saddle fit, "the conformer"??

Alrighty, so at the moment I am having a slight issue with my saddle. It seems to me that at first when it was brand new it fit my horse better..which is strange. I could be wrong but that's how it appears
But I suppose the problem must be his withers being too narrow, or something similar. The whole the saddle area sweats evenly except his wither area, so I'd assume it's something along those lines
At the moment I just have an average square saddle pad
Anyway, at the moment replacing my saddle isn't really an option unless there's no other way to fix it..so I'm looking for something that might solve my problem and I came across "the conformer" by pro-craft for $20



"As heat builds under your saddle pad, this ergonomically-correct foam liner will contour to your horse's back. The vent holes along the spine allow for the ventilation of steam and heat under the saddle. The extremely lightweight, Conformer™ pad liner works hard to distribute the rider’s weight all along the horse’s back. A flexible center hinge area over the spine helps reduce spinal pressure that could lead to early fatigue, body soreness, or an uneven temper in your horse. This pad is 27" long and 22" wide to provide its substantial padding in the most crucial area of your horse’s back."

It sounds like it could possibly help and I'm wondering if anyone has tried it or knows anyone who has..or maybe if there's any reason not to get it, anything I should know
And also if anyone knows of anything that they think will help, that would be greatly appreciated as well


Thank you

Horses change shape constantly according to work or lack there of. It may be that you need to have your saddle repacked and fitted again. I have my saddles check by a saddle fitter every 6 months or so, so that I know everything is hunky dory. I'd be doing thins before spending more money on a saddle pad.

The problem with the heating material is that it can get too soft and actually not offer much support, like an old pillow that's gone flat. I think you'd be better off with a custom fitted pad with replaceable shims.

Where can you get a custom-fitted pad? I've never heard of that actually

I can offer a few options. There are many more though; if you tighten your searches to involve treeless saddles and endurance riding, you should find more. Endurance for the obvious reason that both you and your horse need to be as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. Treeless saddles because with a treeless, the pad is as important as the saddle to comfort.

ThinLine - http://www.thinlineinc.com/ (not really a shim system, but I've heard good things about their material)

Port Lewis Workshop - http://www.rocler.qc.ca/portlewis/ (this one is a shim system)

Skito - http://carouseltights.com/prod01.htm (these guys have been around forever)

Ohhh I forgot to mention this is western, would any of those work with that?

Yeah, I know skito at least makes western pads. There are probably others out there, but you might have to dig some.

I have a Skito pad and love it but they are around $100. The conformer looks interesting and for only $20 its worth a try if money is tight. I have a friend who uses cloth diapers under a bareback pad so there are lots of non-horse options out there too. Check how much a piece of memory foam would cost at a sewing center or home decor store and make your own.
I also want to add that it may be you are not riding long enough for the wither area to sweat. I notice if I only ride for an hour or so its a bit dry. If I ride for 4-6 hours she is evenly wet. I don't know for sure but it seems the withers don't have as much flesh on them so maybe that's why they take longer to get sweaty (?) Are you getting any white hairs growing in the dry areas?