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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
  
| smak - 2014-05-05 2:28 PM
what about CSI Pads pros and cons of them?
I love my CSI pads, and the owner even convinced my mother who has been a natural wool pad all her life.
The pros of the csi is the flex plate in each saddle dissipates the pressure from the saddle all along the plate.
The owner demonstrates this by her pressure test, she has 5 star, impact get, and one other brand, you place the sample of the pad over your hand and pull the leaver down till you cannot handle the pain. It measures how much force you excerpt on your hand. You also get to feel what your horse is feeling if your saddle is say pinching.
When I did the test, I could pull on the leaver till I couldn't pull any harder, my hand still felt fine. The impact get was the worst, 5 star not that far ahead of impact. My mother had the same experience as I.
Other things that are nice is that you can have different thicknesses of inserts and change the insert to suit the horse. The insert is the bottom part of the pad that is wool, you can get true merino wool, it is more expensive, and more natural then anything 5 star sells. The thicknesses of the felt inserts, these are still wool, but have been through the felting process is 1/2, 3/4, 1 inch.
The top part of the pad is made of a heavy duty material, it is very easy to clean with a brush, or with a pressure washer, what ever you want, it doesn't damage the material. With a 5 star they come with directions and sometimes a foam material you use to clean the pad.
The cons of the csi is she no longer makes the 28 inch top piece, so you have to find one used (they generally will have the foam bottom). I have done this and bought an insert to fit, there is a lifetime warranty on the flex plate, and last time I spoke to her she has not had to replace one yet. She only makes size 30 which you have to request, and 32. I also have these sizes and I haven't had any problems with them soring up my horses. I have 6 horses that are ridden with these.
I know that some people don't believe that csi conforms to the horses back, I can say when I pull mine off of my horse and set it on the ground it still has the shape of my horse, so yes it does conform. I do know that this is 5 stars main selling point, but there are many other pads that do conform as well, Ed Wright, Wades are the ones I have had experiences with as well and they hold the shape too.
As a disclaimer, I do not sell CSI pads so there is no benefit for me telling you this info. I was a 5 star fan when 5 star was wells 5 star. Wells sold out a long time ago, I did purchase a 5 star after Wells left, and I hated it. It has wrinkles throughout the entire pad. I learned this year that the materials changed when Wells sold. Some say for the better, I don't. | |
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Member
Posts: 41
| Thank you my husband trips steers and my mare will get put into the rotation at times so I want a multipurpose pad and so far the CSI has been on my radar. | |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | I will say that right now, I am using my saddleright more than anything else. I do have a new biofit coming in the mail though. It is not the newer style (square shims), it is the old style with the round shims and a fleece lining.
I had a felt bottom one that I sold only because when I got my crown C, it was too short on the sides (it was a 30x30), so I ordered the larger 32x32 size. I used it though and it did not compress, but then again it was also the old style with the round "shims". I thought it was decent quality. My horse did not get a sore back when I was using it. | |
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