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 Scorpions R Us
Posts: 9586
   
Location: So. Cali. | So I know the board's hand down favorite is the 5 star, which I do plan to invest in, but I'm also considering an Impact Gel Pad. Would love to hear experiences and input!
Edited by Three*C*Champs 2013-12-10 10:25 AM
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | My friend likes hers with her bob marshall.
I actually really like the saddlerights as well if you are looking for something stiffer than a 5 star |
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Veteran
Posts: 294
| Glad you posted this because I'm curious too. |
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Cat Collector
Posts: 1430
| I use them and love them, the gel does not fold or freeze altough some people say it does, its -40 here last week and the gel was just fine. We went to a demonstration they had, they took out a very well used Impact Gel Pad and cut it open and the gel was just like new. I like to use the 3/4 pads with the gel, personal preference dont ask why lol |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 307
Location: Florida | I know I have some friends that don't like them on their particular horses; some say the gel flattens out and gets hard. I used impact gel for a long time and never had an issue on any horse I rode, I switched to a Best Ever which I love but I'm also investing in a 5 Star soon after all the good things I hear :) |
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| I've had my impact gel for.... gaa 10 years now! love it! Never had any problems with it. I've been too a demonstration when they take the impact gel put a m&m under the gel and hammer the top and i hit it HARD!! m&m was in perfect condition. I've had a saddleright didnt care for it.. sold it. |
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 Uh....never mind
Posts: 2696
Location: Midwest Farmer's Daughter: Central Illinois | The only experience I have had is with my old mare - she hated it & wouldn't break into a lope with one on. I have used 5Stars ever since. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 623
Location: /ARKANSAS | I am not using mine anymore because it is heavy and I ride with a flexible tree. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2604
Location: Texas | Please don't flame me... but I have never understoond the logic behind the impact gel. I could possibly see it for a rope horse or a sport that takes a sudden jerk or an impact. But barrel saddles give continues pressure, not sudden impact pressure (i.e. sudden hits like with a hammer). My logic tells me that continuous pressure would move the gel out from under that pressure. I would like to see the impact gel test done under constant pressure and see how it measures up. Again... JMHO! |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I never ride my impact gel, don't really care for it. It is so heavy & several of my horse got to acting sore backed with it on. But my dad & brother use & love them. |
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| TBone - 2013-12-10 11:13 AM Please don't flame me... but I have never understoond the logic behind the impact gel. I could possibly see it for a rope horse or a sport that takes a sudden jerk or an impact. But barrel saddles give continues pressure, not sudden impact pressure (i.e. sudden hits like with a hammer). My logic tells me that continuous pressure would move the gel out from under that pressure. I would like to see the impact gel test done under constant pressure and see how it measures up. Again... JMHO!
The Gel is thick/firm so it doesn't flow or move out from continous pressure like u think it would. I even put the m&m on the ground and stood on the gel and the m&m did not crack after the continous pressure. |
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| I've ridden my impact gel pad on three horses. First one was fine with it. Second one would kick out with it-put a different pad on and he was fine. The third one rode like a screw ball-wouldn't catch/stay on her leads, rode with her head in the air-chargy. I put another pad on her-problem solved. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2041
Location: home for the winter...what a dumb idea | I love mine have had it for 5 years. Rode more miles in a month then most do in a year the pad is great never a sore horse. |
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 Leggs
Posts: 4680
Location: lexington KY | I love mine, it has held up great! My horses seem to like it. I did just order a 5 star since they had a great Black Friday special and I have been wanting to try one. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I haven't bought into the impact gel as the laws of physics contradict what impact gel is saying.
When a force is excerted, the energy has to go somewhere. The gel doesn't absorb the energy, as if it did scientists would be looking at this for an alternate energy source. So the energy has to go somewhere, the horse or you. Since energy generally travels down that excess energy from the impact is going into the horse.
I have also heard some people have torn the pads apart and have seen at the pressure points on the shoulders, there is no gel left, so this is telling me thst the energy is also breaking down the gel.
Doing the csi pressure test with the impact gel, I can still feel the pressure I am excreting on the hammer, it doesn't dissipate or radiate anywhere, so an ill fitting saddle the pad would localize the pressure points and cause soreness.
With the csi pad with the pressure test I can feel the pressure dissipate throughout my entire hand not the 1/2 inch diameter of the hammer, this tells me my horse would have a better chance of not developing pressure points with a csi vs an impact gel |
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 Expert
Posts: 3534
Location: Stuck in a cubicle having tropical thoughts | I bought an Impact Gel brand new, back in 2006/2007, I used it for maybe a season or two. My mom has used it off and on since then. I paid something like $180 for it, which at the time was the most expensive pad ever bought for my family. I will never buy another. If I won one, I'd sell it or give it away. I've since then bought a used Tod Slone wool and a used Slash W wool pad that I've used on three different horses and I LOVE them. They are plain Grey and I get compliments and questions about them all the time.
I've actually gotten to see and touch the 5stars in person at QH Congress the last two years and now I know what all the fuss is about.
I did use a CorrecTor for a short time while I was in saddle transition and my favorite saddle wasn't fitting my favorite horse. I now have a saddle that fits and use the Wool Tod Slone with the new saddle and the CorrecTor sits in our extra bed room. I wouldn't hesitate to use the CorrecTor again if I was having a saddle fit issue. |
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 It Goes On
Posts: 2262
Location: Muskogee, OK | Love mine!! I have literally had it for about 8 years now and it is excellent condition. Great quality, holds up well and keeps my horse feeling good.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 349
| I use my impact gel and a best ever pad love them both. Haven't dished out the money for a 5 star yet.
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-10 10:58 PM
Love mine!! I have literally had it for about 8 years now and it is excellent condition. Great quality, holds up well and keeps my horse feeling good.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another
This is not to be taken rude, but how do you know the gel is still in excellent condition, is there any way to check the gel without tearing the pad apart. |
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 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | I hated the gel pads I had. Real heavy, horses seemed to be back sore and I had slipping issues. |
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It Goes On
Posts: 2262
Location: Muskogee, OK | cheryl makofka - 2013-12-11 8:33 AM barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-10 10:58 PM Love mine!! I have literally had it for about 8 years now and it is excellent condition. Great quality, holds up well and keeps my horse feeling good.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another This is not to be taken rude, but how do you know the gel is still in excellent condition, is there any way to check the gel without tearing the pad apart.
I don't... But if it ain't broke why fix it?? It keeps my horse feeling good and works great with my setup, that is most important to me. I dont see any pressure points after even the hardest of rides and the pad just overall has held up much better than I ever expected (8 years is a LONG time when considering how much a pad is used).
I guess I havent heard enough people complain about the gel breaking down to really look into it, as my impact gel has worked great for me. But my question to those who have experienced this issue...So the core of this pad is this "gel", which is supposed to absorb energy, etc. (I just looked this up on the website). The outer cortex is wool.
Now I havent done a whole lot of research on the other pads, or even Impact Gels for that matter... but from my current knowledge, MOST of them are wool-based. So this added gel seems to be like an added bonus. If it DOES break down over the span of 8 years.. So what? (this could be my ignorance to the technology showing here.. I'm in the middle of finals so havent been able to really research this as well as I would like) Granted the impact gel pads do seem thinner than the other wool based brands out on the market. But, lets remember thicker isnt always better... ESPECIALLY when you have a well fitting saddle.
Plus, I just learned from the Impact Gel website that they are endorsed by George Strait!!! They have to be the real deal!! Lol....(that was a joke, but nonetheless a little factoid I found out during my research) |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-11 9:50 AM
cheryl makofka - 2013-12-11 8:33 AM barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-10 10:58 PM Love mine!! I have literally had it for about 8 years now and it is excellent condition. Great quality, holds up well and keeps my horse feeling good.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another This is not to be taken rude, but how do you know the gel is still in excellent condition, is there any way to check the gel without tearing the pad apart.
I guess I havent heard enough people complain about the gel breaking down to really look into it, as my impact gel has worked great for me. But my question to those who have experienced this issue...So the core of this pad is this "gel", which is supposed to absorb energy, etc. (I just looked this up on the website). The outer cortex is wool.
Now I havent done a whole lot of research on the other pads, or even Impact Gels for that matter... but from my current knowledge, MOST of them are wool-based. So this added gel seems to be like an added bonus. If it DOES break down over the span of 8 years.. So what? (this could be my ignorance to the technology showing here.. I'm in the middle of finals so havent been able to really research this as well as I would like) Granted the impact gel pads do seem thinner than the other wool based brands out on the market. But, lets remember thicker isnt always better... ESPECIALLY when you have a well fitting saddle.
Plus, I just learned from the Impact Gel website that they are endorsed by George Strait!!! They have to be the real deal!! Lol....(that was a joke, but nonetheless a little factoid I found out during my research)
From my experience the impact gel pads wool is a poorer quality, it is needled together then sewn. From what I have read needling is used when the wool is not 100 percent wool, as you cannot felt a mixture blend, as the poly will melt.
The only two pads that I have seen felted together are 5 star and Ed Wright pads.
But with any wool/felt pad with age they do compress/felt more and pressure points can develop. I had a roper tell me to do a pressure test with my fingers one on each side of the pad, if I could feel my fingers through the pad, then the pad wasn't doing its job on the horse. I still check my pads this way. I have never done this to an impact as I don't own one.
As I have said earlier I would suggest thinking on where the energy is going, as the energy is not staying in the gel, it has to go somewhere yourself or the horse and since energy likes to travel the fastest to the ground it would go through your horse.
Also you say the pad has never made your horse sore, have you had chiro, has your horse ever been out in the back, wither, or neck, have you ever asked your chiro if this could be caused by saddle/pad? You don't have to answer these questions but it is something to think about. |
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More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Another thing with the gel pads I had is the "wool" pilled something terrible. I was always pulling little balls off. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 268
| I heard the gel can disperse and create pressure points. Never owned one, though. I love my Saddleright pads, and I like 5 stars, too. |
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It Goes On
Posts: 2262
Location: Muskogee, OK | cheryl makofka - 2013-12-11 11:33 AM barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-11 9:50 AM cheryl makofka - 2013-12-11 8:33 AM barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-10 10:58 PM Love mine!! I have literally had it for about 8 years now and it is excellent condition. Great quality, holds up well and keeps my horse feeling good.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another This is not to be taken rude, but how do you know the gel is still in excellent condition, is there any way to check the gel without tearing the pad apart.
I guess I havent heard enough people complain about the gel breaking down to really look into it, as my impact gel has worked great for me. But my question to those who have experienced this issue...So the core of this pad is this "gel", which is supposed to absorb energy, etc. (I just looked this up on the website). The outer cortex is wool.
Now I havent done a whole lot of research on the other pads, or even Impact Gels for that matter... but from my current knowledge, MOST of them are wool-based. So this added gel seems to be like an added bonus. If it DOES break down over the span of 8 years.. So what? (this could be my ignorance to the technology showing here.. I'm in the middle of finals so havent been able to really research this as well as I would like) Granted the impact gel pads do seem thinner than the other wool based brands out on the market. But, lets remember thicker isnt always better... ESPECIALLY when you have a well fitting saddle.
Plus, I just learned from the Impact Gel website that they are endorsed by George Strait!!! They have to be the real deal!! Lol....(that was a joke, but nonetheless a little factoid I found out during my research) From my experience the impact gel pads wool is a poorer quality, it is needled together then sewn. From what I have read needling is used when the wool is not 100 percent wool, as you cannot felt a mixture blend, as the poly will melt. The only two pads that I have seen felted together are 5 star and Ed Wright pads. But with any wool/felt pad with age they do compress/felt more and pressure points can develop. I had a roper tell me to do a pressure test with my fingers one on each side of the pad, if I could feel my fingers through the pad, then the pad wasn't doing its job on the horse. I still check my pads this way. I have never done this to an impact as I don't own one. As I have said earlier I would suggest thinking on where the energy is going, as the energy is not staying in the gel, it has to go somewhere yourself or the horse and since energy likes to travel the fastest to the ground it would go through your horse. Also you say the pad has never made your horse sore, have you had chiro, has your horse ever been out in the back, wither, or neck, have you ever asked your chiro if this could be caused by saddle/pad? You don't have to answer these questions but it is something to think about.
I haven't had a problem at all with the quality of the wool. I do understand what you are getting at with the energy absorption thing... But in 100% wool pads, where do you suppose that energy is going? I don't think that is just an Impact Gel problem, I think you will universally find that across most saddle pads. Also, it is worth noting that absorbing energy doesnt automatically equal pressure points.
As far as knowing whether my horse is sore.... Not only is she a wimp when it comes to pain and has no problem letting me know when something is off, she pretty much visits Oklahoma State on a regular basis. I am a vet student, we work her up quite often (visually and also with a Lameness Locator). I also judge how she is feeling based off of how she is performing and I have no complaints in that department. Therefore, I am VERY happy with how my Impact Gel keeps her feeling (although this is getting a little off topic, I felt the need to answer you here because I find it odd you just assume that my horse is sore without me knowing just because I use an Impact gel).
This is in no way meant to be rude, just constructive... But you start off talking about your experience with the pads, and then later in your comment mention how you've never actually owned one. Not saying you need to run out and buy one, or even try one.... But don't knock something until you've really tried it.
Like I've said before..I've owned this pad for 8 years and have never had any complaints about it, and I really am impressed with how long it has held up. Some dont like them, and that is fine! But I do and it works for me and my horse, and that is what is most important to me. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-11 8:13 PM
cheryl makofka - 2013-12-11 11:33 AM barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-11 9:50 AM cheryl makofka - 2013-12-11 8:33 AM barrelracingchick16 - 2013-12-10 10:58 PM Love mine!! I have literally had it for about 8 years now and it is excellent condition. Great quality, holds up well and keeps my horse feeling good.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy another This is not to be taken rude, but how do you know the gel is still in excellent condition, is there any way to check the gel without tearing the pad apart.
I guess I havent heard enough people complain about the gel breaking down to really look into it, as my impact gel has worked great for me. But my question to those who have experienced this issue...So the core of this pad is this "gel", which is supposed to absorb energy, etc. (I just looked this up on the website). The outer cortex is wool.
Now I havent done a whole lot of research on the other pads, or even Impact Gels for that matter... but from my current knowledge, MOST of them are wool-based. So this added gel seems to be like an added bonus. If it DOES break down over the span of 8 years.. So what? (this could be my ignorance to the technology showing here.. I'm in the middle of finals so havent been able to really research this as well as I would like) Granted the impact gel pads do seem thinner than the other wool based brands out on the market. But, lets remember thicker isnt always better... ESPECIALLY when you have a well fitting saddle.
Plus, I just learned from the Impact Gel website that they are endorsed by George Strait!!! They have to be the real deal!! Lol....(that was a joke, but nonetheless a little factoid I found out during my research) From my experience the impact gel pads wool is a poorer quality, it is needled together then sewn. From what I have read needling is used when the wool is not 100 percent wool, as you cannot felt a mixture blend, as the poly will melt. The only two pads that I have seen felted together are 5 star and Ed Wright pads. But with any wool/felt pad with age they do compress/felt more and pressure points can develop. I had a roper tell me to do a pressure test with my fingers one on each side of the pad, if I could feel my fingers through the pad, then the pad wasn't doing its job on the horse. I still check my pads this way. I have never done this to an impact as I don't own one. As I have said earlier I would suggest thinking on where the energy is going, as the energy is not staying in the gel, it has to go somewhere yourself or the horse and since energy likes to travel the fastest to the ground it would go through your horse. Also you say the pad has never made your horse sore, have you had chiro, has your horse ever been out in the back, wither, or neck, have you ever asked your chiro if this could be caused by saddle/pad? You don't have to answer these questions but it is something to think about. I haven't had a problem at all with the quality of the wool. I do understand what you are getting at with the energy absorption thing... But in 100% wool pads, where do you suppose that energy is going? I don't think that is just an Impact Gel problem, I think you will universally find that across most saddle pads. Also, it is worth noting that absorbing energy doesnt automatically equal pressure points.
As far as knowing whether my horse is sore.... Not only is she a wimp when it comes to pain and has no problem letting me know when something is off, she pretty much visits Oklahoma State on a regular basis. I am a vet student, we work her up quite often (visually and also with a Lameness Locator). I also judge how she is feeling based off of how she is performing and I have no complaints in that department. Therefore, I am VERY happy with how my Impact Gel keeps her feeling (although this is getting a little off topic, I felt the need to answer you here because I find it odd you just assume that my horse is sore without me knowing just because I use an Impact gel).
This is in no way meant to be rude, just constructive... But you start off talking about your experience with the pads, and then later in your comment mention how you've never actually owned one. Not saying you need to run out and buy one, or even try one.... But don't knock something until you've really tried it.
Like I've said before..I've owned this pad for 8 years and have never had any complaints about it, and I really am impressed with how long it has held up. Some dont like them, and that is fine! But I do and it works for me and my horse, and that is what is most important to me.
I never assumed your horse was sore, and no I won't go buy a saddle pad to try one, thst is a waste of money.
I have researched pads, the material used in the pads, and have made my decision regarding the information I have gathered.
I asked questions as you gave a definitive answer it didn't sore your horse, but no proof (in the first post I quoted).
If my questions can facilitate people to start asking more questions about any product then hopefully they become more proactive in their horses care.
Edited to add my first post on page one the first sentence stated I haven't bought into the impact gel pad
Edited by cheryl makofka 2013-12-11 9:15 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
| Ive had really good luck with the ones ive had. They have out lasted my professional choice pads and CSI pads by far. Haven't tried a 5 star or a saddleright, although i would like too! I have never had a horse seem sore from using them, I would suggest them. You never know until you try it! Not every pad will please every person or work for every horse. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | Funny but true story.... Miss Carol had a bunch of Impact Gel pads when I first started riding for her. I promptly ripped the gel inserts out of all of them and those are now my favorite pads on the place. Not real sure why. |
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Veteran
Posts: 294
| Taylor Jacobs is using Impact Gels at the NFR. Probably just a sponsor thing. I've never used one but they are pretty. |
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Saddle Pad Discussion- Impact Gel