Thinline Saddle Pads have a global reputation for providing shock absorption and a fixed soft contact which improves rider position and comfort – and leads to freer moving, happier horses.

ThinLine saddle pads for enhanced rider performance

As equestrians, we are always seeking perfection and know that it is an elusive goal. But a key step to riding performance is a soft, close contact seat, and ThinLine brings that piece of the jigsaw closer, stabilising the rider for a quieter seat and more harmonious communication. As ThinLine saddle pads absorb impact by dispersing it along the pad, they also minimise rider bounce, making it easy to provide clear signals with only subtle cues.

ThinLine saddle pads are designed to protect both the horse and rider’s backs by facilitating a soft, quiet, elastic connection. For non-expert riders, a ThinLine pad provides comfort and minimises the impact of your riding on the horse’s wellbeing, while for effective riders, the refined movement and reduced impact will provide a competitive edge by allowing clearer and more effective seat aids, and enabling your horse to improve their balance and focus.

Regular riding can compromise the health of an equestrian’s spine over the years, and ThinLine can drastically improve the state of a rider’s back.

ThinLine saddle pads benefit the horse’s health & performance

ThinLine saddle pads provide shock absorption, even heat, impact and weight dispersal – and can be used to improve saddle fit; and stability with the pads’ non-slip properties. Horses tend to lift their backs more with a ThinLine saddle pad, boosting their fitness, creating better engagement, and improving suppleness.

When you maximise your horse’s physical comfort during schooling, they are free to develop their confidence and refine their balance. Especially with young horses, performance horses and horses who have endured back pain, ensuring that a horse’s back is protected and comfortable will always benefit their movement and long-term health. Of course, horses’ backs also get great benefit from ‘quieter’ riders and reduced impact.

Because ThinLine saddle pads facilitate lateral shock absorption, they will improve the back health of both the horse and rider by preventing recoil back into their spines. ThinLine is so good at protecting the backs of the rider and the horse, that it is the only saddle pad endorsed for equestrians by spinal surgeons – along with endorsements from countless vets, equine chiropractors, saddle fitters and equine massage therapists.

How ThinLine saddle pad material is different 

Created in a feat of technical brilliance, ThinLine saddle pads begin as a poured liquid, which is then polarised so the cells lie end-to-end. Hundreds of subsequent layers are poured and polarised in new directions to create a honeycomb matrix that allows both impact and heat to move laterally.

This material allows impact to move across the resulting ThinLine pad, producing a very different sensation for both horse and rider, saving the horse’s back and the rider’s spine.

Another benefit of the material is that a ThinLine saddle pad can flex and stretch over high withers, bones, splints, girths or saddle pressure points without flattening like memory foam, or moving about like gel pads. When a ThinLine pad is warmed by body heat, it conforms to the horse; when cooled to room temperature it rebounds to the original shape. Amazingly, a ThinLine saddle pad normally lasts around 8 years.

Browse our collection of ThinLine saddle pads online.