To shim or not to shim; that is the question! How, when and why to use them, however, creates a lot of confusion. Moreover, there are so many types of corrections pads to choose from. There are pads to give a general all over lift and area specific shims such as front, rear, bridge, etc.
Correction pads come in all shapes and sizes. They come in full square dressage or all-purpose, shaped dressage or all-purpose, endurance, half pads and so on. You can almost bet that there is a pad to suit any need you might have. The shims available come in many forms specific to their pads such as memory foam, felt, closed cell, gel, etc. Some run the full length of the pad, some have options such as front or rear or separate quadrants of the pad, both front and rear. The shims can be inserted from the top or the bottom, usually, with velcro closures or just places to slip them in.
Correction/shim pads are useful for many reasons and a good tool to have in your tack room. Although we frequently suggest that one has to fit the saddle to the horse in front at that moment, sometimes customers want a little wiggle room for a young horse or one that is out of condition. In those instances, it can be very helpful to have a pad that will allow spot specific shimming so that one can have a saddle that is properly balanced, yet allow room for the building of muscle. If a horse is laid up due to stall rest, chances are its topline has changed and although your saddle may have fit perfectly before, it may now need a bit of a lift.
Perhaps you ride multiple horses. We suggest fitting to the widest if they are somewhat similar in conformation and shimming the saddle for the narrower horse. You might need to shim only the front or the entire saddle. If that is the case, you can use the correction pads that aren’t divided into quadrants but those types will also work if you use all of the inserts. Secondly, if one horse is more angular, shimming front and make can help equalize or spread the pressure over a larger area so that the pressure isn’t concentrated only by the spine.
If you have an asymmetrical horse, correction pads can be critical. We suggest using one as opposed to flocking your saddle asymmetrically. Using a shim allows you the option to remove it once or if the horse rebuilds that area. If you flock the saddle to fill in, the development may be stifled and looking down the road, the saddle will be harder to sell unless you have it reflocked to be even. When shimming for asymmetry, there are different trains of thought. Some would shim the low side only or the low side and opposite rear or front to keep a saddle from shifting. The best bet is to play around with the shims and see what works best for balancing the saddle and paying notice to how your horse moves.
You may have a saddle that used to work for your previous horse that may be close but not quite right. Again, if the general shape of the saddle matches the horses back then shimming can be okay.
If your saddle bridges, you can resort to a correction pad that offers a bridge shim. This doesn’t make a poorly fitting saddle a good thing but it can alleviate the pressure that is concentrated in the front and back for a temporary fix unless it is way too narrow. Some horses have a very curvy longitudinal topline and although there are many different trees and options useful for that, a bridge pad can help with the more extreme cases.
For a saddle that slides forward or for a horse that is croup high or very uphill, selective shimming can make all the difference in the balance of the saddle. Lifting the front of the saddle in can aid in those issues some of the time.
When using shims, depending on what brand, it can be okay to stack the shims. Some, such as Mattes are felt and can be layered. Some, like the Thinline shims have an angled edge and can be stacked with larger and progressively smaller shims on top. Ultimately, one is looking for the seat to be level and shims can help to achieve that.
Many people use a correction pad with the assumption that it is kinder to the horse’s back. Pliance pressure scan studies have shown that with a good fitting saddle, the addition of the correction pad with shims can add pressure points, especially along the edges of the shims. If one owns a pair of good fitting shoes, adding a thick sock to provide more padding is not going to make it feel better.It is just going to feel tighter.
There are many different pads available on the market including full and half pads. Check out our correction pads and see the different types and the shims or inserts. You can click on the saddle pad link and then choose your discipline/correction. Don’t hesitate to call if you have questions.