Anyone use Prof. Choice air-ride pad?

KMI · 2 Year Old Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 33 Location: MI

I've been thinking of getting one. Of course the ads make it sound great but I have read posts elsewhere from people who didn't like them. Also from those that love it. Some say that they are very noisy. Would like to have more opinions before I buy!

SouthCityTan · Member Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 57

For western I have an ESP close contact cut pad, 1" thick, and I love it! Another pad I hear everyone raving about is the WON pad. You can order it from www.e-saddlery.com ...Lisa owns the place and is super nice. I prefer the plain 1" thick felt pads myself, but some people like the neoprene underneath to help their horse sweat. I find those pads to be slippery but that's just one opinion Smile

Pauline · Member Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 161

I own two and going tomorrow morning to buy my third. I love them. They have cut down on the number of sore backs and cryropractic (sp?) treatment I have had to get for my horses. I figure they have paid for themselves just on saved vet bills alone. Pauline

Dawn · Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2005 1:38 pm Post subject:

I really like the Wonpad for riding multiple horses....it absorbs no sweat, cleans easily and takes a lot of abuse. I use a Yucca Flats blanket over the top of it when showing. The ESP pad is also very nice, and you can use it by itself in the show pen. It is a little thicker, but works well for horses when the saddle doesn't quite fit. I haven't used the ESP long enough to know if it will hold up as well as the Wonpad. I use both pads, and like both...I also really like the Won Cinch.

SouthCityTan · Member Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 57

Dawn,
Hopefully the ESP will hold up well for you. I have had great luck with mine so far. If it wasn't for a bit of horse hair on it you wouldn't even know it was used! My husband needs a new pad and I think he wants to try a Won... Either way I like the way they are shaped for the horse's backs.

KMI · 2 Year Old Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 33 Location: MI

SouthCityTan, The ESP sounds good too, and you and Dawn both seem to like the WON. I just haven't asked anyone personally about the air ride. I also heard people raving about Tod Sloan pads.
Pauline, what do you think about the noise issue that others have complained of? I've been looking at the deluxe sport II. I noticed while watching Heroes and Friends on RFD-tv that those guys were using the smx model.
Maybe I should have specified what I will be using it for. I don't show, never have although my oldest daughter did years ago. I trail ride. I have recently retired and now have time to enjoy it. Since I'm older and heavier now than I was when I was riding a lot (pre-children) I'm trying to make sure that my horse and I are as comfortable as possible. I also need to get a new saddle as my butt has outgrown my old one! I've narrowed it down to 2 that I like and will start another thread to get opinions on them.

Carol · Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2005 8:48 am Post subject:

I received a letter in the mail to subscribe to something that was like a CONSUMER REPORTS for horse equipment, tack, medicine, etc.

It said that they tested them and they wern't worth the extra money.
I'll find it at home, and write back tomorrow which one they said was better and cheaper.

Their words, not mine.

Pauline · Member Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 161

KMI the noise at first shocks the horses more than anything, you get the big eyed look, the first few times then they forget about it. Just thought I would mention- my cats prefer the professional choice aswell. I am constantly kicking their lazy butts off the saddle pads so I can use them. They never lay on any of the other ones.

Dawn · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 6:45 am Post subject:

Pauline, if you are going to be doing mostly trail riding, and I assume sometimes this would be for long hours and sometimes in a great amount of heat, if your saddle fits well and if your horse doesn't have any back issues, likely in my opinion the best pad out there for this purpose is the "Five Star" Felt pad. It is a thick hospital grade 100% Wool felt pad with wear leathers that offers very good shock absorption, and will promote a cool back on those long rides on hot summer days. They are fairly pricey (about $169) but worth the money. I have been using one of these pads for over five years and it is still in great shape (though I don't ride it every day).

The WonPad is great, but since it is felt/neporene....I wouldn't use it for long long rides in the hot California summer, it works great to transfer between horses because it has the shark skin neoprene bottom...just wipe with a cloth and it is clean and dry for the next horse.

The ESP pad would also likely work very well for long rides in the summer and it offers memory foam padding.

The new Pro Choice pad, is different than the old one and I believe it too is some sort of memory pad rather than the old "waffle pockets" They still sell the old pad as well as the new one. Supposodly the new pad was tested on trail mules and it held up well and offered good shock absorption throughout the trial period.

Another therapuetic pad that is supposed to be good is the Supracore, however I have never dished out enough dough to see how well they really work or not...at around $275 a pop, they are a little pricey just to try out.

surprisewind · Active Member Joined: 25 Jan 2005 Posts: 246

I've got a couple of the air ride pads. The crinkly thing wasn't as l0oud on the horse as I thought it would be.
HOWEVER, it is quite thin and doesn't seem to be very "squishy." I don't really think, used by itself, that it is that great. Certainly not $100 worth of super. But that's just me, and I'm from the "old school" felt pad and navajo school of thought. Or a nice think neoprene with an underlayer.
I also should have bought the shorter length... hindsight.

Inyureye · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 3:16 pm Post subject:

What are these pads like? I am thinking they must be like a gel pad. Now I could understand using a glepad, we use gel pillows of all kinds in the operating room, which save patients from pressure related injury during a long operations - they have to stay in the same position, pressed in odd ways against the bed for a long times. I always thought the material would work well for saddle pads, about an inch thick, but they wouldn't be "crinkly" at all.

So what are the pads like which you are talking about?
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KMI · 2 Year Old Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 33 Location: MI

They give a good description of them on the Professional Choice website. It's also where I have found the best online price. I've never seen one "in person". I may try one anyway as they offer a 60 day money back guarantee. I'm not so concerned for my horse and the noise as I am that the peace and quiet of a nice long trail ride would be marred by the noise coming from under me!

Inyureye · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 4:05 pm Post subject:

Oh, that's right, I see, they're "air" - not so sure I would want to pay alot for that. Not so sure they would be that much more valuable than, say, a gel pad. I gotta find one of those. They gotta be making gel pads. They might be sweaty, though. But not, I suppose, with the right cover. But then, a cover, would it bunch up any. The gel is very conforming, and doesn't really work the same way with anything between it and the tissue it is supporting. Or maybe it does. Hm. Have to think about this. Actually, have to ask one of the orothopods. They'd know. They know everything about this sort of thing, and are usually tickled to try to adapt their toys to other non-medical uses.
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