|
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 520
| What are all your thoughts on shimming wither pockets? Do you shim to completely fill the void? Leave a bit of space? Or not shim at all?
Also what would be the best material to use as a shim? Felt? Foam? |
|
| |
|
 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
   
Location: southeast Texas | Depends. If you are not having saddle problems, leave it alone. Problem with shimming, you don't want to pinch the horses withers by making that area too tight.
I have used natural wool with Hyde scraps, now, I've been using felt cut outs. Thin ish to layer. |
|
| |
|
  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | The idea of shimming is not to fill in a place, but to put the shim where it will lift pressure off an area that pinches. Best bet is to just go through hell finding the right saddle fit, but if all else fails and you have one that pinches, a shim can help. My husband has had several ranch saddles made and all pinch in the same spot. We gave up and he uses a thin shim. 1 yr down and so far so good. It was a last resort for us. |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 520
| Thanks. He is downhill and has some atrophy behind his shoulder, much better than it had been months ago from previous owner's poorly fitting saddle, just not really where he should be still. Doesn't seem like my saddle is pinching anywhere, fits pretty smoothly on him except for gaps where he has atrophy, so I'll try just leaving it without shims. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1552
Location: Texas | Shimming will prevent the muscles in that area from rebuilding and rebounding.We NEVER suggest shimming, nor do most all professional saddle fitters. You can't build a muscle it you restrict it with pressure.
Edited by Cowjazz 2017-09-17 9:27 PM
|
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1523
Location: Illinois | I leave mine off in winter and he gets the hollow pockets behind his shoulder blades. I have shims that are maybe 1/4 thick that I'll put in my CSI pad for about 2 weeks of gettig legged up in the spring and then after that I pull them off. Like stated above, shimming can keep the muscles from growing. The space I try to fill could have a 1/2'-3/4" shim really, but I do the 1/4" because it takes the pressure off a couple other areas until his muscles build back up behind the shoulder blades. But I make sure to check every ride and adjust as necessary, its not a regular thing. He would get sore in his wither/shoulder area before and this has kept him from getting that soreness, but hasn't restricted his muscles from forming. His pockets never fully build up, but they do a little bit. |
|
| |
|
 Nothing Comes Easy
Posts: 2353
Location: Texas | I don't want to steal this thread, but after reading a few posts about shims keeping muscles from building, it stirred up some thoughts. My mare is uneven behind her shoulders. Every saddle makes one side sweat and the otherside have a dry spot. She tore her back open last year and has a lovely scar on one side (the side that sweats). The only way I can create a perfect sweat mark all the way around is by shimming the side that has the dry spot. Should I slowly reduce the size of this shim to encourage the area to fill in? I use a CE foam shim. We have no soreness and lovely movement with this combination. Kind of one of those things where if it's not broke I don't want to fix it, but I also want to give her the best chance to build up her back.
PM me a response if needed, like I said, don't want to steal the thread. |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 520
| No issues at all with stealing the thread Stride, I'd be interesting in hearing thoughts on that as well. |
|
| |
Folks on-line