When I do saddle fittings for people, I always check out the
pads too. I’ve seen a few Supracors where the material has broken down, but all in
pads older than a year.The broken
down areas also corresponded to areas in which the saddle did not fit the
horse, so you might really want to check out your saddle fit before replacing
the pad.
There are some things I really like about Supracor, but I do have concerns where there is an area of
high pressure, especially if it is constant. The pad is meant to have air flow through
the cells and if they are squished down somewhat permanently, not only have you
removed the air flow, but also the cushion, and you
are left with unbreathable plastic next to your
horse. The results can be heat
scald.
It is important that a saddle fit reasonable well, including
factoring the motion of the horse, regardless of pad.The most typical issue I see is really
high pressure when the shoulder comes back into a tree that has no flare.Since it is an intermittent pressure,
you don’t end up with white hairs to make it obvious to the rider.The horse may just shorten its stride
which creates a whole other set of issues that ultimately can make the saddle
fit even worse.
