Five Star v. Diamond Wool v. Classic Equine

[cloudy18]

[QUOTE=beau159;8480564]
My motto is “less is more”.

Red’s saddle fits him perfectly so he has a 1/2" pad. Works great. Don’t need much padding when the saddle already fits so well.

Shotgun had a very small amount of growing room to do so I got him a 3/4" pad for now; next year, I’ll get him a 1/2" because that will work better as he fills out.[/QUOTE]

Even for trail riding? I currently have a 1/2" Impact Gel and I want to get a 5 Star. The saddle fitter that sold me my saddle said to go with that thickness bc saddle will tend to roll less (she’s a roll-y mare, although this saddle doesn’t seem to feel that way). A certified saddle fitter told me that the thicker pad would be better for the trail riding we do. But 1" just seems so darn thick.

My gut is saying to stick with the thinner one, but I’m not sure. The woman at the tack shop says she typically orders 7/8" for the shop. Augh!

[beau159]

If your saddle fits well, why do you NEED extra padding?

90% of the riding I do is trail riding, to keep my horses legged up. I try to ride every day, and the minimum we go is 4 miles (mostly trotting and loping). As a precaution, my horses see a chiro several times a year, but their saddles fit well and we never have any back soreness problems.

I think the vast majority of people tend to over-pad with 1" pads. IMO. In my mind, 1" is thick!

[cloudy18]

I think so too, but the 5 Star website recommends 7/8" for trail riding.