Might be a silly question with endless of answers... however I've got a hard back corner of my Wintec Isabell Werth saddle and it's made a tiny dip with I'm sure would cause irritation. I'm not riding in it as been advised not to... and my horse isn't sore.... however just wondering what makes them go hard like this.
Very frustrating as was meant to return back to riding next week, and that's now out the window until I can afford for it to be fixed :(
Thanks Clava... certainly disturbing. I always wanted flock, but was told my saddle being 18" would only go in CAIR over here. Hence having them. Think I might do the conversion myself... even though I lose the warranty on the tree - saddle is secondhand so I doubt that works for me anyway.
So it's the flocking that's gone hard in that corner? Very interesting!
Thanks again.
Thanks Clava... certainly disturbing. I always wanted flock, but was told my saddle being 18" would only go in CAIR over here. Hence having them. Think I might do the conversion myself... even though I lose the warranty on the tree - saddle is secondhand so I doubt that works for me anyway.
So it's the flocking that's gone hard in that corner? Very interesting! Thanks again.
The plastic bags and sponges can go hard too, if there is a hole in the bag / pouch. The "cottonwool" balls of flocking are horrible. My saddler did a great job reflocking it and it is very straight forward. I would never buy a cair saddle on purpose now, and I amazed at how many people think Cair is something special, when all it is is a sponge in a plastic bag!
FWIW: I don't like CAIR, but my horses seem happy with those saddles. You can also replace the CAIR panels...don't know about the cost. However, if I needed to replace one, I'd just pay someone to remove them and flock the saddle.
FWIW: I don't like CAIR, but my horses seem happy with those saddles. You can also replace the CAIR panels...don't know about the cost. However, if I needed to replace one, I'd just pay someone to remove them and flock the saddle.
If you look at my thread, my saddler is doing exactly that, it cost about £50 including fitting and was done on my kitchen table. Having seen what is in them, I wouldn't put them on a horse's back.
I'm not opposed to CAIR because my horses seem to like it. I find it a bit bouncy, but I'm not going to argue with a horse who moves freely and with good cheer. I now ride almost exclusively in my Aussie-stye saddle, which almost certainly has rather cheap flocking. 99% of its rides are on the same horse, and it seems to have broken in for her.
CAIR really isn't meant to be a stand-alone design. Its real function is to smooth out any lumps that develop in the flocking. It is kind of like Nike's AIR system in shoes. It supplements the cushion, but doesn't replace it.
This web site dislikes CAIR, but it also has good pictures:
I have yet to meet someone who likes the CAIR system.
"Air doesn't just flatten out and provide even pressure; what it does do is move away from pressure until the air meets the least pressure. This is not the same as "conforming to the horse's back." " Posted via Mobile Device
"Air doesn't just flatten out and provide even pressure; what it does do is move away from pressure until the air meets the least pressure. This is not the same as "conforming to the horse's back." "
If it moves away from a place of high pressure and into a place with low pressure, it equalizes pressure across the horse's back - which is a pretty good stab at "conforming". The only thing I dislike about CAIR is the bounce, which may come from my riding at 4000' MSL with air panels filled at sea level.
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