ROPERS SPORTS NEWS - SEPTEMBER
Looking at Best Ever Pads
Have you been searching for a saddle pad that provides top grade biomechanical purpose, style and could possibly be the best saddle pad you ever owned? Well, look no further because Best Ever Pads provides top grade comfort and support that allows your horse and you to constantly strive to be the best, in and out of the arena.
Established in 2002 by creators and founders, Ryan and Tammy White, Best Ever Pads has been producing high quality innovation and cutting-edge designed saddle pads to help with saddle-fit, increasing the horse’s comfort, improving saddle balance for the rider’s benefit, absorbing sweat, and protecting the saddle. Best Ever Pads are specifically cut to allow the cinch to mold naturally around the horse’s girth area, allowing for closer contact for the rider’s legs. Each pad is American made and constructed with high quality 100% natural wool material. The wool allows the pad to breathe as a horse sweats. The wool fibers work as pressure and heat distributors under saddles and can also reduce friction. Wool is used as it endures repeated pressure better than its synthetic competitors because its natural wool materials do not break down quickly like synthetic materials do when exposed to the heat, pressure, and sweat salts of heavy use.
Saddle pads are one of the most fashionable pieces of equipment we put on our horse. And, Best Ever Pad highly encourages customization. Each handmade pad is fully customizable with a variety of options to choose from. Starting with a wool foundation, there are five different saddle pad styles, each meant to serve a specific need. Additionally, you have the option to choose between three different types of gullet styles. The Regular Gullet provide wither clearance and reduced spinal pressure for average withers to round back/mutton withers. The Open Gullet eliminates pressure on high wither horses while the Closed Gullet continues the contour up and over the withers for higher withered horses. With over 40 different 4.5-ounce wear leather options, you are greeted with an opportunity to create a pad unlike anyone else! Taking personalization to the next level, Best Ever Pads knows how important details are as your pad can showcase your very own cutouts, custom brand, initial/name embroidery and even custom hand tooled or printed designs. If you are really looking to show stop – your pad’s finishing touches can include buck-stitching, fringe, crystals or metal embellishments.
Athletes like Jade Corkill, Brittany Kelly, Cesar De La Cruz, Charles Pogue and Katie Pascoe are just a few professionals who are riding into the winner’s circle proudly sporting their custom Best Ever Pad. Enhance your performance and journey to the top of your game riding your Best Ever!
“It is our mission at Best Ever Pads to use our 30-plus years of experience to continue producing the highest quality, best-looking saddle pads on the western market. It is also our goal to have the best customer service and public relations in the industry,” Ryan and Tammy White, exceptional people, ropers and horseman/woman.
Anything new/upcoming you would like to share?
We will soon be offering lasered logos and brands. Also, we will be launching our rancher collection offering extra thick wear leathers in roughout and oiled leather. We recently created a roughout/lasered pad for the Pendleton Round-Up. They’ll officially be launching in December for the NFR. Saddles are now on our website that we launched this last year.
What is the best pad(s) for team roping? barrel racing? calf roping/breakaway?
Most barrel racers like our 1” OG or Kush. Most ropers like our 1.25” Kush pad. However, some saddles are poor fitting and some horses are hard to fit, which is why we also have our CEO collection to help with hard to fit issues.
What’s the difference between the OG Wool & Kush Wool?
Our OG and Kush wool options offer the greatest compression protection, and are also soft and durable, requiring little to no break-in time. The denser the pad, the less it will compress over time under the pressure of the saddle. Wool also meshes with the natural direction of the horse’s hair, reducing saddle slippage and increasing the comfort of the horse.
Our OG Collection has been the core of the company since 2002. This top quality 100% needle-punched F11 grade wool pad is 112 ounces per square yard, making it firm, durable and breathable. This pad is dark gray in color, and comes in either 3/4″ or 1″ thicknesses, to best suit your needs.
Needle punched refers to wool that is made by vertically needling fibers together to achieve a desired thickness and density. When viewing a cross-section of needled punched, the fibers lay vertically, as opposed to pressed felt, where the fibers lay horizontally.
The Kush Collection is made from 100% high-quality, F11 grade washed and pressed wool that is 136 ounces per square yard. It is durable and resistant to compression, yet soft and flexible. Properties of this pad allow it to absorb moisture, which aides in removing heat from the horse’s back. This pad is light gray in color, and comes in 1.25″, 1″ or 3/4″ thickness options.
What is the CEO Collection?
Our CEO collection, which we specially designed in 2010 for barrel racers, team ropers, calf ropers, senior, high-withered horses, sway back horses, and poor saddle fit. The CEO Collection is comprised of a series of three different saddle pads – The Fleesar, BHS and Cadillac Series, all created to serve a specific purpose. Each CEO pad will have a wool foundation of either our OG or Kush collection. Any of our CEO saddle pads can be customized additionally with a neoprene or fleece lining to further fit your horse’s comfort needs.
The Fleesar Series, is a fully customizable and adds a fleece lining to create an especially soft feel for added comfort, with more shock absorption, and even better moisture-wicking ability. It is a great option if your current pad is rubbing your horse, or if your horse has thin or sensitive skin.
The BHS Series adds a 3/8″ closed-cell foam insert to help distribute saddle pressure over the bars of the saddle, and reduce the breakdown of the pad over the bars. This pad is great for high withered horses and poor saddle fit. This layered design is great for an everyday work pad and is designed for lasting wear. Pair it with a 1″ or 3/4″ wool base pad for a great all day cowboying pad, or try it paired with a 1/2″ felt for what we like to call our “1D Lite,” designed with the barrel racer in mind.
The Cadillac Series adds a 3/8″ closed-cell foam inserts throughout the bars of the saddle, and an additional 1/4″ closed-cell foam insert placed strategically over the shoulders. It helps prevent the pad from collapsing in the area behind the shoulders by offering extra support. A great pad for team ropers, calf ropers, steer ropers and performance horses. Also recommended for senior and extremely high withered horses.
The Cadillac pad also has an option for shoulders inserts only that can help to level out a saddle that tends to fall forward. Shoulder inserts are available in 1/4″, 3/8″, and 5/8″ thicknesses.
Fleece Lining creates an especially soft feel for added comfort, with more shock absorption, and even better moisture wicking ability. Neoprene Lining is shock absorbing as well as being anti-fungal and antibacterial, it won’t absorb sweat, and is easy to clean. But, we do not recommend this feature if you are unfamiliar with it, as it is not a very breathable option.
Visit www.besteverpads.com to build your own pad now!
