Acavallo anatomic gel pad review

For the last couple of weeks now I've been using the Acavallo anatomic gel pad with Basse. These have been on my radar after reading rave reviews about them since last year, but I only just bought one recently when Basse's saddle seemed to need something less thick than the Mattes sheepskin pad he has but he wasn't 100% without anything underneath the saddle. He's a very difficult horse to fit a saddle to as he constantly changes shape (like they all do) but he's so sensitive that he react immediately if he feels the slightest bit uncomfortable... I still think that the WOW saddle is the best one for him and, but I just wanted to buy something to make him feel a bit more comfortable.

After researching many different brands and styles of thin pads, the Acavallo ones came out as the clear winners. Others, like Ogilivy memory foam pads are nearly €200 and I would have had to wait 3-4 weeks before it would be even shipped to Finland. This Acavallo one was €60 including delivery and I had to wait less than a week!

When you go on Acavallo's website, you see that under the gel pad they say that it is "the perfect fit for the horse's back" and I really have come to believe this! These gel pads are shaped and moulded to the saddle with a slightly thinner bit of gel running down the centre of the pad allowing the gel to sit up in the gullet rather than pushing down on the wither and the spine, which I really like. Clever, and well designed! It's also both anti-slip and shock absorbing and because it's sticky, it stops any unwanted movement of the saddle, e.g. from side to side. This is a great blessing if you have horses that are of the 'rounder' shape like my two fat pigs 🐷 #theyliketheirhay #onadietalways

 What makes this gel pad really good in my eyes is the therapeutic shock absorption of the pad with the added security of its non-slip properties thanks to the gel on both sides. Basse's saddle hasn't moved at all, and his back muscles are starting to feel more normal - sometimes before riding when I'm grooming him the muscles along the back feel a little tense until I have massaged him but after a week of using this gel pad they have been consistently much softer. It will be interesting to see what the equine sports massage therapist and the physio say when they next see him.

So if anyone is looking for a thinner alternative to a sheepskin pad, I would really recommend this one. We all want to keep our horses as comfortable and happy as possible and I think the Acavallo gel pad really helps with this! It's a great piece to have in your tack room for those times when you just need that something underneath the saddle without altering the fit of the saddle too much.