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| Sorry for the potato phone quality picture, but yeah, this is a normal occurrence for us with Dressage pads. |
So when I checked the measurements on the Centaur Quilted Dressage pad in the Riding Warehouse clearance section, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wouldn't swallow Connor. For $17.88 plus 15% off during the Presidents Day sale, it was a no-brainer.
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| Yaaaaaay it's not gigantic! |
They have magenta and purple left, and I just can't square the idea of magenta on a chestnut, so I went with purple. Unfortunately the photos don't even come close to capturing the color, but it's definitely a bright purple.
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| This is the most accurate representation of the color I got. Those billet straps did get cut off shortly after taking this photo. |
Pros:
- Price. Can't beat that price.
- Fun colors, which can be very tough to find in Dressage land!
- Sized right for smaller Dressage saddles
- Integrated billet strap hole seems to work better for my monoflap than the normal billet loops do.
Cons:
- Not really a fan of the shape - almost looks like an AP pad.
- Feels cheap, but the quality is what I'd expect for a $17 pad. I wouldn't have paid the retail $29 for it though.
- Little cotton fuzzballs were all over Connor after I got done riding him in it
Bottom line: If you have a smaller Dressage horse and a smaller Dressage saddle, this is a great and affordable option for a schooling pad - a rare thing for us pony Dressage riders! Not worth it at full price, but definitely worth it on sale.
Riding Warehouse - $17.88
I've been wondering about those girth slit things. Interesting to see them in action!
ReplyDeleteI'm still not 100% sure how I feel about them, but I do like them with the monoflap - although I'm not sure if that's construction or placement or what. It will be interesting to see if they hold up.
DeleteOh boy do I know what you mean! Thanks for the review :) it's always great finding more small dressage pads.
ReplyDeleteThe LeMieux Dressage pads are wonderful--high quality and come in size Small/Medium for 13h-15h ponies or horses. THE best fit for my short-coupled Lusitano. And they have D-straps specifically for saddles with a monoflap or point billets--no more cutting off billet straps! Order them direct from LeMieux in England for the best price. Not exactly cheap, sure, but well worth the cost imho.
ReplyDeleteI've seen and touched those, and generally I always value quality over price, but for some reason I have this mental hang up on saddle pads. I just cannot spend money on them. I definitely should be looking at those though, my first thought when I held one in a tack store was "Wow, this would fit Connor."
DeleteAnother vote for Le Mieux, the price is not too bad considering the quality. We have LM saddle pads that are years old that have been in constant use and they still look good. I do like this colour on Connor, it looks great!
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