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RE: [RC] saddle pads? - Linda CowlesMy favorite pad is 5 STAR EQUINE's wool felt pad. I sell many others, but for competitive riders? I love this pad! I'm sold by their simplicity... they are made of very soft pure wool fibers. The softness gives the fibers a great deal of "motility" - an ability to move away from a pressure point into areas where there is less pressure to equalize pressure. On top of that, wool fibers distribute pressure outwardly, increasing the area accepting pressure. I "pinch-test" all of the pads that come through here (I often have as many as 50 different pads because my business is recycled tack) and the closed cell foam pads - like gel pads - actually AMPLIFY pressure points! They are still a good deal of a saddle fits well and you need shock absorption. I like Skito too, but I'm sold on this wool felt! My "Skito test" was to lay my old skito and my 7/8" 5 star on large sized gravel - 1/2" size - and put a bare foot on each and transferred my weight back and forth... I like the wool felt! Now the Skito was OLD! Age may make a difference... 5 Star pads are shaped to fit a horses or mules back . They are 2 separate pieces of wool felt joined by soft leather spine and finished off with a soft leather girth/stirrup protector at the bottom. 5 Star guarantees these pads for life. I like it when people have that much faith in their product! Most people retail the 5 Star for $150 or so, but I sell them for $110 plus the drop ship fee; I feel they need to get out there under saddles. I ordered my first ones at the beginning of the summer after a customer "insisted" - sold me on them - and kept in close contact with the people I sold the first ones to. All very heavy riders. Theses early customers are all **really** impressed with the pad, and they are folks who ride long hours in tough terrain. 5 Star has a special "Mule" pad that reportedly helps fit a QH Bars saddle to a mules back... I have two mule owners - again, heavy weight trail riders - who swear by them. I need to check them out before I understand why they work so well. http://www.5starequineproducts.com/ The company is willing to cut the pads to order, so they can be fit to suit special needs - like a Sportsaddle pad, and potentially a Wintec pad. Linda Linda
Cowles Horse 'N Hound New, Used & Consigned Tack & Stable Supplies 9155 N. State Street #13 Redwood Valley CA 95470 phone 707-485-0347 fax 707-485-0453 Kadence@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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