Best half pad for shock absorption/keeping back cool?

[sirensong4]

Howdy all!

I just took my big mare on a multi-day mountain ride/camping trip. I rode Friday and Saturday in my Thorowgood Broadback, and Sunday in my Ansur (because Saturday was a 20 miler and my butt requested a treeless ride the next day, LOL). I used a thick sheepskin half pad with the Thorowgood because it is a touch too wide for my mare. I did have some dry spots under the stirrup bars after Saturday’s ride. On Sunday, i used a Wintec front riser with the Ansur, as I usually do, to keep it off my mare’s withers.

By the time we were done on Sunday and i hauled home, my mare had developed minor edema on the dry spots from Saturday. This edema was not present when i tacked up on Sunday. I gave her bute and told her i was sorry. The spots are gone this morning so they may have just been heat bumps from the Wintec foam pad, but I don’t want that to happen again.

I’d love a recommendation for a good half-pad that i can use with either saddle, either as a stand-alone or paired with a sheepskin. I can’t find any good comparisons between the Thinline, Supracor, Pro Choice, Ogilvy, etc. Cost is NOT an issue–we are talking about my precious pony here.

What do you all use and recommend? Which ones are the best for not only shock absorption, but also heat distribution?

Thanks in advance!

[VFT]

I would get a Ecogold combo of the coolfit saddle pad and their triple protection half pad. I have not used the half pad, but if you watch the video on their site it is definitely the one I would get if I was looking for one.

I know for my Ansur it is hard to find big enough saddle pads as it is a bulky saddle ( only a 17 inch seat!). The standard sized Ecogold dressage pads were too small for my excel and when I contacted the company about it they custom made larger pads to fit ( for no extra charge!). They have awesome customer service and great products I highly recommend them!

http://ecogold.ca/shop/coolfit-dressage-pad-2020/

http://ecogold.ca/shop/memory-foam-triple-protection-half-pad-dressage/

[Guilherme]

Saddle trees are there to effectively distribute weight. If your saddle fails to do so then you are inflicting pain, and perhaps injury, on your horse.

G.

[Bogie]

Supracor pads are very good at dissipating heat and they offer good cushioning. They are the only pad that I use under my saddles. I love the fact that you can hose them down and they last forever. Did I say that I like them?

Someone conducted a heat dissipation comparison for a science fair. Not the most scientific study, but at least a data point: https://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2005/Projects/J1104.pdf

I have my saddles fitted twice a year so I know they fit. I could ride without a pad at all and not cause my horses pain. I don’t find that the Supracor pad changes the fit when compared to a sheepskin pad, and I do think it offers cushioning.

I have a couple of the ultra thinline pads and they definitely offer protection but I don’t like them as much as the Supracor. I will use a thinline ultra pad for the times when I need to use a regular shaped pad but will be riding hard and want a bit of extra cushion – for example, when foxhunting.

However, would I use a Supracor pad under an Ansur saddle? Probably not, at least not if it’s one of the models that doesn’t have a gullet. I think that for a treeless saddle without a gullet you need one of the special pads made for treeless saddles. I have a Freeform treeless and I use one of the skito treeless pads for it. Have never had a problem with my horse’s back riding in that combo but I also don’t ride hard or long in that saddle.

Unfortunately, I don’t think you can use the same pad for both saddles if you are trying to create a gullet to protect your horse’s spine.

For heat dissipation you might also look at the Dixie Midnight pads which go under your regular pad. I have a cheaper knock off version that I’ve had for many years and it does a very good job of wicking away the moisture.

[sirensong4]

Thanks so much for the feedback!

That Ecogold demonstration is pretty convincing!

I had been leaning towards the Supracor but, now I have to make a decision.

Any other thoughts from anyone out there on CoTH?

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

I use a Toklat Woolback pad with ultra thinline inserts. Woolbacks come in a zillion different shapes, so you can probably find one that fits your saddles. If you get one with a velcro opening along the spine, you can put in whatever inserts you want, and change them out depending on which saddle you’re using. I bought a big ultra thinline pad (the square western one, i think) and then just cut it with scissors into the exact shape I wanted.

I also use a saddle that’s a bit too wide for my horse (long story, but it’s what works for his wonky back and was approved by a master saddle fitter), and this combination takes up the extra space and provides shock absorption. He’s done multiple 50-mile endurance rides in this setup and always gets perfect scores for his back.

[chicamux]

You cannot make a too wide tree fit “better” with a thicker pad. If anything it makes the fit worse because it lifts the front of the saddle even more, causing bridging, which then concentrates the riders weight onto the cantle area and two small areas under the top of the saddle bars. These will be on either side under the front of the saddle. You will intensify the weight put onto those two small patches causing pain and tissue damage.

Is you horse actually flat backed? The saddle was designed for a flat back. How about getting the next size of gullet. A good saddle flocker may be able to improve the fit but the saddle does have changeable gullets, right? Wool flocked?

chicamuxen

[sirensong4]

Thanks for the advice!

The saddle is a very good fit and correctly follows the shape of my horse’s table back, except for wither clearance, which could be higher but is acceptable. The saddle neither bridges nor rocks. I have ridden many miles in it, galloping and jumping, and never had an issue prior to Saturday’s 6+ hour ride. This saddle pre-dates the changeable-gullet Thorowgoods (which are not a good fit; I tried), and I believe my saddle is foam-flocked.

Part of the problem with a horse as wide as mine is the tendency of saddle-makers to recess the stirrup bars in order to make a wide saddle ride as comfortably as possible. The bars have to go somewhere, and can end up putting pressure on the horse’s back.

[Lori]

I have Saddleright in both half pad and western pad. They are excellent and do not compress. www.saddleright.com

[sirensong4]

Are the Saddlerights leather? I can’t really tell from the website but I have heard excellent things about leather pads.

[Bogie]

I had a saddleright pad for many years and it does offer very good cushioning. What it does not do is dissipate heat.

And yes, they have a leather cover – they have a non-compressible material inside the leather sleeve.

[chicamux]

Thinline is pretty good for shock absorption and you can get just the Thinline material and place it on top of one of your full sized pads.

I can understand what you are saying about the stirrup bars on your saddle. One the issues with the typical english saddle is the design that concentrates all of theriders stirrup weight into a very small area at the front of the saddle. but I thought you said that the thorowgood was a bit too wide for your horse?

chicamuxen

[Ozalynda]

I am using an Acavallo gel pad and am very happy with it. I think my horses are too.
http://acavallo.com/acavallo.html

[GotMyPony]

Second the Supracor; I’ve been using mine for over 10 years and it’s the only pad I ever use, every single ride. Have never had a problem vetting out, never had back soreness raised as an issue at all.

Full disclosure, I just do 25-40 milers but believe a problem would have shown up if it was going to.

[sirensong4]

Thanks, everybody! I’ll let you all know what I go with!

[Bogie]

Just one more suggestion - eBay and Craig’s List are your friends. Many of the pads recommended can be had for short $$ if you are willing to buy them lightly used. All of my Supracor pads (and I have three) were bought for about half the cost of new. I also bought a Saddleright pad and an EcoGold pad on eBay.

[sirensong4]

Good tip!

I have tried a Professionals Choice Ultrashock pad for the Ansur, which is open-cell foam from what I can tell. It provides a little bit of a “panel” for the saddle. My little mare seemed to like it. It was only $75.

I also ordered ECP’s knock-off of the Supracor. It seemed sort of stiff and supportive but also highly perforated and well-ventilated. It did, though, still leave dry spots under the Thorowgood’s stirrup bars on my big mare.

I am ordering an Ecogold today and I’ll review that also.

Thanks, everyone!!

[sirensong4]

Update!

The Ecogold arrived last week. It didn’t do anything to help with the dry spots under the stirrup bars, so I am banishing that saddle from the repertoire.

I like the Ecogold but it is basically just memory foam and I am not sure it is $165 worth of saddle pad.

I will be riding in other saddle/pad combinations to try and figure out what works. Hopefully I have not permanently damaged my mare’s back on those spots.

Post-ride pics from after I used the ECP perforated:
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa170/sirensong4/back2.jpg
http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa170/sirensong4/back1.jpg

[Appsolute]

[QUOTE=BigHorseLittleHorse;7638211]
I use a Toklat Woolback pad with ultra thinline inserts. [/QUOTE]

:yes: I use a Toklat Coolback saddle pad, the kind with 1" long fleece (an endurance saddle shaped one that fits well under my english saddle), and a ultra thin line on top of that.

I have been very happy with this combo. I was getting dry spots under the stirrup bars which have gone away, and my horse does not appear sore, even after 15 mile rides in very steep terrain.

[sirensong4]

How thick are your inserts, Appsolute?