How thick must the shims be on a numanh to get a finger or so clearance for a treeless with no spinal channel? I was looking at getting a griffin hiwither type numnah which is made for gel inserts, but worried it might not give enough clearance with just gel inserts...?
Depends on horse and the type of saddle you're using. A more A framed horse with a saddle with no built in gullet will need more shims - A flatter back horse will need few. A saddle with built in panels may not need any shims on some horses, but need a few on others....
Be aware some saddles should really be used with a specific numnah I think, whilst others are fine with a normal cloth.
Gel: if they are the firm gel type of things fine - but steer clear of the things filled with a liquid gel type of thing as the liquid will just move away from the areas of pressure and squash to nothing in the wrong places imo
Sorry thats a bit useless - but really, pads/shims are specific to the horse and saddle you are using
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12hh, fat welshie - too wide for an XWide thorowgood maxam (9" D-D) with a libra trail (no channels)... 8.5st rider... It can't be sheepskin as too slippery, and as slim as possible as the libra pad results in me being in the clouds as too thick.
I have to confess, I was put off by the photo of the suber pad... how shallow am I?! It looked unstable, but having taken the time to read it, I like the sound of it - how different is the close contact to the one that looks like a sack of potatoes and will it allos spinal clearance if saddle doesnt have the channel built in?
dont discount sheepskin. Real sheep skin isnt so slippery as the woven stuff that your pad looks to be. Also, check if you are using a pad not designed for treeless as they are usually not stitched with flat seams - this would give bits under the saddle that would start to rub.
If you get a piece of shelf liner from a hardware shop and put that between the pad and the horse it is very very effective at eliminating slipping - and costs about £3
I tried the haf sympanova pad which was supposed to stop slipping - it did work but gave my boy bad rubs - as did the haf airnet pad. I now use a mattes treeless correction pad with pressure relief panels and its fantastic - freeform saddle doesnt move an inch - at last!!
I have to confess, I was put off by the photo of the suber pad... how shallow am I?! It looked unstable, but having taken the time to read it, I like the sound of it - how different is the close contact to the one that looks like a sack of potatoes and will it allos spinal clearance if saddle doesnt have the channel built in?
Ha I love your description of it! The close contact is smaller than the 'sack of potatoes' one, my daughter uses it on her arab x welsh who has small withers, although it doesnt give huge spinal clearance it gives enough for her pony to be comfortable and can easily get a finger in. I personally wouldnt use anything else now, I love them
with my libra on a flat back low withered nf, i used an equitex pad.
i did with the original saddle i had use their pad, but when i upgraded and bought the new model it didn't suit us. so i sold it.
the equitex doesn't have opton to shim however i did still have spinal clearance and this was also the case when instructor rode (heavier) and for jumping and fast work.
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I've got a sack of potatoes suberpad and a couple of treeless pads that I'm happy to bring over for you to try if you want (got a christ one which is proper sheepskin and another one that I can't remember the name of, though that's synthetic mock sheepskin stuff so may give you the same slippage problem).
if you wouldnt mind that would bw brill i have a suber close contact now, and awaiting the arrival of my equitex . Ive not mounted or ridden in suber, but looks like it might give us to much height and thus instability - also found it hard to level it out before putting saddle on, but might be brill when i get round to riding in it
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