VIP pads

[Muddywellies]

I wish I hadn't lightheartedly mentioned the pad turning my horse into Valegro. She's an unfit Welshie and couldn't be further from Valegro ?.
I just found no difference at all and after reading reviews beforehand, I was expecting to find some sort of difference. For the price of it, it wasn't worth it, and pony is happier in her simple le mieux saddle cloth. Pony has a good quality well fitting saddle which is checked regularly (I'm spoilt to have a good friend who's a saddler) so I can't really improve on what we've got. I found the vip pad thicker and heavier than I was expecting. But as with everything of course, it's entirely personal and many people have had good results with them. Oh and mine didn't bunch up. I placed it between saddle cloth and saddle.

 

[LegOn]

I wish I hadn't lightheartedly mentioned the pad turning my horse into Valegro. She's an unfit Welshie and couldn't be further from Valegro ?.
I just found no difference at all and after reading reviews beforehand, I was expecting to find some sort of difference. For the price of it, it wasn't worth it, and pony is happier in her simple le mieux saddle cloth. I found the vip pad thicker and heavier than I was expecting. I sometimes use a Gel-eze pad (entirely different purpose to the vip pad) which is 3mm thick so by comparison, the vip pad is quite chunky. But as with everything of course, it's entirely personal and many people have had good results with them. Oh and mine didn't bunch up. I placed it between saddle cloth and saddle.

Haha I know we all jumped on that!! But to be fair - maybe your horse might just be that bit more balanced or stronger or ridden better or fitter or has a better conformation or some other marginal gain than others, so it could be just the possibility of not needing it! Which I think is probably the case with alot of just nice, sound horses that are well looked after, good feet, good feed & nicely fit!

My boy tends to be a bit anxious and can scrunch himself up a little bit - I always have his saddle checked every 6 months, get physio every 2/3 months, keep his work varied and consistent, and treat him a bit with kid gloves - that just the way he his so I bought it as another piece of my puzzle which seemed to really help and I actually notice the difference if I dont wear it! But it is only part of an overall picture... sure look, if something I can buy says it can fix anything, I'm the first idiot with their hand up!!!

 

[PatchyBabyHorse]

I wish I hadn't lightheartedly mentioned the pad turning my horse into Valegro. She's an unfit Welshie and couldn't be further from Valegro ?.
I just found no difference at all and after reading reviews beforehand, I was expecting to find some sort of difference. For the price of it, it wasn't worth it, and pony is happier in her simple le mieux saddle cloth. Pony has a good quality well fitting saddle which is checked regularly (I'm spoilt to have a good friend who's a saddler) so I can't really improve on what we've got. I found the vip pad thicker and heavier than I was expecting. But as with everything of course, it's entirely personal and many people have had good results with them. Oh and mine didn't bunch up. I placed it between saddle cloth and saddle.

Sorry I hadn’t even noticed you mentioning Valegro - that post wasn’t aimed at you! ???‍??‍?

 

[Muddywellies]

Sorry I hadn’t even noticed you mentioning Valegro - that post wasn’t aimed at you! ???‍??‍?

????

 

[sbloom]

Very tempted by one of these. Have an older boy at 22 who's still in work but can be, in some circumstances, a bit cold backed. Physio is happy with his back and he rides well but I do wonder if this might just offer him a little extra comfort.

My only issue is that he's ridden in a half pad with a front riser, and I'm not sure how/where it'd go. Not keen on it going straight onto his back, but doubt we'd get the benefit of it elsewhere?

I don't feel that they offer much benefit beyond sheepskin, for most horses. There will always be exceptions and on paper it's more shock absorbing than sheepskin. I would not put it against the skin, nor would I use effectively two half pads together. I had one customer using one with those new thick velvety memory foam squares, name escapes me, and that was far too much under the saddle too.

If a pad doesn't have a curved enough profile, as ybcm pointed out, it will wrinkle in the middle if you try and put it over a high wither and yes, the front could be deeper. I've see horses love them, many where it makes no difference, and the odd horse dislike them. They can sometimes change the fit, often won't as they're not too thick (though don't get me started on those that want remedial pads to lift the front of a saddle then say it can't be too thick....).

 

[Scarlett]

I don't feel that they offer much benefit beyond sheepskin, for most horses. There will always be exceptions and on paper it's more shock absorbing than sheepskin. I would not put it against the skin, nor would I use effectively two half pads together. I had one customer using one with those new thick velvety memory foam squares, name escapes me, and that was far too much under the saddle too.

If a pad doesn't have a curved enough profile, as ybcm pointed out, it will wrinkle in the middle if you try and put it over a high wither and yes, the front could be deeper. I've see horses love them, many where it makes no difference, and the odd horse dislike them. They can sometimes change the fit, often won't as they're not too thick (though don't get me started on those that want remedial pads to lift the front of a saddle then say it can't be too thick....).

Thanks very much for taking the time to respond in such detail.
He's TB and has a high wither, and at 22 he doesn't have as much muscle as he used to. We've used a Le Mieux Prosorb half pad with shims for the last few years, and reading what you say I will leave things as they are! He gets regular physio and she is happy with his back and how the saddle is fitted - I will leave well alone!