Mattes half pad with foam shim?

[fermecinqsens]

I’m asking here because I’ve never had a Mattes pad before and certainly other people know their products better.
I bought a mattes half pad from someone online. They said it had shims.
It just arrived and it has one THICK piece of foam on the front half, sewn into the pad, but no pocket for taking it out. I thought that Mattes never uses foam, and the shims are always made from thin sheets of felt. I have never seen one like this before. I certainly can’t use this thing.

Do they, or have they ever, existed like this? Or is this some kind of DIY job?
(I’d like to know before complaining to the person).

[MissusS]

The shimmable mattes halfpad I have (purchased in early 2021) only has the thin felt shims that go into pockets along the top side, which is what you’re referring to I’m sure. I’ve never seen one with the foam like you have pictured, and it’s weird that it’s on the bottom wool side.

[steelerino]

Definitely appears to be a home made front riser

[ParadoxFarm]

I have a Mattes pad like this. Padded in back, too. I don’t think this is a DIY job. I haven’t used mine in ages, so I’ll take a peek at it today and double check. But they can come with non-removable padding.

[GreyDes]

All the shimmable Mattes pads I’ve seen shim from the top and use the thin felt shims. The foam really makes me think it’s a DIY modification.

[akhunterrider]

Any Mattes pad I have purchased in the last 5 years that was supposed to have shims has had the foam shims that you can add and remove yourself.

[IPEsq]

Does it have the MATTES trademark printed on the top of the spine? And tags?

I’ve never seen one like this before, but I did find one for sale from a UK shop

[TooManyTBs]

I’ve been using Mattes pads for the last 10 years and they all have felt shims, so it is likely not a Mattes shim. You can buy the shims separately if you need them - I have a few sets because I manage to lose them. Can you take pictures of the label on the pad? I have a few different ages of Mattes pads so I’m happy to compare the label to those I have.

[fermecinqsens]

Thanks for the replies here. It does have the tags and seems like a proper Mattes pad. I don’t get the foam thing though.
Thankfully the seller is allowing me to send it back. It’s a shame because it’s a beautiful pad but the shims are SO thick I could never use it on my guy, who needs a very small correction (which is why I wanted a Mattes pad in the first place because the shims are thin).

If anyone is interested here’s a photo of the tags

[StormyDay]

You can buy basically the exact same felt at a craft store and cut to the shape of the pad. I did this when my mattes pad needed a little extra than the shims had provided. It would probably cost you $5 in felt.

[fermecinqsens]

Good idea! However The problem is that this pad doesn’t actually have pockets. The foam shim is sewn into the pad. It just happens to have a hole in one place so I can see in.

[StormyDay]

Wait what? Thats crazy. Sounds like someone did some real DIY on that pad

[fermecinqsens]

No it’s like the foam is sewn between the layer of sheepskin and the cotton.

[ParadoxFarm]

I double checked mine, and it’s definitely not a DIY shim job. It’s similar to the OP’s pad, but mine is lifted only in the back. Sewn in by Mattes, no pockets. So they do make them that way.