Your Saddle Panels Are Being Damaged Every Day
Many equestrians see no harm in storing a saddle on steel bar saddle rack like this one. But we and equine saddle professionals know the real damage and harm that is done to the panels of a saddle when stored this way.
Observational studies, professional experiences and product tests all attest to the damage. We took a gel filled 3/4 inch thick Port Lewis Impression pad and placed it under a saddle on a saddle rack. The severe impressions left in the gel indicate the forces your saddle panels are exposed to on a saddle rack.
The pressure exerted by the steel bars causes deep ridges and indentations to form in the panels and flocking, ultimately compromising balance, fit and performance. You might not notice it but your horse definitely will! Depending upon the type of saddle and flocking you have, the damage to your saddle could be irreversible.
Not Maintaining Saddle Panels Correctly Can Have Severe Consequences
An uneven or lumpy saddle panel can prevent your horse from giving of its best and badly fitted or maintained panels are a common cause of sore backs and other more serious back problems in the horse.
Think of how sensitive your foot is to the tiniest pebble underneath it, and it will give you some idea of how your horse feels the lumps and bumps in a saddle panel on its back! Just like the story of the “princess and the pea”.
What might seem to some to be relatively minor saddle issues gradually affect the horse’s muscles and their ability to function properly. An insult to one muscle works progressively to spread that insult to another and yet another muscle in a chain reaction. That chain reaction will affect way of going, performance and foot conformation. Carried to its logical conclusion it will cause firstly, performance deficits and progress to subsequent sub-clinical lameness (not very visually evident, but manifested by “just not moving right.”)
Since the saddle is a rider’s primary communication device, the horse needs to feel subtle changes in the rider’s position and balance through it. When exposed to damaging pressure the flocking will become compressed and lose its springiness and ‘give’, ultimately resulting a great deal of ‘static’ or interference in the message to your horse.
SaddleMattress Protects Your Saddle panels When Stored on a Steel Bar Saddle Rack For Optimal Performnace on Your Horse’s Back – Click on ’How SaddleMattress Works" To Learn More!