SS "leathers" ideas

["Brickson" <brickson@delanet.com>]

How timely!

Same problem!  At first I used the flimsier "leathers" from my bareback pad.
Ahhh, better.  These, however, would twist sometimes when I'd remove my
feet, and besides, there was still the girth D that was a lump, although it
was *much* less total bulk w/o the thick SS "leathers".  I got fed up with
the twisting, as well as not being able to pull my feet out of the stirrups
quickly enough a couple times, so I put the SS's leathers back on and padded
my knees.  After riding shorter horses lately with the leathers taken up a
bit, it bothered me more.  (I miss Firefly!)  The leather flaps, though
thick, now have impressions of the stirrup Ds and edges of the "leathers"
where they run through it!

I thought that after I'd used the saddle for a while and smashed the lump
down it would be better.  After a couple years with no great improvement, I
am going to try a different tactic.

I brought my saddle in the house just this afternoon to switch back to the
bareback pad's "leathers".  I will use pieces of sheepskin to make
extensions from the saddle cover down past the flap and fasten them in a way
to hold those flimsy things straight.  Hopefully the sheepskin cover will
also solve the D-flap problem.  BTW thick sheepskin helps protect horse from
my seat bones and keeps me from sliding around on the smooth leather.  My SS
is cushy, except for the knee thing.

My old bareback pad's "leathers" are nylon web of a stock that is used for
car seat belts.  The buckle holes, although melted properly, fray w/ age;
the nylon stretches even with the suede reinforcement.  I think this is the
same type stock used for "leathers" on English synthetic saddles.   Wintec's
Webbers are available separately; maybe they would work.

A doubled wool blanket solves the saddle slippage problem.  Mine sometimes
works its way back under the saddle if the girth is really loose, and isn't
wide enough to pad under the girth hardware flap.  I use a crupper and
breaststrap on steep hills, otherwise ride with the girth a bit more loose
than when I did when I was a kid.

My mother-in-law and I made a homemade pad with removable foam insert over
the holidays, but we used only the thickest fleece the craft/fabric stores
stock, which is still too flimsy for horse pad material!  It works only if
you make the pad on a form shaped like a horse's back, tight enough over the
foam so that there will be no bunching when you saddle up.  If you go the
homemade route, use thick fleece from a hospital supply or somewhere.

I'll bet Running Bear and/or Animal Tacker have biothane leathers.

bb
Jeff and Bridget Brickson