Sheepskin Half Pads - Clear Spine Designs or not ?

[Spangles]

I've recently read that clear spine designs on sheepskin half pads can cause pressure points and soreness. Premier Equine half pads apparently no longer feature the clear spine design but prefer a larger surface area covering the entire under-seat panel region now.

What are everyones thoughts and which design/ brand do you recommend please ?

 

[Pinkvboots]

I have always used the Nuumed pads and never had any rubs on either of my horses all mine have really good wither clearance I have never had a problem with spine pressure.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Sorry if this is a daft question but why do people use a half pad ? What is the benefit if the saddle fits the horse well?

 

[MissTyc]

Sorry if this is a daft question but why do people use a half pad ? What is the benefit if the saddle fits the horse well?

I always have my saddles fitted with a pad. I just find it's more forgiving for the horse, if I land heavily after an awkward stride for example and it makes me feel less guilty in sitting trot lol. Also find it wicks the sweat away on long rides, etc ... My horses are comfortable with strong toplines - perhaps it would be the same but I'm not changing something that's always worked for me!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Sorry if this is a daft question but why do people use a half pad ? What is the benefit if the saddle fits the horse well?

My horse is odd about sheepskin, I don't know why. I do use a half pad, just bought a Thinline, because I have degeneration and damage to my SI and spine. Just that bit of shock absorption helps me (don't feel long rides as much/at all afterward). Horse goes fine in the Thinline too. The saddle fits well, it's mostly for me.

Edit: I also have a Prolite, and like the Thinline (Trifecta - no sheepskin), it fits well under the saddle and you can hardly notice it - pad is black and saddle is black. I don't like the look of fluffy sheepskin, my Mattes has no rolls.

With the Prolite I can feel the horse the most, with the Mattes it's a bit too much between me and the horse, the Thinline is just right and feels like it's more shock absorbing than the Prolite.

 

[hock]

I’m glad you posted OP as I am currently obsessing about pads and numnah etc. I use a combo of nuumed, prolite and vip pads. But in the past have used sheepskin, suber pads and shimmies etc. I have 3 horses in proper full time work/competition and then I have 2 that I’m starting to think about backing now, meaning I’m getting through loads of pads and girth’s. Nuumed have never rubbed anything of mine, amd really easy to care for. I use the everyday dressage pad in XL and then add a prolite or vip depending on the horse. I’m happy with this system but want to update my competition pads and make sure I’m up to date with the new technology. So I’m going to sit here and lurk and see what the experts say. Ideally I’d like the set up I have now for competition but with a nuumed saddle pad trimmed in sheepskin so it’s fancy but no thicker or different to our at home wear.

 

[sbloom]

Spine free for me, Mattes has a chamfered inner sheepskin edge, never seen any issues from pressure in 13 years of saddle fitting and using Mattes pads.

Sheepskin does provide some shock absorption but it's more a bonus, it's the same level of impact protection, from my "testing" as Prolite. For ultimate shock absorption you need Thinline, Poron XRD or d3o, I don't know of anything else that performs at these levels. Sheepskin does wick sweat, spread pressure and provide soft tissue expansion space, but can be bulky with an added impact protection layer. Most other foams are marketing, from other industries eg slow recovery foam from mattresses which don't do the job we need them to do, or at best are just pretty low performance generally, and you can't look up their data sheets unlike the three I've mentioned.

The thicker the pad the more important it is that you should have your saddle checked and probably refitted to accommodate it, and don't swap out for thin pads, it changes the fit.

 

[hock]

Sbloom thank you for the info, lurking does work! Off to have a butchers at that little lot!
I ditched the sheepskin for a prolite and bought the vip because the reviews were great and i didn’t want something to change saddle fit. One horse I felt a difference for sure but my youngster goes noticeably worse in it. My youngster is huge and hyper mobile and with the vip we lose all willingness to move forward. It’s been suggested it fixes the saddle in place too much for him but I don’t know. He just goes in his saddle and a nuumed now and feels super. And I’m convinced it does alter the fit.

 

[SibeliusMB]

I've used the spinefree Mattes half pad for 15 years and never found it to rub or cause any irritation or soreness on any of the horses I've used it on. I switched briefly to a Thinline half pad last fall, but it rubbed my horse behind the saddle over the winter, so I switched back to the Mattes. Horse is just as happy and hasn't had any issues.