Acavallo pad review?

[GoodTimes]

Instead of hijacking the other thread I figured I would start a new one.

Looking for reviews for both the Piuma Air Release Featherlight pad and the Respira Air Release soft gel pad.

Backstory
I bought a custom Bruno Delgrange for my gelding back in 2017. Saddle still fits both of us well, his back has maybe started to drop. I’m on the fence with whether he needs any lift in the back or not. Currently using a thinline trifecta, I’ve got shims that I need to stick in to reevaluate that.

I also use the saddle on my 4yo mare. She isn’t quite as wide, but since she’s still growing I’m not willing to get a second saddle yet. The saddle doesn’t move, and doesn’t seem to cause any discomfort, but she could use a bit of lift at the front. Don’t really want to be messing with shims every day when I switch horses.

I’d like to at least pick up an Acavallo pad for the mare, something that we can show with (hunter), so no need for sheepskin rolls.

The closest place to me that carries them is almost two hours away. I don’t really want to order both pads and then have to pay shipping to return one.

Thoughts?

[Redlei44]

Following. If I may add to your request, would love to hear people’s experiences with how they fit different shapes (high withers in particular - the regular gel pads aren’t contoured - do they pose the same binding/pulling down issues as the plain thinlines?)

[BlackTieOptional]

So I don’t have either of those specifically but I have this one, the Hexagonal gel saddle pad (see here)

In general I really like it. I don’t find that it pulls down like a thinline does nearly as much and it stays put pretty well with a normal pad. The issue I run into is more when I try and use it with a fitted show pad it’s a bit clunky but with a normal schooling pad I think it works well and my horse seems to like it. It also holds up really well to heavy use.

[lw3127]

I’ve tried both of them (FYI, if you order from a place like Riding Warehouse, you get free return shipping if you want to try them). With the Respira gel pad, it contours well to fit whatever you place it on. It has a little weight, but not too bad. It’s also a little sticky, so I don’t think it would shift around. The Piuma Featherlight pad was very light, but it held it’s shape, and I didn’t feel like the way it was contoured fit my horse very well. Both seemed similarly breathable. I ended up returning both since they weren’t quite what I needed, but I liked the gel pad more than the Featherlight. I haven’t used a thinline, so I can’t compare to that.

[GoodTimes]

Thanks! I ended up ordering the respira gel pad. Front riser for the mare, rear riser for my gelding.
I’m in Canada and was able to find a tack shop that sells them cheaper than the other Canadian retailers. If I need to return anything I may just make the drive myself, they have a couple things in their consignment shop that might be worth the trip.

I’ll report back in case anyone else is interested.

[Rel6]

Definitely report back!

[Rel6]

I’m leaning towards trying the respira gel pad with a rear riser. Did you get one of these?

Acavallo Respira Air Release Soft Gel Pad Hind Riser Eco Wool

Acavallo Respira Release Soft Gel Pad & Hind Riser

[GoodTimes]

Yes, I ordered the Respira gel pad without the wool.
It hasn’t shipped yet, hopefully this week.

I ordered the transparent ones, so they’re easier to hide in the hunter ring.

[GoodTimes]

So the pads came in, and I was able to ride both horses. I didn’t notice any significant differences or improvements, but neither horse had any significant issues.
The pads are sticky, and very stretchy. It does take an extra minute to take up since you really need to make sure everything is in place before setting the saddle on, you can’t adjust it at that point since it’s so stretchy.
I’ve been using them between an Ogilvy profile pad and the saddle. I bought them to improve fit/comfort, not for the stickiness.
I decided not to cut them to size, I think that at shows I’ll just put them directly on the horse, fitted pad, than the saddle.

[Rel6]

Thank you! I just got the one with the rear riser and I’m excited to try it. I would not be using it with any other half pad so we’ll see how it looks.