I'm comparing the Gator pads and the theraputic waffle pad from Mini Express. They seem similar but there is a big price difference. Gator pads are $30 and The waffle is only $10. Does anyone have both of these, that could tell me if the $30 one is a lot better? How about the Smucker's theraputic saddle pad? I already ordered one of these, but now I'm wondering if I should have gotten one of these other ones. Also, I need a breast collar pad. Smuckers doesn't make one small enough, so I'm trying to choose between the Gator and the Mini Express waffle.
Harness pad question
- Thread starter MPR
- Start date
Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:
hobbyhorse23
Well-Known Member
I reeeeally need to get that product review page up on my website!
:
Yes, I have ALL of the above mentioned pads and a few more besides.
: First of all, which of the "Gator pads" are you talking about? "Gator" or "waffle" is a generic name for a style of pad and a whole lot of manufacturers carry different versions of them. I bought the Smucker's pads (both breast and saddle) last year and while I really liked the cushion and material, they were HUGE. :no: I never even used the breastcollar pad because it absolutely buried my horse's entire chest. The saddle pad was very out of scale in width but that was only an issue aesthetically and it was otherwise quite nice. Kody enjoyed it and it was easy to keep clean.
Over the winter I bought the Mini Express "theraputic pads" to see what they were like. They are perfectly scaled for mini equipment and look GREAT, just like the big horse waffle pads you see in ADS competition. My only complaint was that they are not a light foam, maybe more of a thicker closed-cell foam of some kind? More squishy but consequently more heavy as well. This means on my single-strap breastcollar it tends to pull down across the chest from the weight in front of the neckstrap and there is usually a pretty firm impression left in his fur from the saddle. This does not seem to bother him though and it sure does look great.
I've gotten to play with the Gator pads from Camptown Harness and they are less for adding cushioning than for keeping your harness clean I think, sort of like a dressage saddle pad. Very thin and I don't think there's much real benefit to them except to keep the sweat off your leather. I do really like their Pillow Pads though, they are very low-profile but squishy and soft and seem to provide nice cushion without a lot of bulk as well as coming in attractive colors. You can custom order the size on these to exactly fit your harness for no extra charge so you know they'll fit.
For my personal pads I'm sticking with the Pillow pads for use with my new Camptown synthetic harness (which is already well-padded on its own and only needs a little more for extra insurance) and probably the Mini Express theraputic pad for my thinner leather show saddle. My breastcollar really doesn't need padding as I use the Freedom Collar for everything but breed shows where he's only hauling a light show cart and can get away without padding.
Leia
Yes, I have ALL of the above mentioned pads and a few more besides.
Over the winter I bought the Mini Express "theraputic pads" to see what they were like. They are perfectly scaled for mini equipment and look GREAT, just like the big horse waffle pads you see in ADS competition. My only complaint was that they are not a light foam, maybe more of a thicker closed-cell foam of some kind? More squishy but consequently more heavy as well. This means on my single-strap breastcollar it tends to pull down across the chest from the weight in front of the neckstrap and there is usually a pretty firm impression left in his fur from the saddle. This does not seem to bother him though and it sure does look great.
I've gotten to play with the Gator pads from Camptown Harness and they are less for adding cushioning than for keeping your harness clean I think, sort of like a dressage saddle pad. Very thin and I don't think there's much real benefit to them except to keep the sweat off your leather. I do really like their Pillow Pads though, they are very low-profile but squishy and soft and seem to provide nice cushion without a lot of bulk as well as coming in attractive colors. You can custom order the size on these to exactly fit your harness for no extra charge so you know they'll fit.
For my personal pads I'm sticking with the Pillow pads for use with my new Camptown synthetic harness (which is already well-padded on its own and only needs a little more for extra insurance) and probably the Mini Express theraputic pad for my thinner leather show saddle. My breastcollar really doesn't need padding as I use the Freedom Collar for everything but breed shows where he's only hauling a light show cart and can get away without padding.
Leia
Last edited by a moderator:
Leia is truely the conessouir of harness pads - but I will tell you my experience with the thick extra cushioned ones. They seemed great in theory (they came with my harness) but I just did not like them. The weight pulled the breast collar down and the thickness of the saddle one made it fit weird. I probably need to order the Pillow pads, but for right now I am using a thinner pad for the saddle and no pad for the breast collar. Everything fits better, and stays in place better and my mini has been going this way for about 6 weeks - no soreness or tenderness that I can detect..
drivin*me*buggy
Well-Known Member
:saludando: I use a fleece pad for my breast collar & love it.
Ash :lol:
hobbyhorse23
Well-Known Member
Yes, the fleece pads are lighter. I wish I could find a saddle pad that was exactly like the standard fleece pads but covered with an easy-clean material, that would be perfect. The ME theraputic pads are the closest I've found to that and their only difference is the weight.
I don't particularly like the fleece pads for the chest because they are usually too wide to be comfortable under the horse's windpipe and since the horse actually sweats down there they get nasty fast. The padding level is great though.
Leia
I don't particularly like the fleece pads for the chest because they are usually too wide to be comfortable under the horse's windpipe and since the horse actually sweats down there they get nasty fast. The padding level is great though.
Leia
Mnmini
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2003
- Messages
- 120
- Reaction score
- 0
I reeeeally need to get that product review page up on my website!:
I've gotten to play with the Gator pads from Camptown Harness and they are less for adding cushioning than for keeping your harness clean I think, sort of like a dressage saddle pad. Very thin and I don't think there's much real benefit to them except to keep the sweat off your leather.
Leia
I have the Gator pads from Camptown Harness, both backpad, and v-shaped breastcollar. The manufacturer states that the Gator pads are to distribute the weight of the carriage, and I do believe they actually fulfill that purpose. While "thin" they are indeed padded, just not foam, which is what many mini drivers are used to. These pads are more like the high performance closed cell construction seen on high end under pads for riding. For weight distribution, you don't want "squish," you need firm.
That said, while I find the back pad beneficial, I probably wouldn't order a replacement for the breast collar, should something happen to it (these pads wear like iron, I can't imagine wearing them out). I just hadn't realized how comfortable my breast collar from Iowavalley carriage was going to be au natural, and had ordered these pads before receiving my harness. The Gator pads, at least for a mini breast collar, are a little heavier than I would like, and a smidge wider than I would like. Would be ideal if they were trimmed down to follow the contour of the breast collar a bit more, which would undoubtedly lighten them up to boot. I continue to use both pads in daily schooling, and will use them for marathon, but not for dressage/cones.
What I have noticed happens with some of the foam pads (I also have some of the foam fleece variety), is that the saddle sometimes will "tip" and ultimately have all the weight bearing down along the rear most edge of the saddle, rather than having the whole surface of the saddle making contact. While I have a wider saddle than the typical leather show harness on my synthetic harness, and it sat where it should before padding, I don't encounter the situation of the pad "giving" and allowing the saddle to tip either with the Camptown backpad.
If you were purchasing both a backpad, and a breast collar pad, and wanted weight distribution assistance, in addition to padding, go with the Camptown Gator pad for the back. Most of us driving minis probably don't need the weight distribution properties on the breast collar though, and could probably go with a similar squishy waffle pad/pillow pad for the breast collar, if necessary. That's just my two cents.
hobbyhorse23
Well-Known Member
Yes, I think weight distribution is more of an issue on the saddle for minis. I'd been thinking it was the main thing on the breastcollar too but the more I think about it the more I agree with you semantically. On the saddle it's an issue of distributing the weight over a wide area in a comfortable manner, padding the shape of the saddle is only secondary and only if it isn't appropriately built in the first place. The main reason to pad breastcollars is because they are often too narrow and the edges cut into the horse's skin as they pull so you are trying to increase comfort by blunting those edges and distributing the pressure over wider area.
Or at least that's why I do it! LOL.
That's why I like a pad with a comfort factor to it, a little bit of surface give or "squish" although the pad itself be firm. I know backpack straps are much more comfortable when heavily loaded if the material they are wrapped with is soft as well as having good cushioning material inside the strap.
: I'm not thinking "soft foam" versus "closed cell foam," more "neoprene vs. cordura" type of squishy. Does that make any sense?
Leia
Or at least that's why I do it! LOL.
That's why I like a pad with a comfort factor to it, a little bit of surface give or "squish" although the pad itself be firm. I know backpack straps are much more comfortable when heavily loaded if the material they are wrapped with is soft as well as having good cushioning material inside the strap.
Leia
Mnmini
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2003
- Messages
- 120
- Reaction score
- 0
I understand what you're saying. Most of the leather pleasure/show harnesses feature a pretty, but narrow breast collar and saddle. Not a lot of surface for weight distribution, consequently they DO cut in, the more you do off a level surface, the worse they are for comfort.
Before purchasing the new synthetic, I used my leather show harness for daily workouts. It is a very pretty harness, though not nearly as refined as a Lutke, the saddle was narrower, though well padded and shaped, and did have a tree. The breast collar was similarly refined. I used the soft pads under both the saddle and breast collar when schooling. While I didn't notice the tipping on the saddle, his back did test out tender when the acupuncture vet checked him over. You can perform the same test by running the cap of a syringe down either side of Kody's spine. If they flinch/scoot, you've located a source of some tenderness. Since going to the wider saddle, plus Camptown Gator pad, I've eliminated the back tenderness, and can see from the "impression" left after workouts, that there are no dry spots under the pad, and no hair wear.
I do understand what you're saying in regards to the squish outside of the more solid core, and the variety of configurations found in riding saddle underpads is testament to the fact that there are MANY needs, plus likes/dislikes out there. So, if the other pads that you've tested do in fact have some firm substance as a 'core' with softer outer covering, it just comes down to personal preference. I know with saddle underpads, regardless of composition, with regular wear, they compress, and need to be replaced annually. Sometimes I get two years out of them, but they become dog/cat beds after that point
Before purchasing the new synthetic, I used my leather show harness for daily workouts. It is a very pretty harness, though not nearly as refined as a Lutke, the saddle was narrower, though well padded and shaped, and did have a tree. The breast collar was similarly refined. I used the soft pads under both the saddle and breast collar when schooling. While I didn't notice the tipping on the saddle, his back did test out tender when the acupuncture vet checked him over. You can perform the same test by running the cap of a syringe down either side of Kody's spine. If they flinch/scoot, you've located a source of some tenderness. Since going to the wider saddle, plus Camptown Gator pad, I've eliminated the back tenderness, and can see from the "impression" left after workouts, that there are no dry spots under the pad, and no hair wear.
I do understand what you're saying in regards to the squish outside of the more solid core, and the variety of configurations found in riding saddle underpads is testament to the fact that there are MANY needs, plus likes/dislikes out there. So, if the other pads that you've tested do in fact have some firm substance as a 'core' with softer outer covering, it just comes down to personal preference. I know with saddle underpads, regardless of composition, with regular wear, they compress, and need to be replaced annually. Sometimes I get two years out of them, but they become dog/cat beds after that point
hobbyhorse23
Well-Known Member
Hehehe. I do the "run your fingernails down either side of their spine" test after every hard drive...he's never acted sore.
:
Leia
Leia
Similar threads
