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Post by DorothyB on May 12, 2015 14:44:58 GMT -5
I LOVE my Little Joe bareback saddle. I use an equipedic pad under it. Now that I'm retired, I'm riding a lot more. Usually about 13 miles every other weekend, plus rides of 3 - 8 miles a couple of times per week. We are also doing more trotting / cantering. I've lost over 20 # in the last six months and am down to about 180#. I hope to lose another 20# by the end of the year. Saturday morning I rode over 7 1/2 miles. (Average speed 4.2 mph but included 5 min waiting for a water trough and a few short stops to let people past - and a spurt of 20 mph!!) Sunday morning I found a sprinkling of white hairs interspersed with Shiloh's bay hairs. They are approx where my thigh are. That area is usually dry or dryer when I pull the saddle off after riding. I'm still riding Shiloh in my original LJ which is really old. I switched to Trooper's equipedic pad last year - it was purchased in 2011 but not used very much until last year. Now what?? I LOVE my LJ and I don't want to give it up. I don't want to be in the never-ending search and money pit of trying to find a saddle that fits us both. The LJ keeps me secure. I do have a brand new LJ that has only been on Lucky twice. Any chance switching would help? I also have an unused, still in the wrapper, equipedic that I got for Lucky. Any chance that a new equipedic would help? Maybe if I quit trying to grip with my thighs when trotting to keep weight out of my stirrups?? or a skito pad? or ?? I rode another 7 miles Sunday morning after I found the white hairs. I guess they stay until he gets his winter coat? How long after the "too much pressure" do they turn white? How will I know that whatever I change is working? Thanks!
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Post by Idaho Linda on May 12, 2015 20:03:13 GMT -5
You need to bevel all the edges of the foam in the Equipedic. Skitos come beveled on all the edges where there will be pressure, especially if it will be used on a treeless. It is an easy fix.
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Post by DorothyB on May 12, 2015 21:30:38 GMT -5
The white hairs don't appear to be a line across like the edge of a pad, but might be at the same place as the edge of the pad - or might be above it. I'll put the pad on him tomorrow and see where the hairs are compared to the edge of the pad.
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Post by Idaho Linda on May 12, 2015 22:54:45 GMT -5
I was personally up at Skito getting a lesson from Tom on this. He had me bring in my pads and he beveled the edges because he said horses were getting white hairs. My mare had white hairs doen her spine. He fixed the pad and they went away to never return.
With your increased riding, this would be good prevention, even if isn't causing your current issue.
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Post by ride4fun on May 13, 2015 8:49:51 GMT -5
Supracor pad with a fleece liner? Supracor are a honeycomb pad, fairly stiff so they will distribute weight somewhat. You may need a liner to make sure the pad doesn't rub though. That is what I used when I first got my LJ and was using it on GreyMoun for distance riding.
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Post by Idaho Linda on May 13, 2015 10:06:36 GMT -5
Skito uses more dense foam for pads to be used under treeless to help distribute weight, as 4F4 describes above. Equipedic and Skito are not two equivalent pads from different manufacturers. One is custom for each and every order for individual saddles and owner's preferences and intended uses and one is mass-produced. And the Skito can be constantly modified by the owner by moving shims around. I don't think I have ever been up to the factory when there have been more than 5 people sewing. Tom, the owner, personally oversees everything and cuts the foam himself. All the foam is beveled on the edges, including those on the edge of the pad where you believe the white hairs are appearing. You need to pull that foam and start beveling. An electric knife works well.
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Post by DorothyB on May 13, 2015 11:42:02 GMT -5
So I might change multiple things. The white hairs are definitely not a line along the edge of the pad, but are where my leg goes down. LJ said that since I'm still riding in my original LJ, it could be packed down too much so will switch to my newest LJ. Also will bevel the foam in at least one of my three equipedic pads and will most likely order a Skito pad.
He just has a sprinkling of white hairs. If more appear in the next month, how do I know if they are from riding last Sunday or if it means I haven't fixed the problem?
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Post by ride4fun on May 13, 2015 14:13:47 GMT -5
You need to probe his skin for tenderness, any thickened patches etc. The only reason to suspect pressure has any relation to Shiloh's smattering of white hairs vs it being his allergies is that you say the color loss is only where your thighs contact when riding.
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Post by DorothyB on May 13, 2015 19:11:06 GMT -5
Well, the withe hairs and also that fact that those areas were dry under the saddle pad but I didn't do anything about it. His allergies lead to itchiness of ears, mane & tail. No tenderness in the area of the white hairs. Didn't notice thickened patches, but wasn't looking for them. I'll check if it ever stops raining . . .
I have a lake from my patio across the entire back yard and 1/3 of the dry lot. Trooper and Lucky are on an island under the horseport.
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Post by DorothyB on May 13, 2015 20:35:38 GMT -5
Skin is perfectly smooth around the white hairs and along most of sides
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Post by ride4fun on May 14, 2015 0:28:42 GMT -5
I don't know how long it takes from damage to the hair to seeing white, I think I've heard of only seeing white at the next shedding new hair cycle. Sadie and Tanza both have white hairs that seem more correlated to allergy issues they have, extending onto rump and neck.
If you eliminate the dryness you'll know you are good, you might have dryness w/o a big problem but checking for tenderness after every ride will be important IMO, both immediately after and then next morning or so when any swelling would likely be at peak.
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Post by DorothyB on May 14, 2015 8:10:23 GMT -5
I'm definitely ordering the new pad, but won't have it for a few weeks.
Yes, I finally figured out yesterday that if there aren't dry spots, then I have probably fixed the issue.
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Post by Idaho Linda on May 14, 2015 17:38:13 GMT -5
I suspect that the new coat will not have the white hairs. Great job of being observant and fixing possible issues.
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Post by DorothyB on May 24, 2015 21:49:11 GMT -5
Since my ride this weekend was cancelled due to all of the flooding, a friend and I trailered a bit over an hour away to ride. My goal leaving was to do the 7 1/2 mile loop at faster than 4.2 mph. It didn't happen. There is a yucky water crossing on that loop and with all of the rain, decided to save it for another day and do a 6 mile loop.
Well, the first water crossing there didn't look safe to either of us so we turned back and started a different loop back a little ways. That led to a water crossing that my friend tried, but wasn't safe. Then we roamed around on a truck track unmarked trail, found another trail and then I recognized where we were on it and followed it back to the parking area.
Total ride after we got through the first gate was almost an hour and 3.68 miles. We spent probably 10 minutes at the first gate trying to close it after we went through.
Anyway, back to the subject at hand - Shiloh had just enough sweat, but not too much, that I could verify that 90% of the white hairs are along the two edges of the equipedic foam - barely below the spine and then down where the two pieces of foam have a small gap that allows the pad to fold.
So, I did the right thing ordering the skito pad - hoping it gets here before we leave for the next ride (if I go - still iffy on that because it includes mountain terrain)
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Post by Idaho Linda on May 25, 2015 23:26:46 GMT -5
And, tear your pad apart and take an electric knife to thoose edges and get them bevelled.
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