I’m looking to get a second pad for my Bob Marshall endurance, so I can rotate when I need to clean one. I currently have a Skito pad, and am debating between getting another, or trying something new.
Can anyone share experiences with their Equipedic? Or, any other brand that you’re raving about?
It must be designed for a treeless endurance saddle.
Thanks all!
I have an Equipedic that I bought about 6 years ago. I was hesistant to spend that much money but it was worth it because I really really like it. I use it with a treed saddle, but I dont see why that would make a difference. Its a great thickness, durable material and has held up great.
one thing I would highly recommend with the expensive saddle pads is to use a Dixie Midnight pad (or a cheap copy of one, which I have) to put underneath. I would never want a pad that expensive to touch a horse’s back! I would cringe just to imagine it, LOL My Equipedic still looks new and I have never washed it, Just rinsed it off a few times.
I use an Equipedic under my Bob Marshall and like it “ok” I guess. I bought it from Action Rider Tack. It’s the ART Equipedic, western cut and it looks like it’s custom made for my Bob Marshall. It has a very stiff, hard bound edge that could really cause a problem if it clashed with the horse’s loin conformation. As it is, I have to make sure the pad is in front of my saddle a good 5" so it doesn’t hit the loin in the back. Honestly if it weren’t so expensive to do so, I would have sent it back 2 days after I got it. But I decided to just try to make it work. I’m glad I did because I reached a peace agreement with the pad, but I don’t think I’d be able to use it on my little Paso. The big Arab is doable, but a back any smaller than hers would potentially run into trouble with that pad.
For me, part of the advantage to buying a $200 expensive wool pad is so that it CAN be right against the horse’s back. I want that wool cushion right against the horse for both grip and comfort. Washing the pad is just part of the deal. If I really felt I wanted to protect the pad, I would buy a 1/4" felt liner pad and cut it the same shape as the pad.
I like my Toklat Woolback much better than the ART Equipedic - only problem is that it’s big white and ugly. Aweseome pad, just wish it could be died black.
The good thing about the Equipedic though is that the foam is denser than the Ultracell inserts used in the Toklat. So it provides more cushion and pressure dispersing qualities than other types of foam.
I just used my Equipedic pad this weekend after deciding I needed to wash my other pads before using them again. I have the standard Equipedic endurance pad, not an A.R.T. model.
If you don’t have a front loader washer you can’t throw this into the washer. This is a BIG minus as far as I’m concerned and no, I don’t feel that hosing a dense pad like this is sufficient cleaning.
The pad is a bit short for my BMSS saddles, a 15" and a 15.5" . But is does stay put and doesn’t ride out from under the saddle.
It’s not peaked enough at the front IMO. I have horses with average withers, not extreme withers, and I have to fuss with the front of the withers a lot.
And although the mfgr claimed that the inserts don’t get stiff in the cold, they do.
I prefer the Toklat Woolback fabric but am not impressed with the insert pocket design. Would like to see ART do a design for an endurance style pad with high profile and front load pockets so I could get a better designed Woolback!
chicamuxen
I have had one for several years and use it almost daily…under treeless or treed.
I do not like it on a higher withered horse but otherwise am a huge fan.
I have washed mine several times in a top load washer without issues-use it straight on the horse’s back.
I have the Toklat as well and love it as well.
Be careful about washing in an ordinary washing machine. I washed mine in the machine once and it came out with a huge hole all the way through the fabric on the underside that goes against the horse. The foam insert is now exposed in that area. Actually two holes, but one of them is the size of a baseball. The other is about quarter sized. So now I HAVE to use a felt wool liner under it! :dead:
Bought one. Hated it. It was hard to keep it from smelling nasty. It would squish down to nothing. Pads were hard to pull out so you could wash the pad, had to wait for the whole pad to dry. When it was used it took a long time to dry, if it ever really dried, smelled icky. PITA to wash. Hard to get the pads back in the darn pad. As for keeping my saddle in one place, no it did not.
I have a huge washer. A front loader. I wash in woolite, and have the extra water option, and extra rinse, and usually washed it on delicate or wool. Spin or not, or anything in between.
When I would remove the pads so I could wash the pad, the pads I could tell were getting smushed down. Also there was an imprint of my saddle.
Nice looking pad. Very pretty on top. I got navy.
I sold it after about 10 rides.
Went back to the wool back pad. It is still doing fine after 10 years of hard use, and yeah it gets washed alot. I have one with no inserts.
rmh- I think you are thinking of a different pad…the equipedic doesnt have removable inserts.
At any rate, washing a big pad is no fun, so I’m glad I dont have to. I just hose the Dixie Midnight-knockoff pad off. I think its cooler against the horse’s back than any other pad I’ve ever tried too.
Yes they do! 
http://www.actionridertack.com/p-508-action-rider-western-endurance-trail-saddle-pads.aspx and link for replacement inserts: http://www.actionridertack.com/p-510-equipedic-foam-replacement-inserts.aspx And believe me, they are a serious PITA to get the inserts into and out of.
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;5889281]
Yes they do! http://www.actionridertack.com/p-508-action-rider-western-endurance-trail-saddle-pads.aspx and link for replacement inserts: http://www.actionridertack.com/p-510-equipedic-foam-replacement-inserts.aspx And believe me, they are a serious PITA to get the inserts into and out of.[/QUOTE]
Thanks Auventera Two. :winkgrin:
Yeah, they do sell them just like Auventera Two says. And yeah they are a hassle to remove and put back in.
I have a front loader and lots of experience in washing all kinds of stuff, including horse stuff.
Thanks all! My guy’s pretty short backed, and I do wash my pads in a topload machine, so I think I’m going with a Skito.
Do you wash the pad with the inserts still in? I thought you had to remove them…they are a HASSLE! I tend not to use the pad because I don’t want to deal with those inserts…
I have used Equipedic pads for several years. I have a western one, an endurance one and an english one. For most riders I think the Equipedic is a step in the right direction. HOWEVER, I have had TWO horses end up with white hair in the exact shape of the equipedic front corners, discovered these when I go to do body clips. This tells me that the edges of those inserts are really stiff! I now prefer to use 1" wool felt pads for serious riding, although I’ll use the Equipedic pads for less intense training rides. Just my 2 cents worth. J
I am reviving this thread.
I purchased an EquiPedic pad barely used from a friend and while it is a beautiful pad and comfortable for me, it is retaining way too much heat for my sensitive Arab mare.
Honestly the foam is only good for cool weather. If it’s too cold, then the foam feels like blocks of ice. I made it work through the winter by using a heating pad to warm it up before putting it on my horse.
Now that summer is coming, I know it will be too hot.
I tried to ask EquiPedic about these problems. There response was “We don’t have these issues with our pads.”
Can’t say I was impressed by that response for such an expensive product.
Anyone else find the foam retains too much heat? My mare threw a fit last summer and I don’t want a repeat. I have an old cheap barrel pad that I used last summer, but I hate it.
I’m thinking of buying a Diamond Wool pad instead. I need my girl to be comfortable for long distance rides. By the time I am done riding, her back is usually drenched. Thankfully she hasn’t been sore from it.
I sometimes use equipedic inserts in an older Haf pad, and you are right that they are really hard but warm up nicely, didn’t bother my horse but we all know how different that can be! I also have a Toklat Matrix Woolback with their inserts, which are still shock absorbing but thinner and don’t get as hard. I actually upgraded from my older, thick felt pad, but it took forever to dry and seemed to retain that sweaty smell. I also think Supracor look interesting!
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