# memory foam saddle pad query.



## kiwigirl (Sep 30, 2009)

Does anyone have any experience with memory foam saddle pads. I've been looking on the net and have found mixed reviews. Unfortunately one of my pet pigs broke into the shed where my tack was and used my saddle pads as a mattress and shredded them (completely!!!) in the process. So I am now looking for a replacement and was wondering what memory foam is all about.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I have never used them on a horse, but I have flet them, etc in shops. My impression is that they compress completely, thus not doing much good. JMHO. 
I LOVE good old wool felt.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Hot, very hot. Wool or wool felt is your best bet because of it's hygroscopic properties (ability to wick moisture away)


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Do you mean memory foam, like inside the Classic Equine ESP pads? Love 'em. They compress to the right degree but spring right back, and they're sheathed in natural wool fiber, which is always best.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

My friend used the Classic Equine ESP pads and had them compress permanently. They just had a squished outline of the saddle in the pads after a while. :-(

I like the Impact Gels pads, and my friend likes the 5-star pads. I have also had good luck with the Diamond Wool pads and they are cheaper than the others.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

There were 2 pads that I tried. One, that I bought, a Cavalo Memory Foam Pad, and the 2nd was one that belongs to a friend out at the barn, a Fleeceworks. I am glad I tried it before I spent the money on it, because I was not impressed at all.

I find they work just like the Gel Pads.....where you put pressure down on an area, and the material moves away from the pressure, allowing pressure points. 

The Fleeceworks, was super thick, and when I pressed down on it with my fingers, it didn't compress very much...it was a stiffish material. I thought "Hey, I like this!" but when I used it, it didn't hold it's consistancy at all when the memory foam heated up during use, it compressed and got thinner. When I was finished with my ride, and I removed the pad, you could see the pressure points that my saddle caused.

When the pad cooled off, it went back to its origional thickness and hardened up.

So, I don't think it works. If I were to spend the money, I'd look for a pad that dispurses that pressure, instead of running away from it. Like Thinline.

I got the same results from the Cavalo Pad - I got rid of that pad, that pad is garbage as far as I am concerned. That pad ended up compressing permenantly.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

I do also love Supracor, use that one mostly for english. My only complaint with the Supracor is that I felt the wool on the cover was sort of flimsy for the price. Stick to 5-star for western.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I was a kid when I got my first lesson on using wool felt for saddle pads. Where it needed to be thinner it would do so during a ride as the horse sweated. The pad then belonged to that horse and it's saddle. They were never switched.


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

I sort of like the memory foam because it moulds itself both to the saddle and the horse's back... I think of it like it's equalizing the amount of pressure in different areas by filling in hollow spots and giving way to pressure points.

My pad has sheepskin, open cell memory foam type stuff... and a material that very closely resembles thinline. I feel like all of my bases are pretty much covered. The fleece allows for enough insulation and ventilation that my horses are rarely any more sweaty underneath than they were in areas not covered by tack. The memory foam moulds to the shape that it needs to be to equalize between both horse and saddle, and the thinline type stuff both prevents the saddle from slipping and helps spread out the pressure created by major points.


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## somoni (Mar 16, 2011)

i once heard about MEMOFORM of dt saddlery. Browsed its retail site before, it seems special.


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## kiwigirl (Sep 30, 2009)

Thanks for all your info. It reads pretty much like it does on the searches I have done. It can be ok if you get the right brand but at the end of the day it is hard to beat good quality wool and felt. I think I will stick to the natural fibres. Thanks to all who responded.


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## CJ82Sky (Dec 19, 2008)

i have a memory foam pad (idk what brand) that i've had for years and it's a higher density foam than the basic tempurpedic type. i use it on my horses when they measure a med wide gullet through the shoulder but they have that concavity on either side of the withers due to lack of muscle. i use as an interim pad in that situation so that the memory foam will compress completely where it is not needed - along the back for example, but will take up the space on either side of the withers to prevent pressure points. i've had great success with mine, but i don't even know the brand! sorry! i do not like for an every day pad as i prefer to be as simple as possible with a properly fitting saddle.


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