Gel pad, foam, or saddle blanket — the quest for the “perfect” saddle pad
Whether you’re schooling, trail riding, conditioning for endurance, or even rehabbing a horse, the search for the perfect saddle pad is almost as confusing and mysterious as the search for the perfect saddle.
Many riders have a pad they “swear by.” Others try various models to find the one that finally helps solve the horse’s back soreness or seems to provide just the right amount of cushioning.
When searching for the perfect saddle pad, it’s important to ask the right question:
What does the pad do for my horse and me?
Here are the criteria, in order of importance:
- Minimizes friction (!!!)
- Doesn’t trap heat
- Wicks sweat away from the horse’s skin
- Adds to the rider’s comfort
- Protects the horse’s back from pressure
In a survey of a variety of riders, most answered the question “What do you want your saddle pad to do for your horse?” with “protect the horse’s back from pressure.”
Is this really the first priority?
What is putting pressure on in the first place?
At the Midwest Horse Fair, held in Madison every year, I have lots of fun putting my hand under a gel saddle pad and getting hit with a hammer. I enjoy this.
Not because I’m an undercover masochist, but because it’s fun: I hammer, and it doesn’t hurt. Merchants frequently use this technique to sell potential customers on the benefits of their gel pad.
If hammering my hand under a gel pad doesn’t hurt, then surely we don’t hurt the horse when we hammer on his back with hard instruments (seat bones?) and plenty of force (jump from a tree?). You see, I am a bit skeptical about the ‘hammering logic.’
But is 'hammering' really what happens when rider meets horse — the horizontal equine spine and the vertical human one, meeting through an interface we call a saddle?
Unless you are an incredibly tough-boned, unbalanced rider, the answer is no.
The real problem — and a look at physics
Leaving the subject of ill-fitting saddles aside — let's examine what actually causes back soreness from the unavoidable forces that work together while riding.
For this, let’s take a quick look at horse/rider biomechanics in the walk:
- The horse, a quadruped, has a four-beat walk during which he naturally swings his rump from side to side.
- Humans are bipeds, and we handle the horse’s walk quite nicely — as long as we don’t push from back to front with both seat bones at once. That fights the horse’s movement and undoes any effort to keep his back sound.
- However, following the horse’s movement in a relaxed way, meaning alternating the forward movement of the right and left sides in a relaxed manner, ensures you’re not working against your horse.
- Even under those most favorable circumstances, there are still two bodies at work, trying to harmonize in the same movement. The rider transfers her movement to the horse and vice versa.
The result — in other words, what happens between the saddle and the horse’s back — is FRICTION.
What actually is friction? What does it do to the horse’s back?
You all know the experiment where you rub both hands together until they feel really hot. If you keep doing it, you’ll get a blister.
If you take a folded handkerchief between both hands and try it again, you won’t get a blister, because there’s less FRICTION on your skin. The more layers, the less friction on your hands.
Also: the greater the pressure, the greater the friction force (here’s a case for losing those 10 lbs.!).
A little science:
“The force of friction is directly proportional to the applied load.” (Amontons’ 1st Law)
“When contacting surfaces move relative to each other, the friction between the two surfaces converts kinetic energy into thermal energy, or heat.”
“The force of friction is opposite to the direction of motion.”
(That’s taken straight from Wikipedia — I invite anyone with more scientific knowledge to explain it a bit better.)
If your horse’s back is subjected to too much friction, the results can be:
- Muscular soreness and ‘heat bumps’ or welts
- Damaged or inflamed hair follicles (white spots)
- Calluses and hair loss
Now, what does all this have to do with saddle blankets, foam, or rubber gel pads?
Simply said: I have nothing against gel pads that can turn the impact of a hammer descending at 40 miles per hour into a soft caress, but — in my humble opinion — it doesn’t do enough for the horse’s back. My horse’s back will still be subjected to quite a bit of friction, not to mention that synthetic materials tend to heat up.
So, what do you want in a saddle pad?
You might say…
- I want a pad or blanket that minimizes friction (and thus stress on the horse’s skin and tissues, as well as heat)
- I want a pad that doesn’t trap heat
- I want a pad that wicks moisture away from the horse’s skin
- I want a pad that improves my and my horse’s comfort
- I want a washable pad that keeps its shape and function and is easy to care for
This sounds like a sales job for a new, exciting product. Instead, I’d like to get you enthused about a proven, natural, and pretty exciting one:
The wool felt saddle pad.
Wool felt combines all these desirable qualities. It’s durable and sustainable, easy to care for, and easily paired with a thin top pad for show-ready good looks.
The US and European cavalry forces rode on folded wool felt blankets for a reason: more layers between saddle and horse meant less friction, less heat, and a sound back at the end of a long day in the field. Even a single layer of well-made, woven wool felt does the same work — cutting friction and guarding against heat and pressure.
That same logic is why wool felt sits at the heart of the Contoured HorseHaus Signature Saddle Pad by EQuest1889, Germany.
It’s contoured to follow the saddle's shape, maximizing air flow to the horse's body — minimizing friction, breathing instead of trapping heat, and wicking moisture away from the skin. The felt is woven, so it holds its shape wash after wash and resists pilling. All this adds up to a convincing case of superior functionality (and German engineering).
No hammer demonstration required.
A good pad won’t rescue a saddle that doesn’t fit — but paired with a saddle that does fit, wool felt is the most honest surface I know to put between your horse’s back and yours.
The pad is available as a dressage or multi-purpose pad and comes with Velcro billet fasteners and a rub-resistant protective material in the girth area.
Get your HorseHaus™ wool felt Signature pad here — it ships with a pad-cleaning brush and care instructions.
Note: While this pad will adhere to most back shapes, it is not advised for horses with extremely high withers.
About the Author
Stefanie Reinhold is the founder of HorseHaus and a certified Passier® saddle fitter, certified Herm Sprenger® bit fitter, Masterson Method® practitioner, and clinician. She is the co-author and translator of multiple equestrian books. She conducts in-person and virtual saddle fittings across the United States.
HorseHaus — For horses. From horse people.
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