Amazingly this is something that I'd never seen or heard of online before it was mentioned to me on the yard. At first I was very much confused and put off by the idea of having so much gel on the seat. I always thought it wouldn't give you much movement in the saddle or I'd be stuck not being able to do any rising with my trot. 

But then one day I actually realised that I was spending my time correcting myself in the saddle quite a bit due to it being slippy, and it was worse when it came to the rare time I gave my tack a clean. I then found that I could only ride comfortably when I had full seat breeches on, and with the price tag of these I thought I'd do some research into this seat saver.

I found out that it's unique breathable gel construction supports the body of the rider by stabilising the bones and prevents and unnecessary movement. It also majorly reduces concussion in the lower back, helping people with any back problems. It's discreet and easy to fit, and helps the rider stay secure while training or hacking and helps achieve a deep and stable seat. They are also British Dressage legal. 

After having a bit of a research and reading some reviews I found there was also a gel in version to where the gel is on the inner side of the seat saver and sticks to the saddle rather than your bum. The upper part which you sit on which this one was like a suede material, so it would give you some extra grip in the saddle compared to a naked saddle but not as much as the gel out one. My mum then decided to invest into a gel out seat saver for Cloudy, this was back when I was riding him and decided to give it ago. At first I was sold on the idea and found it weird to sit on, but the more I was riding Cloudy I actually came around to the idea and felt more comfortable and secure in the saddle, granted he decided to throw me off twice in one schooling session not long after but I stayed on much longer with it that I probably would've without. 

I was then on the hunt to buy one for Legacy, and I got hers in black and in the medium size. There are 3 sizes available they come in pony (15-16"), medium (16.5-17") and large (17.5-18") and available in 2 colours of black and brown. You can get them in 2 different cuts gp/jumping and dressage. 

This seat saver has saved me from going flying off Legacy quite a few times where she likes to have her moments and bolt off or when I ask her for trot and she decides to canter. It has also offered me some security in the saddle when it comes to hacking out as she does like to nap and then go or she will play up in the road. These are also great for big moving horses as they will help keep you still in the saddle.

I would not like to ride a horse without one of these as I have become reliant on how secure this makes me feel in the saddle, I think it would feel like I was learning to ride again in a way without one of these. I would recommend these to anyone all day long and I can't rave about them enough. With the price of them starting from £60, it can be quite a bit for an initial outlay but I would say it's 100% worth the investment. They last for years if looked after the right way and if you do get one I will be shocked if there is anyone not happy with it, and also you'll then be the one not wanting to ride without it.

I have looked around for the best prices for you all and I have found a few of the gel out ones on eBay here. This link includes both the gel in and gel out seat savers. Most of these offer free postage which is a great added bonus with the amount being spent.  

Feeding for time of year & Behavior

This time of year can be tricky when it comes to feeding, as your horses will either be coming out of winter well or needing to be fed up. In recent years and this one for sure there isn't grass always readily available to put these horses onto to gain the needed weight, so that's where people start or continue feeding conditioning feed. That can be fine depending on the horses temperament, how much they are worked, if they are on any grass and how much condition they need.

The fresh spring grass that is coming through is full of sugar, there is less sugar in the grass at night but it's still there (tip if you have a laminitic prone horse that has to come in for some time, put them out at night). If you have a horse that can be easily fizzed up through sugar & starch you will be best putting them on a low starch feed. This can be a fibre based feed with mainly chaff, fibre cubes, or a complete fibre feed. Complete fibre feeds are good as they are typically aimed at laminitic horses meaning they will have low or hardly any sugar, but there are also condition fibre feeds out there such as Dengie Healthy tummy or Spillers conditioning fibre. These 2 I've heard have great results on ex racehorses & the Healthy tummy on ulcer prone horses. I've used both of these for Legacy but as a 'chaff' rather than a complete feed as with the size of her she would be going through the bags too fast.
Cubes are also lower in starch than mixes although they are created with the same high ingredients as the mixes. Cubes also cost less to make which means they cost less to buy off the shelf which is always a handy added bonus. When a feed has high starch the blood sugar levels are always changing which can cause the horse to become fizzy at times but when they are on a high fibre low starch feed the blood sugar levels are maintained, meaning you will have a happy horse.

Some horses can be really sensitive when it comes to feeding sugars & starch while others can have it all and still be laid back (these are rare to come across). 

Here are some ingredients in feeds which your horse may be/or react to:

- Molasses (Pure sugar)

- Barley

- Oats

- Beet (through either Sugar Beet or Speedi Beet) 

Allen & Pages Calm & Condition is good as it's molasses & Barley free but some horses can react to the barley replacer that they use. This is something to keep in mind if you ever use this product. If you are feeding a few of the above list and have a fizzy horse my best suggestion is to try and cut some of them out so you can pin point which one is causing any trouble for you.

Not all horses express their excess energy through being fizzy they can become bargy and boulchy to handle. This is where it's important to sort out their feed as they can learn this behavior if not corrected and if left before changing feed they may carry on like this after the feed has been changed. 

I had a scenario with Legacy the first winter I had her, she was in need of a little extra fat on her so she was on a good amount of conditioning mix and she was behaving as normal as she had since I'd had her and she'd been living out August- December. I then moved yards and be became stabled and had ad lib hay in the field & 2 haynets in the stable at night to get her filled up, along with her usual amount of feed but now in 2 meals instead of one ( can anyone see where this is going? haha) anyway the weight started to come on her and when I was riding her in the school she would like to blot off, and at this point she had not been re-mouthed and hated turned corners in any speed above walk. I just through she needed more schooling and it was the racer part of her that wanted to go in an open space in a straight line, I mean she would go from bolting off in a fast canter to dead stop in seconds she hated the corners so much. In the end it got to the day before new years eve last year and she took off, I tried to stop her and she was having none of it, she was up vertically in the air then down to buck and I think this repeated about 3 times before I flew off in the rear. This was my first fall off her and my first fall ever so atleast it was an eventful one. I had to go to A&E with a bad headache as I could still feel the rim of my hat on my head hours later, and I was completely fine and didn't even end up with a bruise. But I learnt the hard way about feeding too much starch  and feeding mixes to a sensitive horse. She's completely fine with sugars but I have to watch the starch. 

Have you had any experiences like this? Did you find this blog post handy? If you'd like more like this let me know.

Chart taken from the Allen & Page website.