New Saddle pad

[Hacienda Del Sol]

I've just become a dealer for the Paso Fino community for the Equipedic "Conforpedic" saddle pad. I've tried every pad from fleece, felt, air, foams, and gels and yet to have found one that fits as nicely as this pad. The pad is a un-backed cordura cover with removable "tempurpedic" inserts. The inserts are of the same material type but are manufactured especially for equine use (it's a denser material). The bottom is a Holofiber-impregnated felt. Holofiber is a material primarily designed to help increase blood flow and was primarily designed and tested for diabetics, in sock and glove form. You can find more info on Holofiber at Holofiber.com. I've been using this pad for several weeks now and it is excellent. It doesn't slip at all and, most importantly, I haven't seen one dry spot on any horse's back when we finish working. All the horses seem to be more comfortable. I can't say anything about if they cool better or if the Holofiber works or not but I can say it is an excellent pad. You can see more info at equipedic.com. If you're interested in purchasing one, you can e-mail me. Our dealer prices are less than buying them direct.

[CarolU]

Jamie, do you have pictures of the pad? Does it come in different sizes and shapes?

[Pinto Paso]

Carol the pics are here
www.equipedic.com

They sound great - at over 200.00 I will have to wait... I read a comparison recently on saddle pad testing (actual scientific studies) but I have not had time to read if these pads were included or if there is more testing from the mfg.. Jamie seems pleased with them and he puts quite a few hours in.[/url]

[Hacienda Del Sol]

I am super pleased with them. I've been very amazed. Horses after horse with the same saddle and absolutely no dry spots anywhere the saddle contacts or pressure spots. I've also found that I can leave my girth looser and the saddle still stays put.
They are a little pricey, but there is a lot of technology that goes into them, and the manufacturer is using may new textiles. I love the fact that the tempurpedic material is removable and you can actually machine wash your pad, makes it much easier to deal with.

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

Jaime which one would you recomend, the endurance pad for every day training on a tereque? dejame saber.....


Saludos

[Hacienda Del Sol]

For a terreque I would recommend the english endurance pad. It's shorter than the standard endurance pad. The standard endurance pad measures 40"W X 28"L. The English pad is 40"W X 24"L. Since most Terreques, and Paso Fino saddles are in the 20"-22" range, better to use the English.
Another thing I've noticed with this pad: It sticks nicely to the horse. On top of the pad is a material which helps the saddle stay put on the pad. The harder the pressure is to the material, the stickier it gets. Since the pad is forming around the horse, I've actually been able to loosen my girth quite a bit as well.

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

Thanks Jaime, so that means that we ordered the wrong one.....

we ordered 3- Endurance Cordura code EQND-001....

shut!!!!!!

[Candice Burger]

Thanks for the link Pinto Paso!

I've been looking at these orthopedic pads for some time but always go back to wool felt pads because they wick moisture from the horse, they breathe nicely and easy to maintain. Allot of the othopedic stuff I've looked into I didn't like because they tend to use polyster fleece or foam inserts that got too hot and really did nothing to shape around the horse or distribute pressure. Allot of my friends have tried them and paid allot of money to go back to the old fashioned wool felt pad. They found the man-made materials slipped either on the horse or the saddle was slipping because the foam material caused the saddle to sit on top of the padding instead of the padding forming to assist a bitter fit.

I read on the site that the bottom of the pad is made of wool felt. Is this 100% wool felt? How thick is the felt?

How thick are the foam inserts? I read where the endurance pads are about an inch thick but what about the others? Do they shape and distribute pressure points? Does the saddle fit on the horse or seems perched on top of the pad?

How thick is the material next to the saddle? Does it seem durable? I'm not interested in any fleece type material. Does it seem to breathe and handle moisture ok like if I'm riding in the rain?

Do they plan to make a western style pad for round skirts instead of square ones? What style would you recommend for McClellan type saddles?

[Hacienda Del Sol]

Candice,

The 100 % wool felt on the bottom side of the pad is not very thick, maybe 1/4 inch or so. The felt is impregnated with the Holofill fibers which is supposed to increase the blood flow to those contact areas. The inserts are not fleece or a standard foam. They are a Tempurpedic material that is constructed in density for this particular application. They do not appear to be hot and the pads breathe well. We've had a number of 100 degree days here so I've had good test periods. The inserts are around one inch thick, on each pad. They do shape extremely well to the horse and appear to even-out any pressure along the saddle. I've used this pad on 8 different horses per day, including Paso Fino and Quarter Horses (yes I have a couple in to fix for local clients) and have yet to find a dry spot or pressure point on any of those horses after riding. The saddle seems to mold into the pad and the pad seems to mold to the horse, which helps the saddle stay put even with a looser girth. The top of the pad is Cordura, the same type of ballistic material we all know. It is NOT backed with any other type of material, to allow it to breathe. One of the best things about the pad is the ability to pull out the foam inserts and actually drop it into the washer. Works great.

[Candice Burger]

Thanks Jamie,

Please keep us up to date how it works out. I'll know you'll really put it to the test! I figure by the time I'm ready to buy one, I'll take advantage of your expertise. :D

I've got allot of ground work to do before a horse or me sees a saddle, but it looks very durable and well designed. I'm very interested. I'm hoping sometime summer/fall is when I'll be riding again.

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

Thanks Jaime, just got it today!!!! much better size!!!!! this one fit perfect.....


Saludos!

[Hacienda Del Sol]

That took a little time to get there, I sent them last week. Glad you like the size better, I think they'll fit fine under any Paso saddle and I believe they contour enough to be used in show. Enjoy!