best correction half pad

[blob]

Well, after much hand-wringing and many failed tries, I've finally ordered a saddle that will fit my horse and will hopefully fit me ok. Hurrah!

Only bad thing is that it'll take 6 weeks to arrive. Since I don't want to give my horse a 6 week vacation, I'm going to try to make a saddle a friend has loaned me work for the time being. The saddle fitter looked at it on and confirmed what I thought--it's too wide (about one tree size) but otherwise not a terrible fit.

So, I'm looking for a correction bad that can help fill some of the space and keep my sensitive horse happy and comfortable while I wait for our saddle to come in.

I haven't really used correction pads in the past, so would love to hear recommendations on the best half pad for the job. I have just a basic sheepskin halfpad lying around, but wanted to see if there was something better suited to the job out there.

[silk]

Mattes, for sure.

[piedmontfields]

It sort of depends how much space you need to fill in. I have a couple of Equine Comfort Product (ECP) pads with inserts that are very handy with thinner saddle pads. I love my Mattes correction pad, but it is a lot more "fill." Many people like Christ sheepskin pads.

[Chisamba]

I like the one with 6 pockets so you can fill exactly the area you need to, I will look up the brand name when I get to the barn

[StraightForward]

Susan has a Thinline correction pad that I use under my saddle when I ride Kyra. I like the Thinline shims because they have more heft/density to them than the thin felt ones. It's also a little sticky on one side, so it can help with slippage issues.

[Moutaineer]

I have the Thinline one. I think it's called the Trifecta. I'm pretty happy with it and it had held up well to daily use. Not cheap, but worth it--and big enough to fit under my saddle properly.

I think Chisamba is talking about the Total Saddle Fit pad, which I would like to try one of these days.

Laddie prefers an extra wide tree with this correction pad under it to the wide tree that in theory fits him perfectly. Go figure.

[piedmontfields]

"Laddie prefers an extra wide tree with this correction pad under it to the wide tree that in theory fits him perfectly. Go figure."

Em is the same (but only a wide). I think it is because the padding allows for more movement/expansion under the saddle during ridden work.

[blob]

I ended up ordering the Total Saddle Fit pad--the idea of having more areas to shim/adjust appealed to me. Though I suspect I might just need to fill the space and not necessarily adjust shape/fit.

Fingers crossed I can find a comfortable balance for my sensitive critter.

[Chisamba]

Yes! I finally likec up ther brand, but mountaineer filled you in first!