IMPACT: Protect your horse's back!

Watch our latest video! We take a comprehensive look at the issue, exploring the causes and ways to prevent impact.


Some riders think that piling up layers or using thick saddle pads will protect their horses back from impact. Wrong!
When our clients come to us with issues, as textile engineers, we start by trying to find the root cause of the problem. Then, we find solutions that address the cause instead of “patching it up”. The marketplace is filled with all kinds of bad ideas so you will save yourself some money by taking ECOGOLD’s “prevent and reduce” approach!

How to achieve a perfect fit

We travel from horse show to horse show and see poor-fitting saddle pads all the time. Not enough by itself, some misguided riders often combine a too-short saddle pad with a thick halfpad, creating even more pressure points.

Here is our latest video, showing how to choose a saddle pad that fits your saddle and horse. Some of the recommendations are basic common-sense and should be obvious, but in practice many riders show with pads that don't fit. It's essential to have a perfectly-fitted pad to avoid pressure points.


So, to recap:

1. Buy a saddle pad that fits your saddle.Ideally, bring your saddle along when you go buy a saddle pad. When you put the saddle on top, you should have about 1.5-2 inches all around your saddle.
2. Remember: cotton shrinks!If you use a cotton pad, make sure to buy it a little too big (2 inches rather than 1.5”) to account for shrinkage. High-tech saddle pads like ECOGOLD's do not contain cotton or poly-cotton so they don't shrink.
3. Careful: forward flaps!Check for a forward-shaped saddle pad if you have that type of saddle.

4. High-withered shape? Get a high-withered pad! Sometimes, riders with high-withered horses get a square pad and pull it up at the front to try to make it fit. A better option is to get a saddle pad with a high-withered shape.

Make sure you can put your hand under the saddle and feel free space at the withers.

WitherCare Dressage pad

Here's a video showing our lastest saddle pad. The WitherCare™ pad is very useful for riders that ride more than one horse with the same saddle. A custom-made saddle is not always an option and the WitherCare™ helps balance and fit the saddle to any horse.