http://www.5starequineproducts.com/SaddlePadsArticle.html

dk wrote:
On Oct 21, 4:08 pm, green_kni... at (no spam) greenknight.org.uk.invalid (Catja
Pafort) wrote:
Yes... and no. A pad should not alter the balance of the saddle, but
I've come to the conclusion that the majority of horses is happier in a
saddle fitted with a thick pad that absorbs some of the pressure than
with a thin cotton pad, however well the saddle fits.  [...]

Of course.

It's not just about fit, it's also about padding and the absorbtion of
the rider's weight.  

This is dealt with by fit, not by padding.  Padding doesn't "absorb" the
rider's weight.

I don't doubt that different horses will benefit
from different amounts of padding.  Some might not need any, some
might need a lot.

My shoes fit perfectly.  I nonetheless appreciate the extra "padding"
I get from my added gel insoles, especially if I'm involved in an
activity that involves several hours of walking.  I'd wager that,
mutatis mutandis, the same general principle applies to horse's backs.

The problem with your analogy is that we don't lace saddles all around
the horse's body as you lace shoes on your feet, we hold saddles onto
the horse with 1 or at most 2 relatively narrow bands (girth or
cinches).  The more padding, the harder it becomes to properly secure
the saddle to the horse's back so that it doesn't shift or slide.  The
less padding and the better the fit, the easier the saddle stays in the
optimum position without needing an overly tight girth or cinch.

50 years ago we didn't have all these fancy pads.  Everyone used a very
simple thin pad under a properly fitting saddle.  "Sore backs" are much
more common today than 50 years ago and IMHO poor saddle selection and
fit and the plethora of pads on the market today are major contributors
to the "sore back" problem.

jc

On Oct 21, 4:08 pm, green_kni... at (no spam) greenknight.org.uk.invalid (Catja
Pafort) wrote:
Yes... and no. A pad should not alter the balance of the saddle, but
I've come to the conclusion that the majority of horses is happier in a
saddle fitted with a thick pad that absorbs some of the pressure than
with a thin cotton pad, however well the saddle fits. [...]

Of course.

It's not just about fit, it's also about padding and the absorbtion of
the rider's weight.

I don't doubt that different horses will benefit
from different amounts of padding. Some might not need any, some
might need a lot.

My shoes fit perfectly. I nonetheless appreciate the extra "padding"
I get from my added gel insoles, especially if I'm involved in an
activity that involves several hours of walking. I'd wager that,
mutatis mutandis, the same general principle applies to horse's backs.

On Oct 20, 5:51 pm, Bill Kambic <wjkam... at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:

http://www.5starequineproducts.com/SaddlePadsArticle.html

good article--put together by the people at 5Star who make a
VERY nice
wool felt pad.  

betsey

If I used a wool pad on Major, then I think he would lose his mind!
Poor horse is allergic to wool.

Ruth W.