Solutions for your horse

Some of our products are particularly helpful in dealing with horses with specific needs or particular characteristics. Here are some of the situations where we've found our products can help.


Horses with high withers

Your horse could be young, old, unfit, eventing fit or just built that way: in all these cases, high withers present a challenge. If you’ve ever had a high withered horse you’ll know what we mean. There are degrees of high withered just as there are degrees of everything else, so remember, the solutions have to suit your horse as an individual (we love both genders of horse, but we’ll stick with ‘he’ for convenience).
Saddle pads
First make sure saddle cloths are shaped to fit the horse’s back allowing for high withers. Horses can have long withers too, so have a close look at your horse and choose based on his particular shape.
We’ve found Fleeceworks Therawool Squarepads suitable for the majority of back shapes, including most high withers. The only ones that may struggle are withers like Mt. Everest - send us a photo if you’re unsure. 
    Half pads
    Half pads can be invaluable in absorbing concussion and helping rebalance a saddle, but please remember that unless you have something like mouldable memory foam, one size does not fit all

    If hollows are present next to the wither, the Perfect Balance technology can be ideal to fill those hollows. These pads allow the horse to build up his muscle without the saddle dropping onto his high wither – this is done with angled inserts made of highly reactive memory foam. The foam minimally alters saddle width, yet supports the saddle, while allowing your horse’s muscle the space it needs to grow and function.   See all Fleeceworks Perfect Balance products 

    Other useful products
    Young horses knock themselves; how, sometimes no-one can tell. They also rip and tear rugs, just for fun. Not to mention having the attention span of a goldfish. We have products that can help with these charming yet infuriating aspects of the young horse too
    • The Kensington Protective Sheet – good luck to the youngster who tries to tear these up. Certainly our two rug destroyers haven’t managed to - and trust us they’ve tried!
    • Kensington's Protective fly boots - made of the same robust, breathable material - not only protect against flies and sun, but have also proved invaluable in providing a breathable covering for horses recovering from a leg would or suffering from mud fever.  
    • The Majyk Equipe boots – they’re flexible so the horse doesn’t feel restricted by them, but tough. It’ll take a lot for them to hurt themselves through these
    • The Kensington Breakaway Headcollar & leadrope – like a leather headcollar it’ll snap when put under pressure but you can replace the broken piece in no time and carry on using it like nothing ever happened. You can turn out in it, travel in it and generally use it knowing the horse is as safe as he could be. The long leadrope that comes with is almost a must with young horses, and will make your life much easier
    • Braideez – Plaiting young horses can be a nightmare. These really do help

    Older horses

    An older horse often has different requirements from a horse in its prime.

    Lack of topline, dipping backs, changing shape and a lifetime of, hopefully minor, accidents. Sound familiar? All these things don’t have to be a ‘problem’ but a bit of extra help can make all the difference.

    Choosing a saddle pad
    Older horses may be round or have a high wither but they are quite likely to have lost some muscle, depending on age, fitness and history. It’s an unfortunate fact they change shape. We’d always go with a Fleeceworks saddlecloth as a starter to help with stability for both you and the horse and then if you need something extra we have that too
    As he ages, (we’ll say he from now on for convenience), he’ll likely lose topline and fat. We’d replace these on his back with a Fleeceworks half pad - either Therawool or Sheepskin.
    The Perfect Balance Pads are effectively the muscle your horse has lost. You can put the memory foam where he needs it and off you go, or if he doesn’t need memory foam yet, you still have cushioning from dense, concussion-absorbing sheepskin or wool
    If he has a sensitive coat have a look at the Fleeceworks Therawool Squarepads, but generally we would start with the Profile Pad. You can always get a different one later if you want

        Other useful products
        More years means more experience, but chances are he’s accumulated some lumps and bumps on his legs to go with his experience
        The Majyk Equipe boots – they’re flexible so the horse doesn’t feel restricted by them, but tough. The liners mould around your horse’s leg, particularly the tendon boots with their jersey covered memory foam. They’ll help protect any splints and other lumps
          He may develop Cushings in his advancing years: losing that coat is difficult but the Kensington Protective Sheet can really help to take it out by helping to groom him day and night
          Sore No-More is a brilliant arnica & witchazel-based liniment to soothe sore muscles and  reduce inflammation on any horse, but your older horse will particularly appreciate it   

             

            Horses with sensitive skin

            Like us, horses can have sensitive skin for a myriad of reasons: environment, food and genetics all contribute and it’s a puzzle to identify the cause. But of course you want your horse to be comfortable and hate to see him or her (we’ll stick with him for convenience, we love mares too) with rubbed and/or sore skin so what to do?

             

            Rubbing under and around the saddle
            This can be an infuriating area for rubs. You want to ride him, you’ve had your saddle fitted perfectly but every time you ride he gets rubbed. Some horses are just incredibly mobile, we have one of our own. Even if the saddle fits amazingly the constant small shifts under the saddle create friction and that frustrating rubbed patch. What works?
            Fleeceworks Sheepskin or Therawool – these are amazing at helping rubs, with the added benefit of concussion absorption. We’ve tried a lot of sheepskin and wool in our time and nothing compares (in out view of course)

                 

                Boots and bridles – why do they rub?
                Boots – You have to protect your horse’s legs from impact knocks, but they get sore anyway, and from the very thing you use to protect them. Help!!!. A lot of the time the boot’s construction is the problem - uneven seams, unforgiving liners, too much rigidity against a mobile leg, not to mention the possibility of a neoprene allergy
                Our solution – the Majyk Equipe boots. Incredibly flexible, proprietary liners (no neoprene) fitted to an actual horse’s leg (not an equine manikin’s) and quality manufacturing combine to create the ultimate affordable boot
                  Bridles - If your bridle rubs, don’t worry, you are not alone. We have so many people come to us because their bridle rubs. Initially they think their only option is a pad but it’s clumpy and frequently doesn’t work
                  One question: have you really looked at how your bridle fits?

                    Headpiece

                    Do you:

                    • have even pressure throughout the headpiece?
                    • does it push into the ears or the muscle at the base of the ears?
                    • what about the muscle just behind the headpiece, have you checked that?
                    The ears should have very little pressure on them, and in general the bridle should exert only a soft, even pressure throughout the headpiece. We all know horses vary hugely in conformation, so why should their heads be any different?
                    Our solution – Silver Crown Bridles have a choice of headpieces designed to fit different head shapes, providing even pressure for the nose, and soft padding throughout. If you’re unsure which is best for your horse just get in touch