Forgive me if there is already a thread on this, I didn’t come up with much in my search. For a little extra padding & to improve saddle fit a bit, which is better Memory Foam or sheepskin pads?
What’s the best out there for less than $200?
I prefer my ThinLine cotton half pad to both. My horse is wide already, so I don’t want to add any bulk that could make my saddle too narrow. Then I use the shims to alter my saddle fit to my horse’s conformation.
Sheepskin. Thinline pads are amazing, ecogolds are quality as well!
I always go to “naturals” first when it’s possible. So sheepskin!
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I’ve used sheepskin, an Ogilvy, an Ecogold triple protection pad, and a Thinline on my super picky TB over the years…I think it depends on how you want to improve saddle fit. For a saddle that’s overall a bit too wide but basically a good shape for the horse, my horse liked the Ogilvy (I did not, because it made a saddle already prone to slipping even worse). For a saddle that needs shims, it’s really hard to beat a Mattes pad with pockets. They can be found used for a reasonable price either with or without sheepskin.
My favorite has probably been a Thinline/sheepskin combo. You can be all fancy and get the Thinline with the sheepskin lining, or you can put a Thinline over a sheepskin like I did. Or, when your Thinline starts to crack after 10ish years of use, you can cut it up to make shims for the Mattes.
I really liked the design of the Ecogold, but my horse HATED it for some reason.
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This, exactly. I like Thinlines under saddles that already fit really well. I use Ogilvys under saddles that are the right shape, but maybe the horse lacking some muscle and needs a bit of extra cushion until they fill out. (Though I have not found that my Ogilvy causes any slippage.) I like those nice Mattes shims for when shims are necessary. Haven’t tried other types of memory foam, but I have tried plain (no shims) sheepskin pads and not liked them as much as my Ogilvy.
I like the Shires Supafleece (I think its called that) (only like $60) – I use that if I need extra padding, but I use my Ogilvy mem-foam with saddles where I just want a little more padding on the horse’s back.
Shires Supafleece is synthetic.
Ditto to this! I do like sheepskin if the saddle fits well enough (but with room for a little fluff) but I honestly think my horse prefers the Ogilvy. I’m pretty sure it absorbs my crappy riding best, so if you’re a good rider and like to feel the horse then you might feel differently!
I agree with billiebob, though I’ve never had an oglivy make a saddle slip. I also think that it depends on what your horse likes the feel of. My one TB has hated every half pad I’ve used on him, synthetic, sheepskin, gel, didn’t matter the brand (luckily I was able to pass them on to my other horses) but just loved the oglivy memory foam. I try to borrow now for a ride or 2 to see what works so that I can prevent buying more things to sit.
Thanks! The saddle is just bit too wide, but otherwise well balanced. We’ve used a synthetic Roma or Circuit but my horse didn’t love it and I’d like to upgrade to something nicer. I’ve used thinline in the past but I don’t think a plain thinline is quite thick enough to make up the width that I need. I noticed smartpak starting selling a Wilkers memory pad, but there aren’t any reviews yet. Anyone have experience with one?
My riding is mediocre, novice/training level so a little shock absorption would be nice!
Sine you are trying to adjust the fit I would go with a sheepskin with the option of inserts. That way you can add as much or as little as you need and as the horse changes shape you can change the shims. I find the memory foam just squishes down and doesn’t do much. Thinline is really good for shock absorbtion without affecting fit too much.
I have a cotton mattes correction pad and an ultra thinline sheepskin correction pad… The thinline is nice BUT huge, so if you and your saddle are on the smaller side keep that in mind. I got a medium thinline off thinline’s website, they didnt offer a small, for my 1997 17" butet and my high-withered TB–i wanted the extra shock absorption of the thinline relative to my old non-sheepskin mattes.
Anyway, just my two cents for you or anyone else reading this thread looking for input, the thinline feels great while riding but, huge downside, it’s too big for my saddle so is constantly sticking out more on one side than the other or over the back of my saddle pad, which then has caused some rubbing… UGH so I just ordered a Lemieux pro-sorb sheepskin pad (which measures smaller) in hopes it actually fits and stays put.
But anyway to your original question, I like having the sheepskin + shims! 
I would never get memory foam, it’s just a non-functional squishy decoration.
I’m a huge fan of my ProLite pad. I have the one with 3 pockets. I find that it helps for fit, or it can give a little bit of cushion without effecting fit (if used without the shims). I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and I’ve been using it for years!
Hard pass to the wilkers, you might as well save and get a used Ogilvy. I run a consignment and my used Ogilvy fly off the shelves as well as any Mattes Correction Half Pads and Thinline trifecta. I love the ecogold flip pads but they are thick! Another option is Europa Half Pads and the Gel EZ fish pads… lots of good options out there.
My horse has been through them all. When I first got my mare we used a thinline and then I got a sheepskin half pad from a friend. We used that for years before changing to a synthetic. One day my trainer recommended an olgivy and after borrowing someone else’s we got that and she loved it. Then she was injured and on stall rest and when we started working again she wasn’t happy. Ended up with an eco golf and she loved it. That was a few years ago and it’s still her favorite. I still have the olgivy and thinline but haven’t used them in years. If possible I’d ask to borrow someone else’s to see what your horse likes.
It should also be noted that there are multiple different memory foam pads out there and each is a bit different. When I was in Canada I got one from Greenhawk that wasn’t as soft as the olgivy for less than $100. My horse hated it but my friends horse loved it way more than the name brand.
