Hi Bobbi!
First, congratulations on entering your
first ride. Please let us all know how you
and Shai do!
I have a narrow backed TB who wears a narrow
TB tree Stubben Survival. I use an OPEN cell
Skito pad between his synthetic fleece trail
pad with pockets and the saddle. He does not
show signs of back soreness at all. I much
preferr the open cell (space shuttle) material
as it really absorbs shock. Magnum has a
rough trot and I think it protects him from
my bone-y rear end and book learned (no-
class ;-) ) riding.
I also have a friend Val who can use basically
the same setup on her TB and still have back
soreness problems. The only other thing I can
see is her TB Jessie has very pretty, but fine
velvet fur. Magnum has normal horse hair.
The skito pad may be creating too much heat
under the saddle for her Jessie. Magnum just
doesn't have this problem. All horses are a bit
different. I'm convinced I got lucky where
saddles and pads are concerned.
:) - kat
kathy.myers@syntex.com
-
Hi Kathy,
a few thoughts to share. Sharon Schmidt in her book TIPS FOR THE
LONG DISTANCE RIDER has quite a bit to say about the skito pad
and heat build-up on page 159. She says studies show the opposite,
that it reduces heat buildup, compared to other pads. This is
a result of the combination of the wool fleece skito pad with
the foam inserts. Since the skito pad is an open cell foam, it
is supposed to draw heat away from the back.
My sister and I did a ride using a skito inter-pad (between saddle
and main pad), a Stubben (which fit the horse well), and one of
those synthetic fleece trail pads with pockets. We had heat bumps
after the ride, even though the mare had been conditioned in the
same set up. We ditched that pad, and went to the wool/blend
skito pad.
I think it is also critical to keep the back and pad clean. In
the summer when the horses are dusty, I usually hose them down
before the ride and let them dry. I pressure the hose the pad
after every hard ride, and at least after every 2 to 3 rides. I
never wash it in soap or detergent. We ride in very hot temps
up here in the summer, and I haven't had any rubbing, rashes
or bumps with this pad.
Oh, I talked to Sharon Schmid at the AERC convention and she
really dislikes the pocket pads-says they hold in too much heat
and why cover up parts of the horse you don't need to? I agree
with this to a certain point-I am still using that synthetic
pocket pad and skito inter pad on the pony my daughter rides, but
she has only done 16 or so miles.
Karen
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