>>> I am getting a Nomad (dixie mightnight) no sweat pad from Dana as I have a >>> Sensation >>> G3. Dana said she has had good results of saddles not slipping forward with >>> the Nomad. >>> So we shall see.
I think I was having foals born when this topic first came up, so I didn't follow every post. I think someone suggested shimming the pad? Did you try that? A couple of my mares have had some muscle loss after pregnancy and delivery, and I've had good luck adding front shims until the muscles built back up. I would assume that also might help for a horse who's conformationally built downhill. Also, which Sensation girth do you have? I believe most, if not all, are made with Velcro such that the liners can be interchanged - I have wool fleece, neoprene and wool felt lined ones. I wonder if you might try buying a new liner in one of the other materials from Dana? Since I have a good many horses, I can justify owning a sheepskin correction pad. Mattes, Equine Comfort and Thinline brands make them, but mine was made by Equine Comfort. Instead of having two pockets for foam like the Skito type pads do, they have four - a front and rear pocket for each side. It's pretty amazing to see what a difference that adding even 1/4" extra foam in the front alone can do. You can add shims to any pad I suppose, but these are nice because you don't have to worry so much about the shims slipping. I'm not using mine at the moment, but it's nice to have - I could very well need it when Flekka and/or Maja return to riding duty later this year. I have the original Equine Comfort insert pads, plus I made a set of 1/4" felt inserts, and I bought a set of Thinline inserts which happen to fit this pad exactly. This gives me a lot of flexibility. Also curious - is she equally downhill built on both sides? If she's one-sided, you can certainly work on evening out her muscles - it won't cure a downhill built horse but it can help. I don't like to use shims long-term if I feel there's a development issue causing the bulk of the problem - best to build the muscles themselves if that's feasible. Karen Thomas, NC
