Are gel pads useful on a correctly fitting saddle?

tashcat

tashcat

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I should start by saying that no offence is intended by this post - I'm just a bit curious (and clueless!) and haven't managed to uncover much through research!

I've been looking at getting a gel pad to sit between the jump saddle and numnah to absorb some of the pressure when jumping - the horse in question has shown no issues or reason for worry and his saddle has been recently checked - but I like to make his job as comfortable as possible and his back is very sensitive! I should add my saddler has advised that he dislikes gel pads, although gave no reason why and confirmed this was not specific to my individual horse.

So why do people use them? Apart from preventing a saddle from slipping or helping the fit with the front/ rear rising options.. I'm confused why my saddler wouldn't like them if they fulfil the purpose advertised of reducing pressure points..

Any advice/ experience is (as always!) much appreciated! :)
 
I use them as my horse seems to prefer them and goes better with them than without. My saddle fits perfectly and I have tried sheepskin pads and he didn’t like them he was more reluctant to let go over his back. With the gel pad he is softer in the back, he is quite sensitive in general and I think the pad reduces the impact and movement which in turn makes him more comfortable
 
I feel like gel pads are yet another solution for a problem I didn’t know I had until a marketer told me I had it.

Love that you care so much about the comfort of your horse. If it works for you - do it.

My caution with all synthetic pads is beware of the heat they generate and what damage that can do to muscles.

Have you ever run with the the off the shelf orthotics in your shoes? Hot, hot, hot to the point where after 20mins running you are busting to pull your shoes off. I can’t stand it. They make saddle pads out of the same stuff.

Can I ask where you think these pressure points might be when you are jumping? At the front?

Ive recently changed to the new Peter Horobin Stridefree jumping saddle which has a unique tree that removes the pressure points in the front. Totally different horse now. Longer strides, no getting on my hands in front of a fence now.
 
I've used a couple of gel pads and been disappointed. I sometimes use a polite which is fine but much prefer a good sheepskin. The problem is that not all (expensive) sheepskins are equal. My best one is an unnamed brand which is very dense, I've just ordered one from Mattes in the hope that it's better than the Le Mieux and Christ pads, which are good but not good enough.
 
tashcat said:
I should start by saying that no offence is intended by this post - I'm just a bit curious (and clueless!) and haven't managed to uncover much through research!

I've been looking at getting a gel pad to sit between the jump saddle and numnah to absorb some of the pressure when jumping - the horse in question has shown no issues or reason for worry and his saddle has been recently checked - but I like to make his job as comfortable as possible and his back is very sensitive! I should add my saddler has advised that he dislikes gel pads, although gave no reason why and confirmed this was not specific to my individual horse.

So why do people use them? Apart from preventing a saddle from slipping or helping the fit with the front/ rear rising options.. I'm confused why my saddler wouldn't like them if they fulfil the purpose advertised of reducing pressure points..

Any advice/ experience is (as always!) much appreciated! :)
Click to expand...

I'm of the opinion to leave well enough alone.

I once bought a gel pad. I kind of liked it but later on I read that they can be heating. I stopped using it.

It seems a little pointless to have a saddle fitter do his or her job, and probably quite well from the sound of it, and then for the horse owner to add something to the equation.
:)

Why do people use gelpads? Marketing. We think it must be good because it sounds good. Then we decide, well, it wasn't that great after all.
 
I do have to disagree slightly with the fact that pads are only used due to marketing. I have never used a pad on any of my other horses and didn’t on my boy for the first 5 months of owning him. I tried it on recommendation by my instructor and felt a difference in his way of going almost immediately, I then tried a sheepskin pad with him and could feel that he didn’t go as well in it. A gel pad isn’t an essential piece of kit but if it improves my horses way of going then I am very happy to use it. My saddler is aware that I use a pad and when she checks the fit she will also check it with the pad in place to ensure it’s not having a detrimental effect on the fit and she’s always been happy with it.
 
I have had 1 horse who went better in one. It was a Gel Eze 3mm pad, so squashed right down to 1mm when sat upon as it squidged into its own holes. It also went between the Nuumed wool numnah and the saddle, so how he knew it was there I will never know.

I think it was not about adjusting the fit for him, but the gel took the sheer forces (as in backward and forward as opposed to the downward forces) and dulled them.

But then, Jay man was always like the princess and the pea!
 
In an ideal world we would all be perfectly balanced riders with perfectly fitting saddles riding perfectly balanced horses. In the real world, many of us are less than perfect although always striving to be better and I believe we should do all we can to make our horses as comfortable as we can. Rose lost a little bit of weight recently which dropped the front of the saddle slightly. This was remedied by using a gel front riser pad (master saddler approved) tbh I noticed immediately that Rose was much softer in the back and I didn't feel that this was entirely due to the saddle fit. I've used a variety of gel pads over the years to pad injuries and have always been amazed that a really painful injury can become pain free with a pad to protect it so I am pretty convinced that a properly fitted pad can help to distribute forces more evenly and therefore be more comfortable for the horse. Rose is quite sensitive and relatively big moving, I'm old and a bit creaky so I'm getting a VIP which will be fitted to her saddle when my saddler comes out to check it again later this month.
 
Amber always has one - originally used to stop the saddle slipping. She is a tack diva but she goes well in it and objects without it. So I'll stick with it.
 
I don't love them but I have a very thin Acavallo gel pad. When my gelding was younger the saddle would still move on him a bit even when properly fitted. The gel pad had just enough grip to offer some stability. As he grew up, grew a withers, and changed shape, he no longer needed the gel pad. So now it just collects dust.

I prefer my Prolite pad if I need something slim or my Mattes pad if I want to use sheepskin.

I'm not sure what harm they'd do under a saddle.
 
It depends what you mean by 'properly fitted'. I use the Balance/ Lavinia Mitchell/ to some extend Heather Moffett approach where the saddle is 'fitted' to be too wide for the static horse to give room for a compressible layer between the horse and the saddle. This gives a soft space for the muscles to use as they contract and become more bulky. I wouldn't use a saddle without a prolite pad under it, even if in some cases that might only be a small front one ('junction box' or JB in Balance terms).
 
I've got a VIP pad. Not really noticed much difference with or without on my own horse but used it on friend's horse the other day and he did seem to approve.
 
When my saddler was last put checking the fit of my saddles I rode the horses (5 of them) with and without the gel pad. Four of them moved noticeably better with the pad and for one it made no difference. All saddles fit the horses.
 
My horse doesn't need one, but I use a shock ansorbing pad and had my saddle fitted with it so doesn't alter the fit of the saddle in any way. It sits between the saddle and numnah.

I use it through personal preference as I believe it make shim more comfortable when ridden. It certainly doesn't do him any harm.
 
I saw an article about how damaging the sticky gel pads are. Saddles are supposed to move a bit on the horse, and if there is a gel pad placed directly on the horses coat under the saddle cloth, it grips the hairs which then move as the horse is working, damaging the convective tissue. I believe they can be OK if worn between the saddle and saddle cloth, just not directly on the coat. I personally don't like to use anything more than a thin saddlecloth and have my saddle fit checked roughly ever 6 ish months.
 
Thank you all for your replies - its great to hear lots of different experiences, and really appreciate how supportive everyone is!

Bonnie Allie - I guess I haven't specifically thought of where is adding pressure, but more about my balance and seat, especially when jumping I've noticed in a few pics I can come down a bit farther back than I'd like to! I've heard about the stridefree saddles, but unfortunately definitely not in the market to get another one at the mo!

Re the heating comments, the pad would definitely go between saddle and numnah (we don't have any slipping issues!) but that is definitely something to take in mind regardless! I've been looking at the Acavallo Piuma featherlight pad as it looks to be breathable...

The saddle fits him well, but the saddler advised to stay away from putting anything too bulky underneath it so it doesn't get tight on his very high withers! So that rules out a lot of sheepskin/ padded options (that might be less heating!) I think that is part of the reason for looking into the gel pads because following the advice that a thin numnah is ideal for both saddles, I do wish I could add a bit more comfort without the bulk in there!

I think reading all the comments I feel inclined to try it out and see if it helps him.. its not the end of the world if it turns out to do nothing - at least then I'll stop wondering! :D I will do a bit more research into the heating/ movement element first though!
Thanks all again :)
 
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