In a new study, gel-filled half-pads increased pressure at the withers, potentially causing discomfort and interfering with horses’ movement. Meanwhile, new wool and medical-grade foam half-pads appeared somewhat helpful, reducing pressure under the rider’s seat during sitting trot and canter—at least under the saddles used in the study, said Russell MacKechnie-Guire, PhD, of Centaur Biomechanics and The Royal Veterinary College, in Hatfield, U.K.

The findings suggest not all half-pads are helpful—although some can be—and that it’s critical riders discuss half-pad options with their saddle fitters to make the right choice for their horse and saddle, MacKechnie-Guire said.

Depending on the material they’re made of, “half-pads may help act to dampen forces on a horse’s back, which could improve the horse’s comfort level, in particular if the rider gets out of phase with the horse’s movements,” he said. “But first, you have to check with a qualified saddle fitter to be sure there’s room for that half-pad underneath the saddle. Otherwise, you’re potentially going to increase pressure at the base of the withers, which can have a significant effect on the horse’s locomotion.”

Testing Half-Pad-Related Pressures in Real-World Settings

MacKechnie-Guire partnered with qualified saddle fitter Mark Fisher of Woolcroft Equine Services in Cambridgeshire and bioengineer Thilo Pfau, PhD, at The Royal Veterinary College (RVC), in Hatfield, to investigate what happens to the forces on dressage horses’ backs upon adding different kinds of half-pads under already-fitting saddles. They recruited 12 sound horses and their riders, all of whom were competing at advanced levels in British dressage. The horses were between the ages of 9 and 13, and professional, qualified saddle fitters had fitted their saddles within the previous month.

The team had five additional qualified saddle fitters recheck the saddle fit and immediately equipped each horse with a pressure mat under a basic cotton, high-withered saddle pad. They measured forces as the rider worked the horse in both directions at a sitting trot and a canter, with just the cotton pad and then a combination of the pad and a half-pad. The scientists tested each horse with three kinds of half-pad: a single-piece gel half-pad, a two-part medical foam (non-deforming) half-pad with a webbed seam at the spine, and a two-part wool half-pad also with a webbed seam at the spine. All the half-pads were new.

They found that at the sitting trot and the canter, the gel pad significantly increased pressures under the twist—the narrowest part of the saddle that rises over the withers. By contrast, the wool and foam pads caused no additional pressure at the withers, and they significantly reduced pressures under the saddle’s seat region during these same gaits.

“The material you’re using under the saddle should really be considered,” MacKechnie-Guire said.

MacKechnie-Guire: Don’t Slip Half-Pads on Without Professional Saddle-Fitting Advice

While these findings could encourage the use of wool and foam half-pads, keep in mind that these were the results of pads placed under only 12 saddles. Other saddles fit differently, and each horse is different, said MacKechnie-Guire. As such, getting the right saddle fit requires taking the half-pad into consideration, as well.

“People often choose half-pads because someone they know uses one and says, ‘Oh you should try this because it really helps!’” he said. “But what we want to see happening is the rider saying to the saddle fitter, ‘I’m thinking of getting a half-pad, and I’d like to know if it would be okay to use this one under my existing saddle.’”

Saddles with a narrow twist carry a greater risk because they have less room for extra material underneath, he added. “Some riders prefer a narrow twist because that makes them closer to the horse” he said. “But then if you put the half-pad underneath, that might create high pressures because there isn’t enough room.”

The main benefit of a (nondeforming) foam pad is that the pressure-reducing components do not deteriorate over time, said MacKechnie-Guire. By contrast, wool pads can age, which might affect saddle forces. Future studies should help understand how pressures change with aging half-pads, he said.

“Half-pads can really be a good thing for buffering rider forces,” MacKechnie-Guire said. “The big challenge we have is that we must encourage people to discuss it with their saddle fitter, because some people might just think, ‘Oh, well, I’ll just put a thin layer of foam under the pad.’ But if that saddle can’t accommodate it, then we could cause discomfort.”

The study “Effect of a Half Pad on Pressure Distribution in Sitting Trot and Canter Beneath a Saddle Fitted to Industry Guidelines” is available in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Volume 96, 2021.