Your favorite shimmable half pads

[Spotless]

Hey all!

I have a gelding who is more developed on his right side than his left, causing the saddle to want to lean right no matter how balanced I ride. I finally got a saddle that fits BOTH of us yesterday and it was a little under my budget so I have enough left over for a nice half pad to help us out while we are developing the right side and getting him more balanced. We think the asymmetry is due to previous saddle fit and my horse naturally being stronger on one side than the other.

Thinline is my go to but I know that there are other nice brands out there and am hoping others with more half pad experience could chime in. Thanks!

[darkhorsecj]

This one is our new barn favorite https://totalsaddlefit.com/pad/

[Renn_aissance]

I really like the ThinLine Trifecta. I’ve used it for about 5 years on a variety of horses and think it does a good job and holds up well. The shim shapes and pocket placement are good.

[LookmaNohands]

Equalizer by Skito. They make lots of shims to go with it.

[2bayboys]

I like the Pro Lite pad with 6 pockets for shims. It comes with shims in 2 different thicknesses for each pocket, allowing for a wide variety of possible shim solutions.

[ParadoxFarm]

Wow, look at all the different opinions and choices! I also use the Thinline. I like the shims for that pad. I also have two ECP pads, which are really pretty nice for the low price.

[PNWjumper]

My favorites for the last year or two have been my Invictus pads. http://invictus-equestrian.com/performance/

[RugBug]

My mare seems partial to her Mattes Correction pad. I really wanted to try the Thinline and within a few laps of the arena, I decided switching back to the Mattes was the better part of not getting hurt. She HATED it. I wasn’t a fan of the placement of the pockets…they seemed too far back to address the fit issues of her saddle and left a ridge where the shim started right at her problem area.

I also have the ECP correction pad and use it on a variety of other horses. It’s inexpensive and provides a lot of flexibility for addressing fit issues.

For something where the saddle fits other than being too wide, I like the Tad Coffin leather pads…although I prefer the older versions. I have the thinnest model and the thickest with the wither cutout. Both have been extremely useful.

[vxf111]

@2bayboys

I like the Pro Lite pad with 6 pockets for shims. It comes with shims in 2 different thicknesses for each pocket, allowing for a wide variety of possible shim solutions.

I like that one too

[HunterMarc]

I currently use a wool Mattes Gold shimmable half pad for my dressage saddle and an Equine Comfort Cotton Correction half pad with memory foam inserts for my jumping saddle.

I just ordered a Six Point Saddle Pad-Wither Freedom Sheepskin half pad by Total Saddle Fit. I am looking to replace the Mattes pad with this due to my horses high withers to open it up more as the stitching on the bottom of the mattes pad rubs his high withers.

Both the Mattes and Equine Comfort pads have their pros and cons. Mattes is harder to clean and can be more “busy” looking if you have the front and rear trim otherwise good quality but expensive. The Equine comfort is easy to clean but I am not a fan of the memory foam and have used cut out pieces of a yoga mat or the felt like fabric of what the mattes has.

[Pokerface]

I LOVE the fleeceworks shimmable half pad. Not only does it open up along the spine so you can shim anywhere in the pad (using whatever you want; I use a small thinline and then some shims on the right side as we are also building up the right shoulder), but it also has pockets in the front for shims at the wither. This pad has been a life saver for me and my horse.

[morganpony86]

I bought mine a few years ago so the newer ones don’t look exactly the same, but I only use ThinLine pads. I have the sheepskin comfort pad that you can use shims in.