Review on 3D Air-Mesh Half Pad/Saddle Pad With Impact Protection And Gel Padding For Ultimate Support, Ideal For Dressage, Jumping, Riding, Training, Eventing, And Showing - Kavallerie by Todd Foster

Saddle fit is checked professionally every few months because the horse has had back surgery. In the winter I ride in a therapeutic pad that does great, but its heat reflective properties make it unsuitable for June thru September in Alabama. I bought this pad to absorb impact at the cantle AND permit air circulation during summer. This pad DOES both of these things well, but it does jack up the pommel, too, which has earned me some dirty looks from my WB gelding. Pad is about 3/4" thick and does not compress. Use of this pad requires more checking before mounting to ensure saddle is properly situated. More significantly, the pad is large and even with the girth quite tight, it is possible, with the additional height of the pommel due to the pad's thickness, for the saddle to shift. Not the pad (it is quite sticky) the saddle. None of us sits perfectly in the center all the time. Using this pad seems to accentuate my leaning tendency. I'm pleased with the quality of the pad and it does what it says, but there's tradeoffs with anything you change. Caveat Emptor, y'all.