Sussexbythesea
Well-Known Member
You have absolutely no evidence of this.
Equitex Saddle Pads
- Thread starter onemoretime
- Start date
You have absolutely no evidence of this.
onemoretime
Well-Known Member
Im not meaning everyone but I know of a lot of people who just dont bother with either saddle checks or back checks.
ycbm
Overwhelmed
I've looked at the website, which is pretty uninformative tbh. It looks like this is just an extra thick saddle pad made out of stuff usually used to make furniture. Wouldn't there be far better materials now to use than upholstery materials from the early 1990s?
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Auslander
Well-Known Member
Have you had your hands on one? They really aren't great clunky things made with upholstery foam!
ycbm
Overwhelmed
The website says they were/are made with stuff from their upholstery business when they decided to branch out and make saddle pads in the early 90s ?
Nothing I can find about what they are made of now and there are some incredibly sophisticated materials in use in other saddle pads now. I would have expected them to trumpet it if they were using them.
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Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
They look nice but I'm not sure they are worth the money I saw the stand at Hickstead a few years back and nearly fell over when my friend told me how much they are ?
Auslander
Well-Known Member
I can't see where it says that, on either the italian site, or the uk one! They are made of reactive foam - it feels similar to memory foam, but springier. Certainly not upholstery foam. I really think you should try and at least see/feel one before criticising them - they really are lovely! I am impressed enough with it to have stopped using any other pads (and I have a LOT of pads)
ycbm
Overwhelmed
ETA
This seems to be the sum total of their explanation on their Italian site about what's actually in it to cause it to be so eye wateringly expensive. For that price I expected a fuller explanation.
I haven't criticised them, only questioned what I've read on their website. If you and your horse love it, great.
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Auslander
Well-Known Member
Oh come on now! You've been pretty dismissive about them, when you haven't even seen one, and now you're trying to shut down the conversation!
Please could you point out the bit on the website where it says they are made with stuff from their upholstery warehouse, because I can't find it. The guy who developed them is an equine chiro, not an upholsterer, for a start.
ycbm
Overwhelmed
Edited.
I don't think you've read my quote directly from their website.
"Equitex was born in an upholstery furniture factory". Their words not mine.
ETA I'm not trying to shut down anything.
I don't really understand why you're getting so exercised about this, if you like it, and so does your horse, that's great.
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I don't think you've read my quote directly from their website.
"Equitex was born in an upholstery furniture factory". Their words not mine.
ETA I'm not trying to shut down anything.
I don't really understand why you're getting so exercised about this, if you like it, and so does your horse, that's great.
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maya2008
Well-Known Member
I have used their treeless pads for over 19 years. Also used one under a treed saddle for a couple of years for our pssm mare (to fill in for muscle wastage). Horses all loved them - moved well in them and there were no issues. My seatbones agree - I have a half pad of theirs that I put under my bareback pad, and it makes it so amazingly comfy - I can’t feel her spine at all and it’s like sitting on a cloud! They are quite thick though, so wouldn’t fit under a close fitted saddle.
Auslander
Well-Known Member
I'm
You added the quote from their website while I was replying to your unedited post. Incidentally, what you said they said, and what they actually said don't tally anyway!
It's not unusual for companies not to say exactly how their products are made, to avoid being copied. It's not necessarily done to cover up the use of bog standard materials, which is how your post came across. That's what annoyed me.
You added the quote from their website while I was replying to your unedited post. Incidentally, what you said they said, and what they actually said don't tally anyway!
It's not unusual for companies not to say exactly how their products are made, to avoid being copied. It's not necessarily done to cover up the use of bog standard materials, which is how your post came across. That's what annoyed me.
Noble
Well-Known Member
To be fair I would also like to see a bit more information on the website to warrant that price, I have felt one and chatted many a time at trade stands to them and they couldn't give me an reason in person as to why they require such a substantial price. They felt pleasant but I wouldn't buy one as they are quite thick and I felt, as my saddle is fitted with a thin cotton pad, they would change the fit.
webble
Well-Known Member
I tried one once but wasn't that keen and was concerned the thickness would make the saddle fit wrong/tight. The quality was ok but not hundreds of pounds ok
[69117]
Well-Known Member
I love mine and wouldn’t be without them now.
Auslander
Well-Known Member
Id love to know what they are actually made of too - but I can live with not knowing, as they work well for me. My saddle is regularly checked, and fits the horse well, and despite it looking quite thick, once it's on, it moulds to the horse under the saddle, and doesn't seem to affect the fit. This is a horse who acted like he was about to drop dead underneath me when I put a thin foam shim in the back pockets of a saddle cloth once, so I'm convinced.
I have a tendency to stick up for things I rate, which is possibly not a good thing
I have a tendency to stick up for things I rate, which is possibly not a good thing
ester
Not slacking multitasking
It's curious that they were at beta 1997 but their website says they launched equitex UK in 2019, were they available in the middle time but no one had really heard of them?
GreyDot
Well-Known Member
I haven't tried one, and am not trying to throw the cat amongst the pigeons here, but I was always taught that it was the saddle (especially the much better saddles we have nowadays) that cushion and distribute the impact of the rider from the back of the horse and allow for freedom of movement and the saddle cloth was essentially just there to absorb the sweat to protect the saddle and that a simple (pure) cotton saddle cloth was best (washed between uses).
I can totally understand using shims, pads etc when the saddle does not fit, for a growing, changing horse between saddle checks, in and out of work, etc. but I can't see what technology requires that amount of money for a saddle cloth.
I can totally understand using shims, pads etc when the saddle does not fit, for a growing, changing horse between saddle checks, in and out of work, etc. but I can't see what technology requires that amount of money for a saddle cloth.
webble
Well-Known Member
I definitely had one before that
Dave's Mam
Well-Known Member
I'm just a bit bemused at how a square metre (or thereabouts) of fabric & padding can cost nearly £250.
Yes, design, marketing etc, but £250?
Yes, design, marketing etc, but £250?
Sussexbythesea
Well-Known Member
I can’t disagree really on this I bought my first one on a hot sunny day in Windsor when my spending guard was down after a couple of Pimms. However my experience is the quality is lovely and my horse improved his way of going wearing it. I’d also argue that a Gucci bag or many a fancy £4000 saddle are arguably not worth the money in terms of material or construction either but people still buy them.
I’ve been working with my saddler who fits holistically looking at you as the rider, the way the horse moves etc. for 4 years as my horse was under-muscled and also very unevenly (passed 5-Stage) over his back. So he’s been in a Lavinia Mitchell with a shimmed Pro-lite. We’ve finally got to
even shimming.
I was having a lesson but that day his canter was just not going anywhere so I thought I’d try the Equitex I’d just bought and he immediately responded by becoming more forward and just seemed so much more comfortable. Spoke to my saddler later and she was ok with me using it. That’s just my experience and I know it won’t be the same for everyone. I then bought another for showing. I also know that he won’t stay the same and maybe I’ll need to return to a Prolite at some point.
The velvet is lovely and soft and there are no straps and it doesn’t move.
ycbm
Overwhelmed
There are some exceptionally advanced materials like Poron and the stuff in the VIP pad that can be worth paying a lot extra for, and some of the poron pads are more expensive than the Equitex. But that was my confusion, if the pad is made of advanced materials I would expect them to say so. Otherwise, all we can assume is that it's made of foams that could be in any other thick pad at a quarter of the price. The makers of the VIP and Poron pads have lengthy sections on their websites explaining the exceptional shock absorbing properties of those materials. Equitex have nothing.
It's obvious that some horses love it but it would be nice to know why and whether it is actually unique.
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sbloom
Well-Known Member
I like materials that are tested, named by the manufacturer. Winderen and a couple of other pads (Toklat and Jen X Equine) have Poron XRD in them which is pretty good, but other details matter too. Medical grade such as sheepskin is awesome under many saddles, d3o (Invictus) and Akton (VIP) are proprietary materials so you can look up the performance, and they're used in other products where you can see how they'd work for saddles.
I do tend to agree. "Memory foam" actually means VERY little in the industry, my OH used to work in foams and says it simply means anything that doesn't compress permanently with light use. A slow reactive foam like Tempur isn't going to help with a fast moving horse, and anything with high rebound can increase the likelihood of things like rotational falls, so knowing what is in your pad is important. The Equitex DOES change the fit on some horses, if a customer has one and the horse likes it then I'll work with it if possible, but it's not a pad I recommend, especially at such a high price.
A lady set up the new UK distrbutor in 2019, which is why they've suddenly taken off. They've been available from Italy for years, and may have been carried by the odd retailer/fitter.
It's a very old fashioned view that the panels can do absolutely everything. Even the best wool flocked panel can be bettered by many materials available in pads and, as long as your saddle is fitted to accommodate it, many linings and half pads are extremely beneficial. I wish everyone would stop with the "a well fitting saddle only needs a thin cotton pad", even if all we do is think about the physical forces involved, rider balance, the fact there's wood and steel inside most saddles, we can see how even a healthy back might appreciate more than a (mostly rubbish) layer of foam, or even flocking. Air I'm on the fence about, not the biggest fan.
And yes, shims can be very useful, but usually used with one of these high tech layers. I much prefer a thin, stable shim over a uniform layer of sheepskin or d3o, than Prolites, Pro-Sorb etc none of which actually tell you the performance attributes of the foams, and can create big pressure points. I am aware that SMS training tends to recommend these and sees them as industry standard, but Prolite, for example, absorbs up to 25% shock (in my simple testing the same as Mattes sheepskin), d3o up to 95%. Another planet.
I do tend to agree. "Memory foam" actually means VERY little in the industry, my OH used to work in foams and says it simply means anything that doesn't compress permanently with light use. A slow reactive foam like Tempur isn't going to help with a fast moving horse, and anything with high rebound can increase the likelihood of things like rotational falls, so knowing what is in your pad is important. The Equitex DOES change the fit on some horses, if a customer has one and the horse likes it then I'll work with it if possible, but it's not a pad I recommend, especially at such a high price.
A lady set up the new UK distrbutor in 2019, which is why they've suddenly taken off. They've been available from Italy for years, and may have been carried by the odd retailer/fitter.
It's a very old fashioned view that the panels can do absolutely everything. Even the best wool flocked panel can be bettered by many materials available in pads and, as long as your saddle is fitted to accommodate it, many linings and half pads are extremely beneficial. I wish everyone would stop with the "a well fitting saddle only needs a thin cotton pad", even if all we do is think about the physical forces involved, rider balance, the fact there's wood and steel inside most saddles, we can see how even a healthy back might appreciate more than a (mostly rubbish) layer of foam, or even flocking. Air I'm on the fence about, not the biggest fan.
And yes, shims can be very useful, but usually used with one of these high tech layers. I much prefer a thin, stable shim over a uniform layer of sheepskin or d3o, than Prolites, Pro-Sorb etc none of which actually tell you the performance attributes of the foams, and can create big pressure points. I am aware that SMS training tends to recommend these and sees them as industry standard, but Prolite, for example, absorbs up to 25% shock (in my simple testing the same as Mattes sheepskin), d3o up to 95%. Another planet.
ycbm
Overwhelmed
I don't think air is a suitable filling on its own. The need for two airbags each side to prevent excess movement requires an overlap which often creates problems. These days I use a half sheepskin pad over a thin cloth which is there only to keep the expensive pad clean.
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onemoretime
Well-Known Member
My VIP pad was £130 so a long way off the Equitex pads. There is a full explanation on the VIP web site regarding the material that they use for the pad.
sbloom
Well-Known Member
Yes, as I mentioned above, it's Akton. It was developed about 40 years ago in the NASA programme IIRC (no, wrong, seems it was medical). Another one that if someone already owns one and the horse likes it, no problem, but I think other pads are better these days so I don't recommend them.
Fieldlife
Well-Known Member
Which ones do you recommend? Mattes? And what else? thanks
sbloom
Well-Known Member
Invictus
Lady Jane
Well-Known Member
Nothing can suit every horse but I can assure you they are not made of early 90s upholstery material. I have two and love them - so does my horse. And through lending my loan saddle pad (with permission) have given them about 10 more sales from both professional and amateur riders. The binding can rub but can be removed (they charge about £5) and is the part which will show signs of wear. I will point out that Dr David Marlin does absolutely not 'endorse' the product - he did the independant testing and Equitex can therefore publish his results, His only 'objection' is that you cannot state anything is 'the best in the world' - as a scientist how can that statement be proven?
ycbm
Overwhelmed
It would have helped if someone had mentioned the research earlier.
https://www.equestrianindex.com/news/-new-research-shows-equitex-saddle-pads-reduce-pressure-by-87%
However, if you look up the PDF where what they gave Dr Marlin to test it against can actually be read, it doesn't look as if it was compared with any of the really high tech materials, or that any account was taken of the fact that if you have a pad that's 4 times as thick as other materials, it's bound to come out better than most thinner pads with the simple "drop a weight on it" tests he did.
There's an 8mm pad available that absorbs 95% of the forces landing on it. And it doesn't cost £250.
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