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Tack Room: New design makes for better-fitting pad
New ideas for saddle pads seem to appear as frequently as feeding time.
But Thinline, a North Carolina company, has a new pad design that’s worth considering, especially if you use the same saddle on more than one horse.
Their new Saddle Fitter Pad (with shims) allows riders to make on-the-spot adjustments to better fit, within reason, almost any saddle to any horse. This unique design sports two sets of different-sized shims that slip into pockets along either side the sheepskin pad. This means the same saddle can be adjusted to fit horses of different shapes.
The company claims this pad is perfect for riders with multiple horses, young growing horses, or hard-to-fit horses. The pads are a favorite of the British Society of Master Saddlers, a group that — according to their Web site — not only makes saddles but holds workshops and intensives to train people to fit saddles.
The pad may also improve rider performance by increasing stability, minimizing lower back movement, cushion the body’s bony structures, and provide a close-contact feel. The Saddle Fitter Pad ($135 to $160) is available at several tack stores in the Puget Sound area, but also online at www.thinlineinc.com
