Description
How to Use your VersaFit™ AirPad
All-in-one pad for use directly between your horse and Western saddle. Always use VersaFit™ Shims in your pad to create a custom-contoured ideal saddle fit. Even if your current saddle fits well, placing the lifting power of our shim “Behind the Bulge” will give your horse greater freedom of movement and improve comfort and performance.
- Your AirPad will be shipped with the air valves closed
- OPEN both valves, and the cells will inflate automatically
- On very rare occasions after shipment, you may need to blow gently into a valve to accelerate first-time inflation.
- Always store with valves OPEN.
- Caution: Prior to using, we suggest familiarizing your horse to the sound of the air moving in and out of the valves
Prepare
- Make sure valves are OPEN and air cells are fully inflated
- Determine best shim selection and placement for your specific horse and saddle. (See our basic guidelines here, or reach out for personalized help.)
- Insert shims into pad pockets, matching ideal placement corresponding to your horse’s body (above)
- NOTE – place shims in pad ON TOP of the air cells, not underneath them
- If you need any assistance, please request your free Saddle Fit Evaluation. We will quickly guide you to position your shims correctly for full shoulder freedom and ideal saddle balance.
Position
- With valves still OPEN and air cells fully inflated
- Place pad on horse with front lifting power of shim BEHIND the BULGE
- Position saddle on AirPad, placing it centered front to back and left to right
- Front part of concho should correspond with the back of the scapula bone
- PULL UP on the front strap to lift the sides of the AirPad fully up into the fork / gullet
- ADJUST with strap as needed so that both air valves are at the same height in front of the fork
Tightening Your Cinch
- Do this in STAGES, and please be polite to your horse!
- We recommend at least three stages of tightening, alternating left and right, keeping cinch buckles at matching height on each side.
- If riding one of our NHS Western Saddles, you will have a latigo on BOTH sides, which allows for more even adjustments. Alternate left and right as you tighten incrementally, keeping cinch buckles at same height on each side.
- If riding a saddle with latigo on left and only a billet strap on right, do your best get the
cinch buckles as even as possible side to side. - When you are half-way through the cinch tightening process, walk your horse forward a little and slide your palm under the front of the saddle to check for full shoulder clearance.
- If saddle is too tight for you to reach your full palm under, this indicates the need to check shim placement or possibly use a thicker shim to open up that space and eliminate restriction. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for assistance.
- BEFORE you tighten your cinch further, NOW is the time to twist the air valves COMPLETELY CLOSED. This should leave the right amount of air to maintain a lovely auto-adjusting cushion for your horse.
- If you forget to close the valves BEFORE you fully tighten the cinch, you will need to lift the saddle up off the AirPad, taking all the weight off the air cells and allowing them to fully reinflate – then begin the cinch tightening process over again.
Mounting
- Always double check the security of your cinch prior to mounting.
- Mount from an elevated block whenever possible for the long-term health of your horse’s back.
Riding with Your VersaFit™ AirPad
- It may take a couple of rides to get the feel for how much air to leave in your pad and at what point to close the valves.
- When there is too much air, the pad may feel a little rigid and bouncy, vs. the desired spongy, cushiony feel.
- Once you are mounted, if you feel there is too much air overall, you can fine-tune the amount by opening each valve SLIGHTLY for a fraction of a second, releasing just a small puff of air at a time. Do this evenly, alternating sides.
- IMPORTANT! When the saddle is on your horse, you can always let more air out, but you can’t bring more air back in – to do that you will need to unsaddle and start over. That’s why we recommend releasing just a little air at a time.
- NEVER LET ALL THE AIR OUT – the VersaFit™ AirPad cannot serve your horse well without air.
Helping a Horse with Lateral Asymmetry
- Once mounted, let your horse walk forward for a few moments so you can gauge how much the saddle is leaning to the hollow side.
- Halt as squarely as possible, and let a small amount of air out of the OPPOSITE (non-hollow) side.
- Example – your saddle feels like it is leaning to the right, therefore let a little air out of the left air cell.
- Walk again, and repeat the process as needed until you feel your saddle is laterally balanced.
Care and Cleaning of Your VersaFit™ AirPad
- When you are finished riding, remember to open the valves fully
- Check out our handy VersaFit™ Pad Scraper to quickly and easily remove hair & dirt.
- After heavy rides, or as desired, we recommend hosing the underside of pad with water, then hang dry.
- If a deeper cleaning is needed, remove air cells, submerge pad in mild soapy water, rinse and hang dry
- Store your AirPad with the valves OPEN, and WITHOUT ANYTHING ON TOP OF IT – this will allow the cells to remain fully inflated during storage.
