Home › Use and Placement of Wither Shims

The shape of the wither of horses is such that often there develops a “hole” in the muscle behind the shoulder blade.

This frequently results in poor saddle fit, with the front of the saddle resting on the upper portion of the wither. As the upper portion of the wither is highly susceptible to saddle damage it is desirable to fill in the “hole” in the muscle by adjusting the saddle flocking or by using a temporary shim. Shims are simply small pads that are used to help with saddle fit. The shims I use commonly as a temporary solution are made from 12mm PE (polyethylene) closed cell foam.

The top of the shim is most often positioned immediately below the tip of the rigid portion of the tree point.