What are the point of half pads on horses?

Question

Would you put a half pad over a regular square cut pad or use it by itself?

Answer 1

You could do either. Depends on your discipline, your horse, and how well your saddle fits your horse. I use a fleece half pad by itself because it absorbs my mare's sweat and it also keeps a nice balance to the saddle.

Answer 2

It depends on the type of half-pad. Most gel, wither-relief, jump, and non-slip pads are designed to be used in conjunction with a square All-Purpose pad. Some sheepskin pads can also be used on their own, but I dislike this as it allows for the leather of the saddle to rub against the horse's body and can leave hairless sores if you don't fit it exactly right.

Half pads serve a variety of purposes. Generally they help improve the fit of your saddle so you don't have to resort to drastic measures like re-flocking the saddle or purchasing a new one altogether. Other pads help enhance the performance of your horse or provide comfort. Here are a few examples:

Lolly-Pop Pads (sometimes called seat-risers) help prevent the saddle from sloping downward on a high-shouldered horse. Gel pads provide shock-absorption to help relieve pressure along the horse's spine. Wither relief pads have a cut out in the wither area to alleviate pressure on (you guessed it) the wither. They're used on horses with a high, narrow wither. The Mattes pad is a specialty sheepskin pad with an open spine design to eliminate pressure. There are also various riser pads to lift the front or back or the saddle as needed. Many of these are foam and HAVE to be used with another saddle pad.