You tack up, run your hand under the panels, and step back. Something just looks… off.

Maybe the back of your saddle sits high, pushing you forward onto your pubic bone. Or perhaps it’s the opposite—the pommel is low, pinching your horse’s withers and making you feel like you’re constantly trying to climb out of a hole.

Your first instinct might be to reach for a riser pad or a set of shims. It feels like a logical, easy fix. And sometimes, it is.

But more often than not, that ‘quick fix’ is like putting a wedge under one leg of a wobbly table. You might stop the rocking, but you haven’t fixed the uneven floor underneath. In the world of saddle fitting, that uneven floor is a complex landscape of muscle, bone, and movement. A poorly placed pad can turn a balance problem into a painful pressure problem.

The Alluring Promise of a Quick Fix

Shims and corrective pads are everywhere. They come in foam, felt, and gel, promising to lift the front, raise the back, or fill in the gaps along your horse’s back. Their purpose is simple: to temporarily alter a saddle’s position to achieve better balance.

For riders dealing with a horse whose body is changing—whether through training, age, or rehabilitation—these tools can seem like a lifesaver. They offer a way to adapt and adjust. But their accessibility is also their greatest risk. Without a deep understanding of why the saddle is unbalanced, we risk using them as a bandage on a problem that needs stitches.

Why Is Your Saddle Unbalanced in the First Place?

Before you can solve a balance issue, you have to understand its source. A saddle typically becomes unbalanced for two primary reasons: it’s either tipping forward (pommel-low) or tilting backward (pommel-high).

This isn’t just about looks; it has profound biomechanical consequences for both of you.

Biomechanical studies show that a saddle tilting backward forces the rider into a ‘chair seat,’ making it nearly impossible to keep your leg underneath you. This position restricts your pelvic movement and hinders your horse’s ability to step under with its hind legs. Conversely, a forward-tilting saddle can pinch the sensitive wither area and shift your weight uncomfortably, impacting your own balance and control.

An unbalanced saddle is often one of the first signs of poor saddle fit. It can be caused by:

• A Changing Horse: Your horse’s back is not static. Muscle development from training, weight gain or loss, and natural aging all change its shape.

• An Asymmetrical Horse: Just like us, most horses are not perfectly symmetrical. One shoulder may be larger or one side of the back more developed.

• An Incompatible Tree: The angle or width of the saddle tree may simply be wrong for your horse’s conformation, causing it to rock or bridge.

Reaching for a pad without diagnosing the root cause is a gamble. And as research shows, the stakes are higher than you might think.

The Shim and Riser Dilemma: A Temporary Solution or a Permanent Problem?

Using a pad isn’t inherently good or bad—it’s how and why you use it that matters. The key is to distinguish between fine-tuning and forcing a fit.

When Shims Can Help: The Temporary Fixes

In certain situations, shims and riser pads are incredibly valuable tools when used with precision and a clear goal:

• Supporting Muscle Development: When bringing a horse back into work or up the levels, a pad can help maintain balance as their topline develops.

• Correcting Asymmetry: For a horse with uneven shoulder or back muscles, a shim on the less-developed side can help the saddle sit level while you work on building muscle more evenly.

• Rehabilitation: Following an injury or time off, a horse’s back shape can change dramatically. A temporary pad can provide support during this transition.

In these cases, the pad is a bridge, not a destination. It’s a short-term aid used under the guidance of a professional.

When Shims Create New Dangers: The Hidden Pressure Points

This is where good intentions can go wrong. When a pad is used to mask a fundamental fit problem, it often solves one issue by creating a worse one.

A study in the Equine Veterinary Journal confirmed this double-edged sword: while corrective pads could improve how a saddle conforms to the horse’s back, they also had the potential to significantly increase pressure in localized areas.

Think of it this way: instead of distributing the rider’s weight over the broad, supportive panels of the saddle, the pad concentrates that same weight onto its own smaller edges. This creates pressure points that can restrict blood flow and cause pain.

This is especially dangerous in cases of saddle bridging, where the saddle only makes contact at the front and back, leaving a gap in the middle. Adding a front riser pad to ‘fix’ a low pommel can worsen this effect, driving the front of the saddle into the shoulders and creating even more intense pressure at the rear.

The margin for error is shockingly small. Research using pressure-sensing mats revealed that shifting a shim’s placement by as little as two centimeters can completely alter the pressure map on the horse’s back.

Over time, this concentrated pressure can lead to what veterinary thermography studies call ‘hot spots’—areas of inflammation and reduced blood flow that indicate underlying tissue damage. Your horse might tell you through a swishing tail, a pinned ear, or reluctance to move forward long before visible signs like white hairs appear.

A Smarter Approach to Saddle Balance

Instead of guessing with pads, take a more methodical, horse-friendly approach.

1. Diagnose, Don’t Guess: Before adding anything, have a qualified saddle fitter assess the situation. They can help you determine if the issue is a temporary muscular change or a permanent saddle mismatch.

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2. Aim for Minimal Intervention: If a pad is needed, the goal is to use the thinnest, most precise shim possible to solve the problem. Less is almost always more.

3. Check for Edge Pressure: After placing a shim, slide your hand under the panel. Can you feel a hard ridge where the shim ends? If so, that ridge is likely creating a pressure point.

4. Monitor and Re-evaluate: A horse’s back is always changing. The pad that works today might be causing a problem in six weeks. Check regularly for signs of soreness, and have your saddle fit re-evaluated periodically.

Your Shim and Riser Pad Questions Answered

Can a riser pad fix a saddle that is too wide?

No, this is one of the most common and dangerous misuses. Adding a front riser pad to a wide saddle might stop it from collapsing onto the withers, but it does so by creating intense pressure on either side. It essentially narrows the saddle’s fit by pinching—a recipe for pain and restricted shoulder movement.

How do I know if I’ve created a new pressure point?

After a ride, look for disturbances in the hair or sweat patterns. A dry spot in an otherwise sweaty area indicates constant, severe pressure that has prevented sweat glands from functioning. Ruffled hair or extreme sensitivity to touch in a specific spot are also red flags.

Should I use a front riser or a rear riser?

This depends entirely on the problem. A front riser is used when the pommel is too low, and a rear riser is used when the cantle is too low, pushing the rider forward. But simply choosing one or the other without understanding why the saddle is unbalanced can easily make things worse.

Are gel pads better than foam shims?

The material is less important than the application. Gel can help absorb some shock, but it can also shift and create pressure. Foam is stable but less forgiving. The best material is the one that correctly solves the specific balance issue without adding bulk or creating hard edges.

Beyond the Pad: The Pursuit of True Harmony

Shims and riser pads are tools, not solutions. They can be incredibly helpful for navigating temporary changes in your horse’s body, but they can never fix a saddle that is fundamentally wrong.

True comfort—the kind that forms the foundation for a harmonious partnership—comes from a saddle designed to work with your horse’s anatomy, not against it. It’s about achieving balance through thoughtful design, not by adding layers. By prioritizing a correct underlying fit, you give your horse the freedom to move and yourself the stability to communicate with clarity and confidence.

The next step isn’t to find the perfect pad, but to deepen your understanding of what makes a saddle a true extension of horse and rider.