Jasper & I had another visit from Lavinia Mitchell on Sunday to just make sure that I had got Jasper’s saddle fit right, with the appropriate padding underneath to allow his muscles to start moving properly.

I had sent Lavinia pictures of Jasper’s new Thorowgood T6 Hi-wither GP synthetic saddle and from this we had already decided that he needed a wider gullet to be fitted, so I had ordered this & fitted it already (he is using a medium-wide now). This has allowed the saddle to sit more comfortably into him, whereas before it had looked slightly perched above him, particularly when padded underneath.

I had also purchased a Nuumed HiWither Half Shimmy Pad for him (Lavinia highly recommends the Nuumed pad & even has her own range made by them for her clients). I have been using a standard nuumed hiwither pad for a while, & to be honest their special shape is fantastic if you have a horse with a high, prominent wither, as it just stops the numnah or saddle cloth causing a pressure point. Nuumed’s pads made of natural british wool, which has a great cushioning effect, is breathable & also absorbs moisture without feeling damp, helping to keep your horse comfortable at all times. Even better they can still go in the washing machine, so they are easy to keep cl   ean & in good condition.

The particular pad I chose for Jasper, also has the added benefit of a memory foam layer giving him additional cushioning which I think is even more important given his advancing age (however much he wouldn’t admit it his muscles aren’t what they used to be!!). We selected the half pad as with Jasper’s shape this was where we needed padding & would therefore help us the most.

The shimmy pad has 4 pockets, 2 on each side of the spine, one at the front & one at the back which each come with 2 foam “Shimmy’s” so you can pad it too your horses exact dimensions. This can be particularly useful if your horse is perhaps uneven from left to right in his muscle development as you are able to independently pad one side more then the other.

In Jasper’s case we used a bit more padding through the front then at the back to get the right balance in his saddle & allow space for his muscles to move correctly without being restricted.

It was interesting to note that with the extra space provided with this wider saddle Jasper is much happier to walk in a really relaxed outline, stretching right down & out through his neck. He also feels much more powerful through his back & rear end particularly when we have done a little hill work, so it should be interesting to see if his muscle tone improves as I bring him back into work with this new saddle & added freedom for him.

Lavinia has taken another outline of his wither profile, it was exciting to see that he had gained a couple of millimeters already since August. She is hoping to come back & visit us again at the beginning of next summer & fingers crossed we will already have gained a bit more muscle that we will be able to show off.

If you are in the UK I highly recommend Lavinia for her fantastic saddle fitting services, have a look at her website www.laviniamitchell.com to see a bit more of what she does.

As for Nuumed pads, unfortunately Nuumed don’t sell direct, so I sourced mine from White Rose Equestrian, they have a huge stock & range & Nigel is very helpful, offering excellent customer service & also the best prices I could find. There site is www.whiterose-equestrian.co.uk

Until nest time

With Love

Fiona & Jasper