Professional Padding
January 19, 2009
Keep your horse comfortable on long rides with the right saddle pad.
Professional's Choice SMx Air Ride saddle pad
By Kristin Syverson, with information from AQHA Corporate Partner Professional’s Choice.
The next time you saddle up to ride, don’t underestimate the importance of your western or English saddle pad. It can significantly influence your horse’s comfort and performance.
Your saddle pad:
- Contributes to saddle fit; the wrong pad can make even the right saddle painful.
- Impacts the pressure on your horse’s back; a pad can minimize or maximize the pressure points.
- Affects the evaporation of sweat. Heat and moisture buildup can lead to sores as well as equipment damage.
Learn more about how the equipment you use affects your horse and your ride. Get your copy of AQHA’s “Tack Talk” DVD now!
In 2006, Kansas State University researchers completed a yearlong study that evaluated the effectiveness of this basic piece of equipment. Six popular western saddle pads were tested and rated in a variety of categories including compression resistance, pressure distribution and wicking ability.
Wear and Tear
To gauge how the pads’ effectiveness would stand up to good, old-fashioned hard work, the pads were tested new, then were used for several months and rated once again in the original categories. The distribution of pressure and the average high peak pressure levels were measured using a high-tech sensing system. Dead weight testing and heat and moisture evaporation tests were also conducted on the saddle pads.
Saddle pads with high peak pressures can be potentially harmful to the horse, and those with poor wicking capabilities can lead to overheating.
Professional Performers
In this case, saddle pads from Professional’s Choice performed particularly well, with the company’s SMx Air Ride and Wrangler SMx Air Ride pads earning high marks. The KSU study found that the SMx Air Ride, pad “displayed superior performance” because it exerted the least amount of pressure on the horses’ backs and had superior wicking abilities both before and after extended use.
Additionally, “the Wrangler SMx Air Ride pad exhibited the best performance in peak pressure elimination and pressure distribution after use. The SMx Air Ride maintained the highest wicking rate of all pads.”
AQHA’s “Tack Talk” DVD is the perfect addition to any horseman’s library. AQHA members get a discount!
Exclusive AQHA Discounts on Featherlite Trailers
As an AQHA member, you can receive exclusive discounts off a new Featherlite trailer! Visit www.fthr.com/AQHArewards to download and print an AQHA member discount coupon for savings up to $1,000 on Featherlite trailers. Plus, during the Featherlite New Year’s Sale-A-Bration, instant rebates up to $2,750 are available in addition to your special AQHA discount. Plus find other great deals! Visit your participating Featherlite dealer today, or see Featherlite’s Web site at www.fthr.com/aqhapartner. Hurry! The Sale-A-Bration program ends January 31, 2009. Some exclusions apply. See dealer for details.
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May 31st, 2010 at 9:39 am
[...] sure you learn how to properly fit your saddle, pads, bridle and bit to your horse. Also, if you want to ride well, your saddles have to fit [...]