Great rides with ECOGOLD pads: "We had fun and felt totally secure"

We just received this email from a client:

"Hello!
  

Having ridden with several non-slip pads before, my expectations of the Jumper "secure" pad were not overly high. I was very pleasantly surprised to experience otherwise!

I showed my young TB gelding at his first jumper show this weekend, which is usually more "hairy" than jumping a bigger fence with a more experienced horse! I used a combination of the Secure Jumping pad and the Memory Foam Triple Protection pad. 

Because Sensation Treeless saddles require a little more firm support padding than a traditional saddle, the combination was perfect for me. I didn't budge. I was so impressed at the stability even with the huge overjumps my athletic 17 h horse threw at me, that I told my student to borrow it for the Derby class, which incorporates Cross Country fences as well as stadium fences. 

Up and down, over all types of fences, it stayed put! She paired it with her current half pad, and rode the best ride ever on her little horse. We're not Olympians, nor are we even classed with "the big guys" at the show, jumping 3'6" +... yet! But we had fun and felt totally secure. 

Thought I'd send along a couple photos for you. I love the one of the leg/pad combo where a friend captured my horse and I sizing up the jumps during warmup. It shows my Sensation English trail (the only Canadian-made Treeless Saddle) right beside the Canadian flag on the pad.... how perfect! 

The other photo is of Mikaela riding Lacey over a spread fence.

Melissa

Thank you Melissa for your great feedback!!! :)

Badminton rider profile: meet Gwendolen Fer

Photo credit: Marianne Delleci

If you live in North America, you're probably thinking: who? But you better learn that name as you will hear it again.

This rising star is the youngest and only female rider on France's national squad short-list (top 9 riders), which means she gets to train with team coach Laurent Bousquet. Not bad for a 25-year-old who rode in her first 3* event in 2008.

Gwendolen has been competing at national championships since she was 10-years-old and has won the "Champion of France" title at every level: Pony Champion, Junior Champion and Young Rider Champion.

She finished 7th at her first 4* event on her mare Leria du Ter (2009 Pau CCI****), and in 2010, she had the best performance by a French rider at any 4* event, with her 6th place at Pau CCI****. Another Ecogold-rider, Boyd Martin finished 7th.

Best of all....she rode most of the cross-country course with a broken breast plate (see photo). Her ECOGOLD saddle pad helped secure the saddle, but still... So Gwendolen is not only a talented rider, but has nerves of steel, as the breast-plate malfunction did not make her lose her focus (there's a video, but let's watch her stadium round instead...).

2010 CCE****Pau jumping Gwendolen Fer

This will be Gwendolen's first participation at the Badminton Horse Trials and probably the first of many. In addition to 12-yr-old Leria du Ter, she has Opera, a 9-yr-old stallion competing at the 2* level, as well as two young horses.

For us, it's quite exciting to be involved in Gwendolen's career. Frankly, we never thought we'd sell our products in France, so just that part is really cool. She first came to us for our cross-country boots; as her mare is really sensitive and everything rubbed on her...not anymore! But she now rides in Ecogold Saddle Pads and Half Pads and would not have it any other way. Check out her favourite products.

For more information about Gwendolen, visit her website: http://www.gwendolenfer.com/

M&Ms Impact Test - ECOGOLD Launches Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad With a Bang!

ECOGOLD launches their Memory Foam Triple Protection™ Half Pad, with a unique technology combining 3 different materials: Memory Foam, High-Density Open Cell Foam and Low-density Open Cell Foam for complete shock absorbing protection for the horse’s back.

Always innovative and humorous in testing their products, last week ECOGOLD conducted fun and informative impact testing on their saddle pads using M&Ms candies. The result is that compared to other leading materials, the Memory Foam Triple Protection™ Half Pad and ECOGOLD’s Secure™ pad provide the most complete impact protection possible.

ECOGOLD tested their pads in comparison to commonly used half pad materials: 100% memory foam, sheepskin and shock-absorbing material, with a cotton quilted pad, as they are normally used by riders. The ECOGOLD Half Pad was tested in combination with the Secure Pad. Significantly, all of the other combinations failed the impact test, resulting in broken M&Ms candies; the ECOGOLD half pad was the only pad that prevented breakage.

See the video of the testing here:

M&Ms Impact Test - ECOGOLD's Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad with Secure Saddle Pad

“A lot of thought was put into our new half pad. Memory foam by itself would not give enough impact protection to the horse’s back, so the solution was to combine it with high-density shock-absorbing foam and a layer of low-density open-cell foam. It also had to disperse heat to keep the horse’s back as cool as possible,” said John Da Silva, textile engineer and ECOGOLD president. “We already knew that this was a great product, but we were really amazed with the results of the impact test.”

Canadian eventing team member and silver medalist at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch, who also just received a grant to compete at the 2011 Badminton CCI****, said, “I’ve been using ECOGOLD’s Half Pad in training. I like that it gives a lot of cushioning and support to the horse’s back without adding bulk under the saddle.”

ECOGOLD’s TRIPLE PROTECTION is unequalled as each level provides an essential element of protection for the horse’s back. Its ergonomic design offers superior protection to the horse’s withers and back. All of the materials are 100% breathable, hypo-allergenic and do not shrink, and the pads are machine washable, quick to dry and stain resistant.

For more information on ECOGOLD's Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad - click here or on the photo below.

Why does ECOGOLD use Memory Foam in its Horse Boots and Half Pad?

Someone posted this question on a forum:

“Can someone tell me the theory behind putting memory foam in a horse boot and how it would be helpful? I get the concept in a mattress, but not in a protective boot. Does it have particular shock absorption or breathability properties? This is an honest question, my science brain needs info! Thanks! :-)”

Here is the answer from our textile engineering team:

Memory foam has an open-cell structure that reacts to weight and temperature by 'moulding' to the body of the horse, helping relieve pressure points.

In its products, ECOGOLD uses a special 100% breathable memory foam, as normal Memory Foam can get hot and compress.

Memory Foam was originally developed by the NASA space program in 1966 to ease the pressure of G-forces on astronauts during space shuttle take offs. It never ended up being used in the space program, however memory foam did eventually find its way into medical settings where it was used to relieve bed-bound patients suffering from various pressure sores. It was also discovered that patients who slept on memory foam mattresses generally woke up better rested with less pains and aches than those who did not.

Memory foam in human products is normally always used in combination with other types of foam.  For example in a bed, you need a mattress under the memory foam or you wouldn't get the right support for your back.

Riding a horse is very different from sleeping on a mattress or sitting in a chair. The levels of impact protection, heat dissipation and moisture evaporation required are much greater in equine sports. 

Using memory foam by itself would not give enough impact protection to the horse. Our technology, always combines the memory foam with other shock-absorbing materials.

In the case of our Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad, we combine the memory foam with a high-density shock-absorbing open-cell foam and another layer of low density open-cell foam to ensure the best protection of the horse’s back.

In our horse boots, our polycarbonate shield along with the breathable Memory Foam are what ensure the protection of the horse’s legs. See our impact video:

Although memory foam feels very comfortable to a person’s touch, the “secret recipe” to the ultimate protection is obtained with a combination of materials.

Click here to view our products which contain our 100% breathable Memory Foam:

Memory Foam Triple Protection Half Pad

Ecogold Horse Boots

Stabilizer Dressage Saddle Pad

Stabilizer Jumper Saddle Pad