EquiPedic Saddle Pad

NASA Technology to keep your horse more comfortable on the trail and off.

The EquiPedic saddle pad uses the same type of open cell polyurethane foam that astronauts use to face the enormous G-forces that they encounter during blast off. This foam is also similar in nature to the Tempur-Pedic, or memory foam, found in high end mattresses.

 

 The first test of this saddle pad was a clincher for us. A 20 mile one day ride into and back out of the Alpine Lake Wilderness Area in Washington’s central Cascade mountain range.

 

After 10 hours in the saddle the horse wasn’t sore to palpation of his back, sweat patterns on his back were even and consistent. The next day he showed no signs of discomfort.

 

After 3 months of hard use the horse still shows no symptoms of back pain and no white spots indicative of pressure points. The pad itself is an English version and is matched to a Syd Hill Australian saddle.

The manufacturer claims that the pad:

• lowers the body surface temperature of your horse
• increases the transcutaneous oxygen levels of your horse's back
• increases energy levels

We haven’t done any quantifiable testing to prove or disprove these claims; we simply know that the EquiPedic saddle pad works well for our horses. They are as eager and willing on the second and later days of a long trip as they are on the first.

The Equipedic Pad does have one annoying tendency however. When the pad gets cold the inner miracle foam gets hard, really hard. Unless the pad is stored in a heated area plan on spending a few extra minutes during tacking to give the foam time to soften and conform to the horse.

 

These pads can be purchased from Down Under Saddle Supply - We've found Down Under to be great to work with and highly recommend them.