 210lbs. He sometimes rides Takumba (he has to beg!) I know the people who make the skito pad are so helpful I am sure they would adjust it for you. The saddle and pad I use on all our horses and it is by far their happiest tack.
Member:
Dove2

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 11:13 am:

I just purchased a new western saddle because I was very concerned about the fit of my last saddle. It turns out I see a large dry spot on either side of the withers, larger on the right than on the near side. I was just planning to get a riser pad (ValleyVet carries one). Is this something the Skito or Corrector pad would better correct? Would one of these pads be better than the other for filling in this unmuscled area? (My Paint horse is 4 years old and I expect he'll eventually get more muscling there, but don't want any problems till then. BTW, his withers aren't necessarily high, but he is short-backed.) Also, if the Corrector Pad is thin, will it provide enough cushioning under a western saddle? I, too, have been most interested in Skito and The Corrector.
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 11:43 am:

Where is the rise in a "riser pad," Dove2?

If the rise is in the back, it will probably only serve to drive the front of the tree deeper and harder into the withers and will increase the pressure problem. I find that a pad that lifts in the middle would be better for relieving wither pressure.
Member:
Dove2

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 12:54 pm:

The Riser Pad is a smallish pad (synthetic felt) which you can put anywhere under the saddle. (go to ValleyVet.com and enter Riser Pad) I thought I'd try it at the base of the withers, where the hollow of the shoulders are, or a little behind that. I already have been using a built-up pad (more padding in the shoulder area) to get the saddle to sit level, and thought that would be enough to eliminate any pressure points. If I got a riser pad, I'd eliminate the built up pad and just use a regular pad. I really like the Clinton Anderson pad, that has hollowed out areas for where the bars points go, but the pad is too long for my horse. What kind of a pad lifts in the middle, Holly?
Member:
Ajudson1

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 12:59 pm:

Ilona,

I'll try to get a picture up later this week, that would be best. Busy with long weekend plans right now, and it's raining...not great picture taking weather.

My saddle is 26" long, and my farrier said it was too long on my Arab. I have been looking at pictures of BM saddles on websites, usually of endurance riders, and the saddle length looks the same on some.

What I thought was happening was the saddle was affecting her withers, thus the bump. (Know that I know more, I think the bump may be from mounting all those years without a mounting block)

She was acting up in the treeless saddle, so I bought an used Wintec, the Aussie style. She was worse in that!!! That saddle is 22" long I believe, so I figure it's digging in her back behind the saddle.

At any rate, using the treeless, I put some foam under the saddle, where her back is lower, and she is back to being happy. I am though concerned about any problems with the saddle length, and am also saddle shopping.

I have a 4 year old who I have been an a few times, bucks up a storm with the treeless, but likes the Aussie. She is also shorter in the back. I don't like how the Aussie fits her though, I think it is too wide for her, and just plain looks silly on her.

Dove2,

If you mean the pad that is like 2 parts of felt joined by nylon straps, I would pass on that, and get a better saddle pad. Right now I am leaning toward the corrector because you can shim it up as needed. I found the riser pad to be too much, and created more problems. Don't know about the Skito pad....

A lady I spoke to with Smith Brothers, the western sister company of Dove Saddlery, said that the wool backed SMX, Professional Choice, pads are what most endurance riders of the western style treeless use, and they make a pad with extra padding in the hollow behind the shoulder there. (I know you didn't say you had a treeless, but that was our discussion) May be another option for you, and cheaper than the other 2. But then again you are limited as your horse changes shape.

Ah, the pain, the agony, the choices!!! I sometimes want to just wave a magic wand, problem solved!!!!
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 1:18 pm:

Ahh, Dove . . . I don't know . . . I have searched for a pad that will raise the middle of the back just behind the withers, but usually, I can find "built up" pads that have extra padding OVER the withers or extra padding under the BACK of the saddle . . . either way, it seems that one increases the pressure on the withers by just stuffing more padding into the gullet in the front, and one tips the saddle more forward and causes the tree to dig into the shoulders more. If you have a horse with TB withers and well muscled shoulders and then a hollow behind the shoulder, then I haven't found a pad to relieve the pressure of digging into the shoulders. A narrower gullet, to keep the saddle off the spine at the withers will just pinch the shoulders, and a wider gullet that won't pinch the shoulders, will just fall on the high withers. I have tried to improvise with a folded blanket over a fleece pad to fill up the hollow behind the shoulders and make contact with the bottom of the saddle so it won't bridge, but I find that the folded edges of the blanket leave marks through the pad onto the horse's back after a long ride, and I imagine that might be rather uncomfortable . . . sort of like a wrinkle in a sock. Maybe the Corrector Pad will fix this kind of problem? I haven't heard of the pad before, but if it solves problems like this, then to me, it is worth the expense.
Member:
Ilona

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 1:26 pm:

Dove2,
you may want to go to their website. I know you can call Len and ask him all the questions you have. He is knowledgeable and helpful.
The Corrector pad is a completely different technology than the skito pad. They both serve independant functions (I think).
www.thecorrector.net/

There are several Bob marshall saddles to choose from, they are not all the same length.
Member:
Sumnera

Posted on Monday, Jul 3, 2006 - 5:47 pm:

Hi Angie:

I posted once before, but it disappeared so if this appears twice, I apologize.

Yes, you can move the shims around very easily. I have a horse with one shoulder larger than the other so I am able to shim just the one side. I would recommend purchasing one of his envelope pads or socks to hold the shims in place. I went with the sock because it was cheaper.

The pad is made up of some type of very thin plastic sandwiched between felt. The plastic has holes in it for breathability. It acts like a treeless saddle in that it flexes with the horses movement. This allows their shoulders to move freely and also removes pressure points.

Hope this helps.
Aimee
Member:
winger

Posted on Sunday, Mar 16, 2008 - 6:32 pm:

I also have the corrector pad but the only problem is the more shimming in the front and back the bigger bridge you get in the middle and the more pressure you get on the shoulders and loins..
Member:
sarahb47

Posted on Monday, Mar 17, 2008 - 2:26 am:

We're using a corrector pad on an older QH mare with a fairly severe swayback. Can't use a treeless as it sort of folds up in the middle. I've adjusted the shims a couple of times as her muscling has improved with work and good nutrition. Shims are held in by velcro and can be moved, but do that carefully so you're not creating an overlapping effect that would create new pressure points.

We're now using the corrector under a Thinline western pad, with a felt pad over the Thinline. Seems a bit much to layer 3 pads but it works for this mare. If you don't build up with the corrector, the weaver synthetic saddle bridges badly. The thinline does a nice job of reducing concussion, and the felt pad just ...looks more appropriately western, and adds enough padding to bring her back up to something moderately level. Fitting the horse with lordosis is tough, but this is a great lesson and trail mare, and well worth it.

Sarah
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Thursday, Feb 3, 2011 - 11:30 am:

About my experience with the CorrecTOR pad as requested to post on another page . . .

I am adding onto this conversation because I decided not to order a treeless saddle after reading here that on swaybacked horses they sometimes fold up.

With further aging my horse's withers are also now more prominent and perhaps could be called "high."

I've been fighting the saddle fit issues forever with my horse Lance even before his back became swayed including having a custom made saddle built, but he was measured for that after a couple of months off for a bad backache caused by saddle fit (veterinarian diagnosed) and when he muscled up again the custom saddle no longer fit properly.

Then his top line began deteriorating.

After a couple of months off from riding last winter Lance's back had changed more and this spring he bucked every time we went into a canter and a friend/trainer and I figured out that the saddle was pinching him behind his withers. The back of the saddle was popping up and all of the weight was concentrating right in the one area although I was using a Cashel swayback pad that had previously worked serviceably.

Next I switched to an extremely thick swayback pad and that was working okay but where I had to place it so that it would be effective it extended back to his hip and was causing the hair to rub off. This would be an untenable situation when I again ride more frequently than about once a week, which I am planning to do in the months ahead.

I purchased a correcTOR pad and worked through Len Brown about where to place the shims and through trial and error am currently using 3 shims in the left front, 1 in the right front and two rear wedges on the left ("On side").

On page 11 of his site Len Brown describes a right handed horse who continuously prefers to uses his right shoulder. It turns out that I have a left handed horse and everything that Len Brown says about a right handed horse is the opposite in my horse including him having a smaller, more concave and nicely heeled front right foot (lovely) and a larger, flatter left front with poor heel.

The way that I have the pads inserted now and the stirrups adjusted is resulting in me having an easier time to stay centered in my seat.

My horse showed no signs yesterday of soreness during or after a long ride with challenging hills, turns and speeds. There was no bucking.

Using the shims and stirrups as presently adjusted is supposed to over time cause the horse to muscle up and strengthen more evenly so that eventually the shims will likely require a different and more-balanced configuration.

Adapting to the Len Brown system seems as though it is requiring me to throw out just about everything that I ever thought that I knew about saddle fitting.

The CorrecTOR has four very hard shields inside of it and I will let you read his explanation about how and why it works on his web site.

The point is that it sure is working for me. I always thought that with a dipped back or high withers that I needed to fill in all of those spaces with padding.

This system is working much better for me.

AT first it seemed complicated and hard for me to understand but sticking with his instructions has been very worthwhile. He has been extraordinarily helpful over the telephone and E-mail.
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