LeMieux Saddle Pad(s)

While Black Friday has passed, it seems that most of the sales are still going on which means all things LeMieux are still up for grabs. One of them, ​the LeMieux Merino+ Dressage Square Half Lined Saddle Pad, is already in my possession. I wrote about ordering this pad a week or two ago. It did not disappoint.

The first thing I absolutely love about this pad is how high the profile is. Izzy's withers aren't ridiculously steep, but they're ample. I don't own any pads that aren't at least slightly contoured, but this pad takes contoured to a whole new level. The high profile guarantees that there will be no pressure on your pony's withers.

​I am "saving" this pad for use at shows and clinics, but since I really wanted to try it out, I've used it twice for lessons. The first time I used it, the wind was howling, so getting the saddle on without the pad blowing off meant I didn't get to really study its particulars. On Saturday, when I used it again, a few little features caught my eye.

Very clever!

The first was the "channels" in the billet keepers. What a clever idea, and why hasn't anyone thought of this before? You can drop your billets in like usual, or, you can use the little pocket created by the extra stitching to hold your billets in place if needed. You can see the left billet in its individual keeper. There's another stitched "pocket" for the right billet, but I didn't use it in this photo.

I also like how nicely shaped the D-ring attachments are. I always cut these things off because there is never a good way to attach them. These are perfectly contoured which makes them lay cleanly when attached to the D-rings.

While those little features are thoughtful, it is the pad itself that is so wonderful. The Merino wool is dense and luxurious, the cut of the pad is perfect, and the fabric is sturdy without looking completely utilitarian. There's not a thing I don't like about this pad.

In fact, I like the pad so much that I sent the details for the LeMieux X-Grip Silicone Square Dressage Saddle Pad to my husband with the reminder that my birthday is just around the corner ...

This one would be my every day pad ...