Tack & Fit · The Very Best

Which Solo Pad Fits Your Horse?

Canvas, contoured felt, or Poron kidney — the right pad isn't the most expensive one. It's the one matched to your horse's back, your discipline, and what the research actually says about pressure.

Every rider eventually asks the same question at the tack shop: does the pad under my saddle really change anything, or is it just there to keep the leather clean?

For decades, that second answer was the assumption. The science now tells a more useful story — and it's the story behind why we build our pads the way we do.

Researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna tested this on sixteen sound horses, comparing gel, leather, foam and reindeer-fur pads under a correctly fitted saddle. Their conclusion was clear: a well-chosen pad can meaningfully reduce the load a horse's back carries — but the material doing the work matters enormously, and a poorly chosen one does nothing at all.

1. It has to spread pressure, not just add cushion. A saddle fitter's benchmark for good fit is a large, continuous contact area with force spread evenly and no concentrated hot spots. The pad's job is to help the panels do that. This is exactly what our F10 felt is engineered for — a dense fiber matrix with an 8.0 PSI compression rating and 225 PSI tensile strength that resists packing down and losing that spread over time.

2. It has to respect the spine. Saddles are built with a gullet channel — a deliberate tunnel that keeps pressure off the bony spinous processes and the ligaments running alongside them. This is where a lot of well-meaning pads go wrong.

The takeaway isn't "avoid pads." It's to choose a pad that supports the muscles on either side of the spine without loading the spine itself — and one that adds protection without over-stuffing the channel or reducing panel contact.

Canvas Work Pad

$345 · Trainer Series · Pressed wool core with fleece · Black or brown canvas

Our hardest-working everyday pad. A tough canvas top over a pressed-wool-and-fleece build, so it takes the abuse of daily schooling — ride after ride, wash after wash — without breaking down. Soft wool and fleece sit against the coat while the canvas shell shrugs off the wear that flattens cheaper pads by mid-season.

Best forThe horse in consistent work — lesson strings, colt starting, ranch and daily schooling. For the rider who wants a genuinely rugged everyday pad with a soft, breathable surface that won't pack flat.

Canvas Work Pad · $345Click here to shop this item →

Contoured Felt Saddle Pad

$425 · Performance Series · Solid F10 felt · 3/4" or 1" · 30×30 or 31×32

Our all-around competition pad, and the one most riders build their kit around. Solid F10 felt cut in a contoured shape that follows the topline instead of fighting it. That dense fiber matrix does the pressure-spreading work the research points to — distributing weight evenly and controlling friction so the saddle stays stable — while wicking heat and sweat away over long sessions. The 3/4" and 1" options let you fine-tune for even panel contact.

Best forThe performance horse in a well-fitting saddle whose rider wants dependable, even pressure distribution and lasting shape at competition level. The versatile default across most disciplines.

Contoured Felt Pad · $425Click here to shop this item →

Poron Kidney Pad — Felt Bottom

$495 · Performance Series · 1" Poron® XRD kidney with F10 felt bottom

Here we add a second technology on top of the felt. The kidney shape places a 1" layer of Poron® XRD where the horse needs targeted shock absorption, then finishes with an F10 felt bottom for even weight distribution. Poron XRD stays flexible in normal movement but stiffens instantly on impact — engineered to absorb up to 90% of impact energy — in a low-profile form that won't over-fill the gullet or interfere with fit. The felt bottom adds firm, structured, moisture-wicking grip that holds its shape ride after ride.

Best forThe high-impact, high-mileage horse — sharp turns, hard stops and hard training. Choose the felt bottom when you want maximum structure, grip and durability.

Poron Kidney — Felt · $495Click here to shop this item →

Poron Kidney Pad — Fleece Bottom

$495 · Performance Series · 1" Poron® XRD kidney with synthetic fleece bottom

Same 1" Poron® XRD kidney and the same up-to-90% impact absorption — finished with premium synthetic fleece instead of felt. That swap makes the contact surface plush, cushioned and softer, with breathability and moisture-wicking built in. Unlike cheaper fleece that pills, mats, or flattens, ours holds its loft through repeated washing.

Best forThe thin-skinned or sensitive horse, the one prone to rubs, and riding in conditions where a softer, more breathable surface matters — without giving up Poron XRD protection.

Poron Kidney — Fleece · $495Click here to shop this item →

All Solo pads use premium F10 felt (8.0 PSI compression · 225 PSI tensile strength). Poron® XRD absorption figures are manufacturer-tested and vary with use and testing conditions.