Should we use half pads?

[Celestica]

I was on an equestrian tumblr and one of the posts was a rant about how annoying it is when people don't use half pads. I always had the impression that half pads were for filling minor tweeks with a saddle that was the best fit for a horse but still the slightest bit off, am I wrong? I notice a lot of the American (English Riding Riders) wear saddle pads a lot of the time but do we need them if our saddle fits correctly?

 

[Auslander]

I was on an equestrian tumblr and one of the posts was a rant about how annoying it is when people don't use half pads. I always had the impression that half pads were for filling minor tweeks with a saddle that was the best fit for a horse but still the slightest bit off, am I wrong? I notice a lot of the American (English Riding Riders) wear saddle pads a lot of the time but do we need them if our saddle fits correctly?

Nope! I use a cut down sheepskin under my correctly fitting saddle, but it squishes down pretty thin, so doesn't affect the saddle fit. One of my pet hates is using pads to correct an ill fitting saddle, and another is putting great big pads under a correctly fitted saddle.
I remember the days when a numnah was just used to keep the underneath of the saddle clean!

 

[Celestica]

Nope! I use a cut down sheepskin under my correctly fitting saddle, but it squishes down pretty thin, so doesn't affect the saddle fit. One of my pet hates is using pads to correct an ill fitting saddle, and another is putting great big pads under a correctly fitted saddle.
I remember the days when a numnah was just used to keep the underneath of the saddle clean!

But whats the purpose of your sheepskin?

 

[rhino]

I was on an equestrian tumblr and one of the posts was a rant about how annoying it is when people don't use half pads. I always had the impression that half pads were for filling minor tweeks with a saddle that was the best fit for a horse but still the slightest bit off, am I wrong? I notice a lot of the American (English Riding Riders) wear saddle pads a lot of the time but do we need them if our saddle fits correctly?

I'm in no doubt that some people use them to try and make badly fitting saddles 'fit' better, but mostly people who use them do so as they believe the extra padding is more comfortable for the horse. Are they necessary? Probably not, but then any saddlecloth or numnah is not necessary.

If the saddles are fitted with the half pad, then it's not a problem. Likewise if they are not used at all; the problem arises when they are added to a saddle which fits already. My dr saddle was fitted to take into account having a half pad, my boy has stupidly sensitive skin and is better with sheepskin directly in contact with his skin, with a cotton saddlecloth on top.

 

[Always Henesy]

Nope! I use a cut down sheepskin under my correctly fitting saddle, but it squishes down pretty thin, so doesn't affect the saddle fit. One of my pet hates is using pads to correct an ill fitting saddle, and another is putting great big pads under a correctly fitted saddle.
I remember the days when a numnah was just used to keep the underneath of the saddle clean!

Erm I use a sheepskin half pad to assist the fit of my saddle.
The saddle fits the old lad well, but due to his age he has sunk slightly (although he is improving). My saddle fitter has got me a saddle that is as near as damn it perfect for him. The Le Mieux half sheepskin can be fitted with riser pads at the front which fills in the gap and leaves him very comfortable.
I also love sheepskin on my horses as it is soft, cushioning, breathable and has a great wicking effect.

 

[sbloom]

Pads are a tricky subject. A well fitting saddle on most healthy backs do not need a thick pad. However, sheepskin is wicking and shock absorbing so can be a useful thing on any horse. It can't change the pressure points of a tree that isn't the right width, and it will lift the front of the saddle more than the back, unless you have a Mattes correction pad with shims, which is what I use for remedial fits. SO, always check front to back balance of your saddle - this is why padding a too-wide saddle can work okay (and some horses prefer this type of fit) as a too-wide saddle will usually but not always sit pommel low.

Remedial fittings DO need pads and any muscle loss is best corrected this way in my opinion.

And a jump saddle on a horse with a prominent scapula can benefit from a thick half pad to lift the saddle away and give better scapula freedom as long as there is no instability and, again, front to back balance is correct.

 

[**Vanner**]

I use a sheepskin half pad to wick moisture and because I imagine it is more comfy for my boy. My saddler checked it and as it squashes it doesn't affect fit

 

[pitterpat]

i use a le mieux sheep skin half pad under my horse's saddle as i think it give a bit more cushioning than just the saddle on its own. its been checked by two independant saddle fitters who've said its fine under my saddle.

 

[Auslander]

But whats the purpose of your sheepskin?

It's thin enough not to affect the fit of the saddle, and is comfy for him, breathable and draws sweat away from his skin, so he stays cool.

And it's snuggly, so he must prefer it!

 

[BabyA]

I bought one at the weekend and it made my saddle feel a bit unbalanced. I'm sure it will sink/settle down but I'm not that impressed with it at the moment.

 

[Auslander]

Erm I use a sheepskin half pad to assist the fit of my saddle.
The saddle fits the old lad well, but due to his age he has sunk slightly (although he is improving). My saddle fitter has got me a saddle that is as near as damn it perfect for him. The Le Mieux half sheepskin can be fitted with riser pads at the front which fills in the gap and leaves him very comfortable.
I also love sheepskin on my horses as it is soft, cushioning, breathable and has a great wicking effect.

Sorry! I came across as a bit rant-y! In my head, I was making perfect sense - objecting to people using pads to make a saddle that doesn't fit, fit - and pads that are so huge and thick that the saddle sits on top of them about 4 feet off the withers.
I do understand that some horses need a bit of help - honest!!

 

[**Vanner**]

I also read that the sheepskin helps the muscles under the saddle and aids in relaxation of the top line muscles, or something of that ilk. *goes off to find information

 

[Always Henesy]

Sorry! I came across as a bit rant-y! In my head, I was making perfect sense - objecting to people using pads to make a saddle that doesn't fit, fit - and pads that are so huge and thick that the saddle sits on top of them about 4 feet off the withers.
I do understand that some horses need a bit of help - honest!!

Don't apologise You rant away my friend

I do understand your point - totally. But if it wasn't for my front riser sheepskin I wouldn't be able to ride the pensioner That said - his topline is improving all the time as even though he's getting on now the muscles are slowly filling in the gaps

 

[spotty_pony]

I used a half pad with my old saddle as it was a little on the large side so I used it to make it fit better. I do however, know people who use them instead of normal numnahs.

 

[**Vanner**]

Our Skin needs to Breathe!
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The unique, natural fibres of Sheepskin wool allow for constant air circulation.
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This enables wool to not only keep us warm, by trapping heat inside*tiny air pockets, but also*to wick away moisture, and turn*it into a type of cooling agent*when releasing it.
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Wool can hold up to 30-40% of its weight in moisture, which in turn keeps your body dry and comfortable.
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Wool is our gift from Mother Nature. Wool is a natural, sustainable product that is durable and long lasting.
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From a website!!!

I use mine all the time without any other numnah.

 

[sbloom]

I bought one at the weekend and it made my saddle feel a bit unbalanced. I'm sure it will sink/settle down but I'm not that impressed with it at the moment.

As I said in my post above, it will lift the front of the saddle slightly more than the back - the narrower your horse, the more it will do this - visualise dropping a plumbline down through the pad and you'll understand how the more vertical it sits at the front, the deeper the pad is effectively.

 

[Goldenstar]

One of mine if a very difficult horse very difficult to teach him to relax and carry the saddle an all round nightmare saddler almost lived at the yard until I had a lesson with Paul fielder he said this horse needs a memoryfoam pad to push against I thought eh whatever he produced one we fitted it the horse moved away and oh yes that's nice and all the mucking about related to lifting the back stopped it was extraordinary I was speechless he wears it every day unfortunatly he still has many other oddities to deal with.

 

[Dizzydancer]

Do you put your half pad on back then numnah then saddle or vice versa? I see most on top of numnah which obviously doesn't help remove sweat!

 

[Goldenstar]

I put it on top of the saddle cloth but I don't use it to soak up sweat the saddle cloth does that fine .

 

[BarmyC]

I use a sheepskin half pad underneath my CC jumping saddle. The saddle was fitted with this and it fits beautifully. The reason i had my saddle fitted with it was because the saddle is close contact i wanted an extra bit of shock absorbtion.

I use the half pad on its own with no numnah underneath and my horse has been going better than ever with this combination.

 

[Andreagsclark]

I'm in no doubt that some people use them to try and make badly fitting saddles 'fit' better, but mostly people who use them do so as they believe the extra padding is more comfortable for the horse. Are they necessary? Probably not, but then any saddlecloth or numnah is not necessary.

If the saddles are fitted with the half pad, then it's not a problem. Likewise if they are not used at all; the problem arises when they are added to a saddle which fits already. My dr saddle was fitted to take into account having a half pad, my boy has stupidly sensitive skin and is better with sheepskin directly in contact with his skin, with a cotton saddlecloth on top.

This is what I was wondering!!! You spend extra money on a sheepskin pad, but put a non-sheepskin pad *underneath*-so what’s the point of the expensive sheepskin? Wouldn’t it be better to have the half pad underneath the regular pad? Is there any reason not to do this?
Thanks!
Regards,
Andrea Clark

 

[Barton Bounty]

This is what I was wondering!!! You spend extra money on a sheepskin pad, but put a non-sheepskin pad *underneath*-so what’s the point of the expensive sheepskin? Wouldn’t it be better to have the half pad underneath the regular pad? Is there any reason not to do this?
Thanks!
Regards,
Andrea Clark

The regular or synthetic wool is not the same as proper sheepskin or lambskin, its just aesthetically fluffy , proper woollen pads are much more durable and thicker. They provide much more comfort for the horse.
You can ride with just a half pad if you want but never put a half pad under a saddle cloth. It would change the fit completely, not to mention the movement and wrinkling up of the pad.
Thats why some saddle pads actually come with merino wool on the underside of the saddle pad.

 

[Goldenstar]

There no right or wrong in this and some horses are very specific about what they like best .
Horses are very sensitive in the skin and some just don’t like to raise their backs against something they don’t like .
My personal choice is to have as little as possible under a saddle but the horse is wearing it and their opinion matters most .
Over the years I have had all sorts including one who was determined that he liked his saddle too wide ,for the humans liking and a pad and a memory foam half pad but it had be his memory foam pad a certain brand .
I have a few half pads they get used I should find them new homes .

 

[LadyGascoyne]

For Mim, it is either a front riser, or a crupper.

I know which one is more likely to be tolerated!

 

[blitznbobs]

Try putting ski socks inside your work shoes… more comfy ? Probably not.

So it all depends how your saddle is fitted… technically no you shouldn’t need one and most people use them because
A) they are trendy
Or b ) they think extra padding = more comfort

This is not necessarily the case especially if your saddle fits well.

 

[ycbm]

Old thread alert! 2012.

I used sheepskin half pad between the saddle and the numnah because I was using WOW saddles and the horse can sometimes feel the airbag overlap, or even raise a lump from it. Sheepskin is very shock absorbing.
.

 

[Andreagsclark]

All good info! My saddle is a bit too wide. I hope that this horse’s back is going to change with work. At this point the saddle fitter recommended a correction pad with shims. I found some with wool-and yes! I think genuine wool is by far the best-but they are half pads. So I’d put a regular pad under my expensive fleece and it wouldn’t be as effective. I did find a regular pad with genuine fleece underneath, so I could I guess use a fleece less correction pad? Sheesh! Lots to think about!!! I am a big fan of wool! I have some 20yo wool felt pads that are super-just too thin.
Thanks for the info!!

 

[Barton Bounty]

All good info! My saddle is a bit too wide. I hope that this horse’s back is going to change with work. At this point the saddle fitter recommended a correction pad with shims. I found some with wool-and yes! I think genuine wool is by far the best-but they are half pads. So I’d put a regular pad under my expensive fleece and it wouldn’t be as effective. I did find a regular pad with genuine fleece underneath, so I could I guess use a fleece less correction pad? Sheesh! Lots to think about!!! I am a big fan of wool! I have some 20yo wool felt pads that are super-just too thin.
Thanks for the info!!

I can recommend the lambskin lemeiux half pad with shims

 

[Sanversera]

good quality well fitting leather shoes. I wouldnt wear them without socks so why should i ride my horse in a saddle without a comfortable sheepskin pad between the saddle and his back ?

 

[sbloom]

All good info! My saddle is a bit too wide. I hope that this horse’s back is going to change with work. At this point the saddle fitter recommended a correction pad with shims. I found some with wool-and yes! I think genuine wool is by far the best-but they are half pads. So I’d put a regular pad under my expensive fleece and it wouldn’t be as effective. I did find a regular pad with genuine fleece underneath, so I could I guess use a fleece less correction pad? Sheesh! Lots to think about!!! I am a big fan of wool! I have some 20yo wool felt pads that are super-just too thin.
Thanks for the info!!

It sounds like this might be a western saddle, as you have felt pads? If that's the case almost all advice on here will be for English. Western saddles absolutely need thicker pads underneath and the "rules" we're talking about may not apply, equally sheepskin may not be enough under the saddle. Sheepskin is fairly shock absorbing, as much as Prolite from my very simplistic testing, but bottoms out in canter, as the forces are higher (and therefore jumping). Some horses love it and won't go in a saddle without a sheepskin underneath.

In general, I prefer half lined numnahs and pads to half pads, Mattes make every single shape of pad they do with different correction (shim) pocket, and various sheepskin lining and trim, options. You can buy half pads that go under the square or numnah, they can either have a cotton backing, such as Mattes make (must be used with a carefully chosen/specced pad, and they have fixings to help with stability) or can be a sheepskin underlay, which is much simpler and thinner. Sheepskin is better against the skin because it wicks, but you keep the bulk of the shock absorption using it over the top.