So I have been looking at the Toklat saddle pads. I want an english one ( all purpose) to go with a wintec wide saddle I have for my mare. With diet and exercise and now limited grazing she now has the body of a normal horse and i think the extra padding and inserts will make her more comfortable. I also like the girth they have as well. Are they really that nice and most of all do they hold up and are they worth the price?
Toklat pads last longer than any pad I have tried.
I have one pad that is 18 years old and still going strong. Worth the money.
Yes, worth the money.
I have washed my AP wool back many MANY times and it is in fine shape. After it is clean and dry I use a wire dog brush, makes it new and fluffy again. Although, it is not necessary.
Also have the wool back girths by Toklat, VERY worth it. Best ones out there. Again, you can wash and hang to dry fluff with a dog brush. I only use double elastic on both ends. Which gives equal pressure on each side of the saddle and girth. Makes a difference.
You will have it forever.
totally worth the money. I have a toklat square dressage pad. I bought it used 11yrs ago… It is my go to saddle pad. I can use it every day, wash it and it still washes up like new. I’ve bought several pads since then, i might get a good year out of them but they look cruddy after the first wash, especially when i’ve lived in clay soil areas and they get a bit orange stained. I was going to buy a new one a few years ago and was quoted $75 for one, which was too much for me at the time, would love to have a second one one of these days, but until then, i’ll keep using the bajeebas out of the one i have! 
My mare says they are worth it. It took about a year of hard work and diet to get her in shape. She’s had a lot of saddle fit issues and she’s VERY picky about gear. She hates every pad I own but the Toklat. None of our other pads are as thick or comfy. I’m using a Western Toklat Coolback pad with my Wintec Wide AP for her right now. I gave up trying to find a Western tree to fit her, but she loves that pad! I’m just waiting to catch a sale on the English Toklat pad in the same color.
LOVE my Toklat Coolback pads. i have a few that are 10 yrs old.
I lost count of how many saddle pads I tried, without finding a single one that fit both my unusually shaped saddle and my swaybacked horse, kept the saddle from slipping, didn’t make my horse’s back sore, and didn’t give him bald spots. Somehow I thought I could get all these things for under $100 (silly me).
Finally I gave up and got a Woolback (through Long Riders Gear). They have a ton of different shapes and options, so you can customize it however you want, and they can even get you a completely custom shape if needed. It’s absolutely worth every penny, and I’ve been kicking myself for not doing it sooner.
I think Toklat anything I’ve used has been great quality. One of these days I’m going to get a few of the Coolback pads to use for endurance rides. A friend has one that is several years old and I really like it. It’s still in great shape despite being well used and abused.
I have the Woolback pads and they are absolutely worth EVERY penny. Great pads that wash up beautifully and last forever!
I noticed that your post talked about the Toklat pads with inserts. The majority of folks that buy the pads with the inserts are using treeless saddles. A treed saddle can have it’s fit radically changed when you use a pad that has foam inserts or even just one that is just much thicker fabric. I’d highly recommend a Toklat woolback pad but not the inserts model. Also, there is two different fleece fabrics, English (shorter nap) and Western or endurance (longer nap). If your saddle is a good fit now with a thinner type pad then definitely stick with the shorter nap fleece.
Bonnie
Mine is 14 years and still going strong. I do use it with a treeless saddle and I’ve replaced the inserts, but the pad is still in great shape.
they have a wide variety of pads, but all have the same great quality.
[QUOTE=chicamux;6025073]
I noticed that your post talked about the Toklat pads with inserts. The majority of folks that buy the pads with the inserts are using treeless saddles. A treed saddle can have it’s fit radically changed when you use a pad that has foam inserts or even just one that is just much thicker fabric. I’d highly recommend a Toklat woolback pad but not the inserts model. Also, there is two different fleece fabrics, English (shorter nap) and Western or endurance (longer nap). If your saddle is a good fit now with a thinner type pad then definitely stick with the shorter nap fleece.
Bonnie[/QUOTE]
Her saddle is a good fit, but I was wanting a thicker pad to take some of the abuse( shock absorption) of riding and my current english pads are thin and the western ones just don’t sit right under the english saddle. You think inserts would be a bad idea? I don’t want to buy inserts if I won’t use them.
The pads are thick and plush enough to not use the inserts. I have two different styles of woolbacks for two different saddles, and they were worth every penny and then some. Horsesdacor has a lovely selection, and you can’t beat their customer service. http://horsesdacor.com/Toklatsaddlepads.aspx
[QUOTE=Anon40something;6025738]
The pads are thick and plush enough to not use the inserts. I have two different styles of woolbacks for two different saddles, and they were worth every penny and then some. Horsesdacor has a lovely selection, and you can’t beat their customer service. http://horsesdacor.com/Toklatsaddlepads.aspx[/QUOTE]
They have a " triple thickness" or is that just too much??
I think that inserts or the triple thick pad would be too thick. What happens is the thickness up at the wither will make the fit there tighter and the saddle will sit higher at the front and cause bridging. Either go with a regular woolback pad or use a thinner pad like a ThinLine which gives you shock absorbtion without a lot of thickness. You said your horse had been fat and just recently lost weight and now the saddle fits better. Adding a thick pad is like your horse gaining weight again.
By the way, the cair panels in your saddle already add shock absorbtion.
Bonnie
My horse has a swayback and high withers with hollows behind them. With a regular english pad, I had to supplement with a memory foam halfpad AND thinline inserts. With the 1/2-inch “english” thickness woolback pad, all I have to use is the thinline inserts, and I’m getting better sweat patterns than I ever did before. (because the pads are two layers of wool, the 1/2-inch “english” thickness actually gives you a 1" thick pad.)
[QUOTE=chicamux;6026887]
I think that inserts or the triple thick pad would be too thick. What happens is the thickness up at the wither will make the fit there tighter and the saddle will sit higher at the front and cause bridging. Either go with a regular woolback pad or use a thinner pad like a ThinLine which gives you shock absorbtion without a lot of thickness. You said your horse had been fat and just recently lost weight and now the saddle fits better. Adding a thick pad is like your horse gaining weight again.
By the way, the cair panels in your saddle already add shock absorbtion.
Bonnie[/QUOTE]
Thanks everyone ! Very helpful.
Bonnie, you are right that the triple thick may be “overkill”:yes: She has a wide, flat back anyways, but with the weight loss she actually does have withers and I was worried with her excess fat padding gone that my thin pad was not enough anymore. I think the AP coolback pad may fit our needs just fine ( i like a pad with color).
