I have been wanting a 5 star pad for a while. I had one like 15 years ago and it was great. I can't figure out how thick of a pad to get though. On their website they recommend a minimum 7/8" pad if the combined weight of rider + saddle weigh over 200lbs (which is the case for me). But I do want to be able to throw a blanket over the pad for showing. They recommend nothing thicker than 3/4" for that. But also my saddle fits my horse very well. I want to provide cushion but don't want to go too thick and cause pressure points. I know there are some 5 star devotees on here hopefully you can offer some insight.

Most of the time, I only use a 1/2" pad. If the saddle fits really well, that's all you need.

Now I do have one mare that just tends to be on the leaner side. She's not a hard keeper, but she sure isn't an easy keeper. For her, it's worked better to do the 3/4" pad. On her nice pad, I do put a pad liner under it .... but only because the pad is brown and she is white, and when she sweats it turns her yellow!

I got the 1 inch only because thats what works well for my horse and my current saddle. 

Is there anyone near you that has one that you can try? That may help in determining the correct thickness.