New Whites - Weatherbeeta Pad

White. I both hate it and love it. It looks so pretty on a shiny, show horse, but unfortunately, it doesn't stay that way unless you put in a fair amount of effort. I have a pile of white show pads, but half of them are Speedy's which means they're a bit too small for Izzy's larger frame. At our last show, my white satin pad with crystals started having issues. The metal bits that hold the crystals on are starting to rust which is staining the pad. I needed to replace it.

My favorite pads right now are the LeMieux pads, I have two, a black with fleece on the underside and one in navy. Nearly everything that sports the LeMieux label is on back order until around 2053. Just kidding, but seriously, try finding a pad in white. If you can land one, let me know. With the LeMieux out of the picture, I had to find something that I liked nearly as much. That would be the Union Hill Dressage pads. They're also back ordered until late October. Bummer.

​I did some searching though and found this Weatherbeeta pad at the Riding Warehouse that is a close match, at least in style, to the LeMieux pads. The hunter green, white, navy, and yellow (of all colors) are back ordered, but it comes in some other beautiful colors - the purple is luscious. I might have ordered the last white one, but it might still be available at Dover if you really need a new white show pad.

Weatehrbeeta, same shape as the LeMieux

When I laid it on top of one of my LeMieux pads, the silhouettes lined up perfectly. And one of the things I love about the LeMieux pads is the extra high wither relief. The Weatherbeeta has the exact same high wither profile. Win.

Like the LeMieux, the Weatherbeeta has the modern contoured ​D-ring straps instead of the traditional straps that we all cut off immediately. Win

Also like the LeMieux, the Weatehrbeeta has the covered girth patch which keeps your billets from rubbing the pad. Unlike the LeMieux, the Weatherbeeta doesn't have the girth straps with the optional inner locking loop which helps prevent slipping. I don't use those little loops, but it's a feature Weatherbeeta could have tossed in. Not a win. 

Weatherbeeta got the high wither profile right. Win.

Mesh spine as seen from the top.

Unlike the LeMieux, the Weatherbeeta has a breathable mesh spine that can't be bad. I've noticed this channel on another Weatherbeeta pad that I own. It hasn't affected the durability of the pad, but I don't know if it keeps my horse cooler or not. Either way, I'm counting this as a positive, so ... win.

Two washings, not a win.

Unlike my other LeMieux pads, this one did NOT wash well. After using it on Saturday at the show, it had dirt (from where it brushed against something when I took it off) and black marks from my saddle. Izzy did get pretty sweaty, but my Union Hill pad, which I used on Sunday, came out very clean after just one wash; not the Weatherbeeta. It's in the wash again, this time with some stain remover and hot water. Hopefully it looks better. 

Other than not washing well (so far), this pad basically meets my expectations, especially for the price. The Weatherbeeta's $49.95 price tag definitely beats the pricier LeMieux which runs about $79.95 for the cheapest version. A $30 savings might be enough to persuade me to buy it in one of those other colors, but not the white one.

Those maroon, purple, and turquoise pads are calling my name.