Hi everyone, I was wondering about advice on half pads. I haven’t used one for years, and only if I had a saddle that wasn’t quite fitting, once they were properly fitted, I stopped using half pads. Recently I have been reading about all of the claims for reducing stress on a horses’ back and shock absorption, etc. So I was wondering about your opinions? Are they worth it? Is one better than the other? I have ridden in Ogilvy ones and saw no difference in any horse, and no difference in feeling except you were further away from the horse, and also the thinline ones, which felt like riding on a piece of wood, so I probably wouldn’t try those again. Just wondering what others experience has been and if you can recommend any half pads (no sheepskin, would prefer something not made from an animal). Thanks!
I think it’s just marketing personally.
I have to say I’m happy with the Prolite pads. They breathe, are soft, and are ultra thin. I have the tri-adjust one, with no shims needed for my saddles.
I have this same one. I have a few other half pads (Mattes, Acavallo, Thinline) but the others sit in a storage bin and I only use the Prolite.
Recommendations are based made knowing what you need the pad for.
Toklat makes some good synthetic half pads, some thicker, some thinner, I’m pretty sure there are shimmable ones as well.
There are half pads with gel, some with wool, some with layers of cotton, though I guess wool is also out, only synthetics.
ECP makes several with synthetic materials.
LeMieux has great reviews as well.
Thanks for your replies! I’ve heard the Prolite ones are good as well.
I’m curious too, why you would use them? I know people that use them even if they have saddles that have been fitted, and it seems unnecessary, just adds more bulk underneath the saddle. Usually I’m told it’s for extra padding or shock absorption, which I guess I could see for someone that is becoming more balanced while riding or is newer to riding or coming back from a break.
Basically, I think my question is, why else would you use them if your saddle fits? Do you find your horse moves better with them? Or is there another reason? I also ask because I stumbled upon reviews for the Winderen brand and they said their horses moved better with them and felt more comfortable.
Is this clever marketing (as mentioned above) or is there any proof in your experience?
I use a sheepskin half pad while hunting because of the heat build up. I feel like it helps distribute heat and prevents hot spots and swelling since we are out around four hours or more. I also have a felt pad next to my saddle, have a baby pad that is shaped and the sheepskin half pad against the horse’s back. It has worked for me for years and years. I use Fleeceworks half pads.
A half pad in general is nothing more than “half a pad”. Why would you use a regular pad if your saddle fits?
If you’d use a regular pad to help keep sweat and dirt off your saddle, but hate the bulkier feel, then use a half pad to allow closer contact with your leg.
If your saddle is a size too wide, a half pad on top of a regular pad can take up the difference.
it’s just a pad. Whatever you can do with a regular pad, you can do with a half pad - thicker, thinner, thinline, sheepskin, shims, high wither profile, higher wither profile, no “fluff” along the spine, etc. There’s just no bulk under your leg with a half pad.
I use a half pad because even with a full custom saddle that I know fits my little princess, she prefers going in one. In addition, I like knowing a sweaty ride will not saturate the panels in the saddle.
The effectiveness of the pad really depends on the shape and the material used in the pad. I personally really do not like the gel pads at all as a saddle fitter. Wool is good depending on what you are trying to accomplish.
I use and sell Prolite pads. I have seen the results of the pressure testing and they are incredible. However they can cause issues if not used properly.
I use them on my saddle for my back. it does make a difference in how I feel after I ride. I once lent my prolite pad out to a barn mate and tried to go back to my old thin line. I ended up stopping riding that day because I could really feel it in my back after 15 mins.
I use sheepskin lined numnahs, which my saddle fitter includes in her fitting of the saddle (and also recommends them).
Unless you’re using synthetic tack, you already have a lot of animal hide on your horse anyway. The ones I use are LeMieux merino, which is wool woven onto a textile, rather than an actual leather hide, but still has the same breathable quality.
I’m using a prolite half pad because my saddle is a bit too wide (horse lost weight). The saddle needed to be lifted in the front and shims helped. I could adjust the tree but I’m afraid if she gains weight or muscle it might be too narrow.
Thanks everyone for your replies!
It’s given me lots to think about and seems to come down to each individual’s and horses’ preference. No harm in at least trying various pads to see what makes a difference. It seems people have had luck with Prolite pads, as well as a few others.
Thanks again for your help!
I have a variety of half pads because I ride a couple of similarly built horses in the same saddle and using half pads allows me to adjust the fit slightly for each of them.
Just wanted to chime in… I use a half pad with similar technology to the Winderen pads (but has been around for longer) from Toklat. It is one of their T3 series of pads. It’s really not just clever marketing - the materials are actually designed to absorb impact from the rider, which, in my experience, makes a happier horse. The Toklat T3 pads have an insert that is also used as protective padding for football, hockey, etc players to disperse high impact, called XRD. There are a lot of similar materials on the market, some in XC boots, and other protective gear. I just made sure to get a thin enough half pad that fit under my jump saddle (one of their inserts is super thick and better for dressage/western riding).
I ride in a faux sheepskin. It’s not made from real animals. I ride a school horse, and they have one saddle for three lesson horses (they all have very, very similar structure) obviously, it doesn’t fit perfectly. Plus, he’s very bony. I like to use the half pad, I think it does just really help fill in the blank spaces underneath the saddle and makes it more comfortable for the horse. It also gives just that much more support and cushion for your horse’s back. In the end, I think it comes down to personal preference. I know you mentioned feeling far away from the horse, and I know that they sell saddle pads with cushioning already built in on the underside, facing the horse. I personally haven’t used one before, but have seen them in use before and they’re very discreet but effective. Hope this helps.
I use SupraCor half pads. They are breathable, offer protection and hose off. They also help keep your horse’s back cooler. I’ve had two for years and they last forever. For older horses, my saddle fitter recommended sheepskin half pads for a bit of extra padding.
My older horse expressed a preference for the Thinline pad over the SaddleRight pad. As his PPID symptom is primarily loss of topline muscle I later added sheepskin to the horse side of his Thinline.
Several years ago I spent about a week alternating between the two pads and testing his response and comfort with each. He preferred the Thinline.
