Felt Pad for Hernia after colic surgery on yearling

[UncleSam]

I just finished a 1" thick felt pad with saddle stitched leather sections and brass rings that attaches to leather straps on a breast collar for horses recovering from hernia surgery

[jcuk]

Good work for a good reason, Horse looks a bit sorry its self.

JCUK

[UncleSam]

He was only so young when he coliced, and spent 3 months at the Vet hospital at Cornell, then he's now 6 weeks in his stall and feeling very sore.  The vet was very happy with the pad, but since he has developed soring on his withers and spine, we cannot try it on him until that clears up.  

US

 

[jcuk]

Yes wither sores can be a common problem in horse racing this side of the pond anyway, sometimes here we use two pieces of the felt pads stitched together but with a piece cut out at the wither end of the pad where a insert of some strong elastic between the two pads to hold it together hopefully lifting the elastic enough without putting pressure on the said sores. Just a idea for you if they call upon you again.

Hope this helps

JCUK 

 

[UncleSam]

Actually, I did remark on this when I first went there, but at that time they had a regular saddle pad under the appliance which wasn't good enough, because there was no curve from behind the withers to not allow it to flatten down on the top.  The primary objective was to heal the hernia, and the shape form of the under pad was not addressed.  These are TB mostly for grass racing and steeplechases.  I've had my share of them I've rehabbed to event horses, and even the one I have now, at some point had a bad fistula situation from an ill fitting saddle.  I have my x-c jumping saddle from first thought Equine in Kent, made specifically to address various body sizes, so I'm able to have the correct panels and seat and can adjust the air in the panels.  My flaps were the only original bits I didn't change, even the head plate was wonderful for this new horse of mine.  They have been also making the racing saddles which have addressed a number of issues.  Got to run out and finish getting Sams hay drained and his dinner fed,  he has me on a strict schedule.

 

[Matt S]

Great work @UncleSam, a quality made thingapurpose. Hope your lad heals quickly. I'm quite ignorant of horse stuff (except how to deal with what goes in one end and out t'other) but is there any way to fashion something to provide an anchor for the hernia appliance while avoiding the sore areas? Maybe a device like a pair of English saddle panels or more like a Western tree shaped to fit his back but avoid the injured bits?

 

2 hours ago, jcuk said:

Yes wither sores can be a common problem in horse racing this side of the pond

Please forgive me jumping in here, but I wonder why that is? My impression/assumption is that racing saddles are essentially very stripped down/small GP type saddles. Do they perhaps have minimal panelling/flocking and basically bear the entire jockey's weight on the points of the tree?

[jcuk]

19 hours ago, UncleSam said:

These are TB mostly for grass racing

Grass racing which we call racing on turf this side of the pond so much better than racing on the dirt and all weather racing.

17 hours ago, Matt S said:

Great work @UncleSam, a quality made thingapurpose. Hope your lad heals quickly. I'm quite ignorant of horse stuff (except how to deal with what goes in one end and out t'other) but is there any way to fashion something to provide an anchor for the hernia appliance while avoiding the sore areas? Maybe a device like a pair of English saddle panels or more like a Western tree shaped to fit his back but avoid the injured bits?

 

Please forgive me jumping in here, but I wonder why that is? My impression/assumption is that racing saddles are essentially very stripped down/small GP type saddles. Do they perhaps have minimal panelling/flocking and basically bear the entire jockey's weight on the points of the tree?

There are a lot of reasons for wither sores within racing first one could be a weak backward young horse with no real top line definition, have seen it caused by badly fitting stable rugs believe it or not and they never seem to learn. Don't think race riding saddles can cause to much damage because they are not on the horse for to long and the jockeys are up in their irons most of the time, now race exercise saddles that another matter yes the older style exercise were close to being stripped down GP saddles all the same they were heavy. These days there are full tree saddles which are lot more refined, will say though not all of them also there half tree saddles ( soft saddles ) as they are called,  depending on which stable you are working for your exercise lot could be anything between 1 1/2  to 2 1/2 hours so thats why most riders prefer the soft saddles which maybe best for their rear ends but not always the best choice for horse. But here we go poorly maintained saddles and tack are so common in racing through neglect or just not knowing it needs a good going over from time to time, some saddles may not be seen by a saddler for years unless its to have there girth billets changed and then they sometimes don't want anything else done to the saddle be cause of cost i have seen some nightmares refused to touch some and others i have told them to bin them. Another reason is sorry to say poor tacking up of horses they don't pull the pad up into pommel to help stop it pinching and easing the pressure on the wither, also some pads are well past their sell by date (cost )again not knowing also in racing they use wet choimse leather to stop the saddle slipping during exercise after exercise these days horses don't seemed to done up so well after their work meaning water just thrown over them rugs put straight on wet horses the rider never goes back to give them a brush a little later to tidy the water marks up, horrible this sometimes can cause dry skin on their back and withers would can lead to sores so put it down to bad stable husbandry in the past i worked for a French trainer if you did anything like that he would look at the head lad and say get rid of him you could not even leave your tack on the ground which happens in most yards in Britain. Not sure if i have explained it well or just had a rant about standards slipping.

Hope this helps

JCUK  

P.S. Reflocking rarely if ever in some places ! what's that, down to cost again

   

Edited December 4, 2021 by jcuk

[UncleSam]

I thought you might find these interesting.  The first one is there exercise saddle, the second NHR for chasers.  They address the issue of correct head plates and proper placement (shown in the NHR explanation for the head plate.  

[UncleSam]

Yes, people who cannot properly saddle or understand how tack fits don't last long if at all, down here.    I learned starting back in 1952 when I had to stand on a step stool to tack up a horse.  That and time in the UK and the BHS, set us up right.  (My father said:  Learn and absorb it all, its a long swim across the pond.

US

 

[jcuk]

Just been to Wows site never knew they made race exercise saddles and they have around been around since around 2013 never seen one in a racing yard this side of the pond. Would like to see one in the flesh look pretty straight forward to work on, wonder how it would be with two pads under it as many here do that and the pads are not place one over the other they put the first one with about 1/3 on one side and 2/3 the other and then place the other one the opposite way if that makes sense. Racing yards don't like change to much here they tend to go to saddlers that kind of thought of racing saddlers.  

I started in racing having never been around horses i remember one  Saturday morning i did not clean my tack had a train to catch weekend off precious in racing the head lad called me back and said clean your tack i said oh come on its just one day i have not done it he said its not the fact your cleaning it only as you clean it you are checking it, it may save your life one day that has always stayed with me. 

[TomE]

Nice work!  Would a double back fleece lined pad help distribute the pressure on his withers?  Might have to modify a pad that fits him. https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/PRI_Double_Back_Padded_Quilted_Dressage_Saddle_Pad/descpage-PDPDP.html?from=gshop&gclid=CjwKCAiA78aNBhAlEiwA7B76p6_q-xnvIr2Xt7rNxNqKgOdMI_ngTrGMEb4D7V3HAx_DvJYekVqsyRoC2YoQAvD_BwE

[brmax]

Just want to offer, a Big Thanks for this understanding in detail about a custom product, its need and care in producing such. 
This is really top level!

 

 Have a great day.