Pictured right is author Kay Hastilow, Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter.
'If my saddle fits properly it shouldn't need a pad as well.
In some ways this statement may be true – so many folk put a pad of some kind as well as a saddle cloth or numnah in the belief that it is kind to the horse / makes the saddle more comfortable / will improve the fit (even if the saddle has just been fitted by an SMS qualified fitter) / looks pretty, but in all honesty these are NOT good reasons to use a pad.
Often pads are used with ‘close contact’ saddles with foam panels as these seem to drop very low on the horse’s back, although why you want a close contact saddle that has to have a thick pad with it I really don’t understand. Surely that defeats the purpose of having a close contact saddle?
It may be that your horse is super – sensitive. I have certainly known a few like this who will totally change their way of going for the better if a sheepskin or Prolite (closed cell medical grade foam) half pad is used although great care has been taken with the fitting of the saddle and he is wearing the one that he (or she) ‘chose’ at the original fitting. They just seem to like this feel. Is it that forces or pressures are even better distributed? Does the tiny bit of movement allowed by the material used in the pad please the horse? Whatever the reason, there are certainly cases where using a pad is not just acceptable but advisable. I fitted a super – fit TB eventer a few years ago and his saddles were all softly flocked with the best white wool, but he was always just holding back a little bit it seemed, as if the hand brake was just on. As he was very fine coated and thin skinned I suggested that we add a sheepskin half pad (with a clear channel down the centre to prevent pressure to the spine) and we tried this over the saddle cloth as she ‘didn’t want the faff of washing a sheepskin pad every day.’ This had the desired effect and the horse moved beautifully. Mind you, the owner still wasn’t over-keen as she felt that a well-fitting saddle should get the same result, but she did accept this choice when she went out and won the following weekend. The exception proves the rule.
Russell McKechnie-Guire and his research group has published a paper on this topic. (Journal of Equine Science. ’Effect of half pad on pressure distribution in sitting trot and canter…..’) and it is well worth taking a look at this because using a half-pad with success depends on the type of half-pad used.
Gel pads were very popular for many years as people believed that they spread pressures over a wider area to the horse’s benefit. That might have been the case but as the vast majority of these were just a flat pad of very heavy gel with a cotton covering, no centre seam and no shaping they also tended to pull down tight across the spine. As we take great care to avoid putting any pressure on the spine when saddle fitting it was upsetting for us, as saddle fitters to come out for a saddle check –‘he’s not going quite right’, to find that one of these pads was in use. ‘But I pull it up into the channel every time I tack up!’ was quickly shown to be of little use as the pad was so heavy that it dropped down within a few strides of work. Some had the golden gel pads with no cover. A better shape, no covering and thinner through the centre channel but by goodness that gel pulled against the coat!
The present incarnation of the gel pad is a slightly shaped thin gel, no covering or clear centre channel but not quite as sticky as the golden ones and they are covered in little holes ‘for ventilation’. Often with a sheepskin ridge to go around the back of the saddle (hopefully not under it as that becomes a pressure point) these have been the ‘go to’ choice over recent years, especially for show jumpers it seems. These also tended to pull down tight over the spine and if used directly against the coat would pull and turn the hairs. NOT a comfortable feeling for the horse and I doubt if they are achieving what the rider believes to be the benefit of using one.
There are some foam pads of a very firm material, often front or back risers or a straight lift. They might help to achieve balance in the saddle but can cause pressure points in some areas, such as under the stirrup leathers as the firmness of the material seems to prevent these pressures being distributed. Cheap, popular but not my first choice when we need to balance a saddle.
Speaking of balance, this is a common reason for using a half pad as many have pockets and shims so that you can balance and / or straighten a saddle with these. A good solution in many cases but watch out for one or two things. Many have the pockets sealed with Velcro to keep the pads in place in use but, knowing that the top and sides of the spine must be kept clear of pressure I am concerned that this rather harsh, velcroed fastening comes into contact with this area. A pad to even out the forces and pressures that could be causing pressure just where we don’t want it. Other pads have a clear wide channel but the velcroed seam sits under the panel of the saddle, which will cause an increase in pressure along this seam. Truly pressure points. Perhaps, if both of these are put on with great care every time, lifted into the gullet and checked that they are central right the way through before use they might be ok? However, so many people wouldn’t (or couldn’t, with a fractious horse for example) do this that I think there is a good risk of causing discomfort. There are some extremely good adjusting pads on the market, and I use these regularly to achieve balance and straightness, either to check how the saddle needs to be adjusted, for a horse that is likely to change shape or in some cases just to get the fit and balance that we want for that horse. For those interested I use Prolite pads, thin ones for adjusting fit most of the time but the thicker ones where more lift or clearance is required. There are other good ones out there, but this is the brand that I know and trust.
Please do be aware that the use of a pad, especially something thick or of a synthetic material can destabilise the saddle so that it could slip to one side or right over when turning or riding a corner, which is not a nice feeling and can be very dangerous.
If you are thinking of using a half pad I ask you to take note of the following:-
Please ask your saddle fitter if it might affect the fit. Ideally your saddle will be fitted with the pads and cloths that you intend to use.
Please ask yourself why you want to use one, and is the reason justified?
Please research results of any testing done on your product – proper research, not ‘word of mouth’ type ‘research. Not all claims made by manufacturers can be backed up.
Please make sure that it fits, especially the sheepskin ones with the roll of sheepskin around the back of the saddle. The seam of that roll must not sit under the panel of the saddle or you will have pressure points.
Make sure that it has a shaped centre seam so that it follows the contours of the horse’s back.
Make sure that there is space down the centre for the spine, so that the pad will not fill the channel / gullet of your saddle and so cause pressure here. Sheepskin / wool fleece ones tend to have full fleece across the pad with no space. If you can’t find one with a clear centre channel trim the wool down to the material 1” either side of the centre seam, so that you have a 2” wide area with virtually no wool.
Acrylic ‘sheepskin’ is not good for horse’s backs. It heats up very quickly and does not wick heat away as wool does. If you have one give it to the stable cat to sleep on – they can get up and move away when it gets too hot!
As with all horse equipment everything has it’s place and I certainly don’t object to the use of half pads. I just ask you to think before you use one.
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