Check premier equine, they have a similar pad and I think it’s $110.
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Tota Comfort system saddle - real and true shoulder freedom. Changed everything from mounting to cantering and saved my mare from early retirement - this is the only saddle I will ride in. I’m considering buying backups in case Charlie stops making them.
That and a shanked dog-bone snaffle.
I just recently saw those! I would love to try one out. All of these newer saddles with different technology/ features - Erreplus, EQ Saddle Science, Tota, I think Passier and/or Kieffer too, etc. I’m so curious if they would make a difference for my current horses (with no particular issue in mind) and other future horses. What model do you have and what differences specifically have you noticed?
I have the Tota Freedom Pro 2. Same saddle for both horses, both are XW and round. My mare refused to go forward in traditional wood tree saddles and would bite and crow-hop at the mounting block. I thought I’d have to retire her. Both horses are more willing to lift up through their withers and back. They have more uniform bend left and right. No more angry faces and bucking when I mount. Greater freedom of gait in all three gaits. Their backs feel alive underneath me - like a wave.
It is a wider twist and and it took me a few weeks to adjust. My hips hurt for a while. And the balance is different - it puts your pelvis in a very upright position.
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I was thinking what was my game changer and Thank you for reminding me 
My game changer was my Pilates class 
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Thank you for sharing your experience, @outerbanks77, I am going to look into Bombers now too.
ETA: I just looked at the site, and am quite confused by the selection. Would you mind sharing which bit you used?
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I have been using full panel sheepskin Mattes pads on my horse, he seems to like them.
They are pricey too, but Hufglocken frequently has sales and free shipping.
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I’m another fan of the Mattes sheepskin lined pads. My horse seems to really like them. His saddle was fitted using one. The pads are a little pricey, but I’m willing to splurge a bit on them as it seems to be the most comfortable for my horse.
I bought one of their girths too since the pads have been such a success.
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two things:
LeMieux Ultra Mesh Dressage Square
Fager titanium bits
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Playing with mouthpiece styles and materials on bits, beyond the regular single jointed, french link, lozenge, etc.
I didn’t realize how much difference something like tongue relief can make for certain horses.
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Getting fitter for me and stretching out all my tightness.
Actually finding a bit my horse likes after trying what feels like a trillion. This thread makes me want to go buy a titanium bit and try it out to see if he likes it more.
My sheepskin girth is very much loved by my horse.
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Fifty years ago found these rope nose hackamores, that Pine Johnson was using on his cutting horses and did so well with them.
Later most colt starters and cutters used them and call them loping hackamores.
We started many colts, many race colts that in a couple weeks we introduced to a snaffle.
That start without something in their mouth right off to add to what a colt had to learn, being guided and given lighter and lighter aids thru the face, made them more comfortable and by the time we added a bit they already understood well to listen to whatever we were doing and that they were to learn and adapt.
We use it time and again with all age horses and they do work so nicely with them, most horses.
There was the rare one that just didn’t like something on his nose, but 99.9% went very well with those homemade rope nose hackamores and a light, understanding hand when using those.
Here are two horses modeling them, a colt we were starting and his babysitting gelding.
Those hackamores are adjusted where a horse can graze with them, not tight or too loose where they swim on their head and cause rubs, as the thick rawhide ones do:
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First of all, great topic! Several things have made a huge difference for me and my horses over the years.
Probably first is chiro and body work for both horse and rider. Especially for those past their prime physically.
Next is a good off horse fitness program for me. I am fortunate to have found a fitness trainer who specializes in riders and can really customize a workout for my specific week points.
Next for my current horse, who has had a tendency to drop her back since a bout with ulcers a few years ago is the equicore system, the “belly band” in particular, and also a Stubben Equisoft girth.
For one previous horse the biggest game changer was using a magnesium supplement.
For several horses, a change in bit was a game changer too. This is very individual, but I have seen several horses, including one of mine, improve their connection in the NS Universal bit. It is not legal for dressage competition as it is a snaffle with just a little bit of leverage. But after schooling in this bit for a while my horse at least was able to move on to another bit and hold the gains.
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Out in right field here, but my vote is for my four-step mounting block. I can get the saddle centered and girth tightened, and then just step over and settle down into the saddle without a foot in the near side stirrup pulling to the side. The horses seem more comfortable with the whole mounting process as well. After I settle down into the saddle, then I put my feet in the stirrups, and go.
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I bought this one: https://dapperhorse.com/products/bombers-bits-loose-ring-moulded-preferred-contact-bit?_pos=3&_sid=ebf431364&_ss=r
I didn’t realize that the more “normal” looking one is also flexible in the middle. Have not verified, but I’m guessing the one I have is not legal but the regular mullen would be. I won’t be showing recognized until next May or June, so not worried aboout it ATM. https://dapperhorse.com/products/bombers-bits-moulded-mullen-eggbutt-wm?_pos=1&_sid=ebf431364&_ss=r
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Interesting about the titanium bits! I bet my sensitive Tb mare would have loved them. She passed 2 years ago. I’ve been on different horses since, and they all make me miss her even more. 
For years I used sheepskin pads with her. Just a 1/2 back pad between her and the saddle in summer, and a regular square pad with sheepskin 1/2 back in winter.
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I read something years ago by a biomechanics expert who said that if a horse can’t move its tongue, it can’t swallow. And if it can’t swallow, it clenches its jaw and that tension flows through the entire body. Also, asking a horse to stay in the bridle when it can’t move its tongue or swallow is not fair to the animal and shows little understanding or empathy for the situation.
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For my seemingly macho gelding who was in reality a hothouse flower and a bit of a Princess (everything was a Pea to him), gamechangers included a WOW saddle that allowed him to really move his shoulders, a WOW H girth that allowed him to use his pectoral muscles more freely, and an anatomical snaffle bridle that didn’t put pressure on sensitive cranial nerves.
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Where may you buy one of these?
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Love all the responses! Even/ especially the more “unexpected” ones - makes you think about the smaller things that can make a positive difference in our and our horses’ lives (like a mounting block!).
Love to see another response about the WOW girths and the Stubben Equisoft too - trying to decide which I will get to try on my ponies currently.
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