The outer pad material is microfiber on top, which grips to the saddle and prevents slipping. The bottom is a soft medical grade fleece for a delicate touch to the horse.
- Description
- Product Reviews
- FAQs
The English SQUISH Pad is a next-generation saddle pad that uses science to improve horse & rider comfort.
To sum it up in one sentence, it's one of those pieces of tack you have to try to understand how profound of a difference it makes. The soft feeling is so distinct, you will notice the ride improvement in the first minute.
The ✨WOW✨ comes from the dampening squish foam and soft felt padding used to make the inner panels. Think of it like a "squish sandwich", where a soft layer of felt is held between two pieces of squishy foam. We arrived at this material composition by testing many viable materials with a BodiTrak pressure sensing mat, ultimately settling on this material make-up because it produces the lowest peak and average pressure readings compared to every other saddle pad we tested.
OK... that sounds neat, but how does it actually work?
Pressure Distribution
When you place a saddle on the squishy panels, it sinks into the pad deeper at the highest pressure points. This characteristic of the squish panels works to fill in the gaps under the saddle to even out the pressure. In addition to the gel foam, the inner felt panels act as a diffuser to further even out saddle pressure.
Impact Absorption
This might sound a little crazy, but the "impact" to a horse's back while riding is actually quite low... we know this because we measured it. Many brands attempt to solve impact absorption with dense impact foams and plastics, but they are solving the wrong problem. This is because the PSI exerted over a horse's back is typically only in the 2-4 PSI range (which is low). For perspective, an adult will exert over 10 PSI on the ground while walking.
The data shows that the way to make a horse comfortable and protect against soreness is to dampen all the small movements under the saddle, similar to the shocks in your car that soak up all the imperfections in the road to make a smooth ride.
This is what the squish panels do. They dampen the movements to make for a more comfortable ride for horse and rider. This softening is very obvious for horses or riders with sensitive backs.
For a deeper dive on this checkout the YouTube video HERE.
Spine & Wither Protection
Every saddle fitter will agree that there should not be any pressure on a horse's spine or withers. The SQUISH Pad has two features that make sure your horse is safe.
First, the entire spine channel is elevated and open to keep the spine completely free and ventilated (pictured at the top of this description).
Second, the front of the pad is built with an adjustable wither system that enables it to be setup in three configurations: low wither, high wither and wither freedom. This ensures the pad contours perfectly to your horse's unique topline.
Dial in the Fit
The SQUISH Pad is compatible with shims, to allow for a more precise saddle fit - even if your saddle isn't fit perfectly to your horse. The shim kit is sold separately (scroll to the bottom of this page to add it to your cart).
If you don't feel the difference is worth it, you're welcome to return used it for a full refund within 90 days :)
More Important Info
- The pad compresses to approximately 3/8" thick while under saddle, keeping the thickness similar to a traditional sheepskin pad.
- Included: both wither pieces to switch between a low and high wither setup.
- Compatible with our fitting shim kit. Sold separately (just scroll to the bottom of the page to add the shims to your cart).
FAQs
What is the pad made of?
Does it add bulk under my saddle?
The squish material in the pad compresses by approx. 70% when in use. Even though it looks thick, it adds the same thickness as a traditional sheepskin pad.
Is it machine washable?
Yes. Just remove the inner squish panels and the outer pad shell can be thrown in the washing machine.
What's the difference between the jump and dressage styles?
The jump style has a more forward cut at the front to match the forward flap of a jump saddle, while the dressage style is straight at the front to match a straight dressage flap.
Is it shimmable?
Yes. Scroll down on this page to purchase compatible shims.
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In a Nutshell
SQUISH FOAM
Squish foam impact dampening panels deliver a soft contact over the horse's back.
FREE SPINE CHANNEL
Protect your horse's spine with a completely open and free spine channel.
CUSTOM WITHER FIT
Swap between low wither, high wither and wither freedom topline choices.
SHIMMABLE
Dial in your fit (even if the saddle is not perfect).
FAQs
What is the pad made of?
The outer pad material is microfiber on top, which grips to the saddle and prevents slipping. The bottom is a soft medical grade fleece for a delicate touch to the horse.
Does it add bulk under my saddle?
The squish material in the pad compresses by approx. 70% when in use. Even though it looks thick, it adds the same thickness as a traditional sheepskin pad.
Is it machine washable?
Yes. Just remove the inner squish panels and the outer pad shell can be thrown in the washing machine.
What's the difference between the jump and dressage styles?
The jump style has a more forward cut at the front to match the forward flap of a jump saddle, while the dressage style is straight at the front to match a straight dressage flap.
Is it shimmable?
Yes. Scroll down on this page to purchase compatible shims.
Relentless Testing
We've extensively tested the SQUISH Pad with BodiTrak pressure mapping technology, and it has outperformed every pad we tested it against. It produces lower peak pressure, average pressure and force numbers than basic felt pads, impact-foam insert pads and plastic insert pads.
Pressure Test Video
Pressure Test Takeaways
We've run many tests like this over the years of developing the SQUISH Pad.
In this particular test, the SQUISH Pad out performed a no pad setup with 28% lower average pressure. It outperformed a wool fleece pad with 21% lower average pressure.
Additionally, the SQUISH Pad yielded 18% lower peak pressure readings compared to the no pad setup.