Western Bling In The Ring: Part IV

Hey ya’ll, it is already time for Western Bling In The Ring: Part IV! Hopefully you have enjoyed the journey so far, as I have taken you through some absolutely ridiculous prices and designs that are flooding the show arena of the western show world today. We have previously taken a look at show halters (Western Bling In The Ring: Part I), bridles (Western Bling In The Ring: Part II), and breastcollars (Western Bling In The Ring: Part III), which has now led us up to the exploration of show pads and blankets.

Just like all of the other tack options for preparing your horse for the ring, show pads and blankets come in many many many different styles, colors, and prices. Also, there are numerous different materials and types of fabric that are used to accommodate and benefit your horse’s needs. While the appearance of the saddle pad or blanket is important to many showmen, the ultimate importance of this piece of tack is how well it protects the horse wearing it! The pad or blanket is the only portion separating the saddle from the horse’s bare back, therefore, it is vital that it is efficiently doing its proper job.

The Wool felt- Square pad is a simple yet sophisticated looking piece under any saddle. The ¾” Wool felt has leather wears and is said to be the preferred choice of pad because it naturally absorbs shock and wicks away the moisture. This keeps the horse cool and comfortable. The pad can also come in other colors such as grey or chocolate with leather wear colors of walnut, regular oil, or black. This show pad is priced at $149.99, however the black and chocolate is an additional $20, pushing the price to $169.99.

These are very attractive and traditional western style pads. The design consists of three 3” pieces of light leather wears that can be tooled in acorn, basket, of floral. Also, there are numerous colors to choose from such as black, hunter green, navy, royal, sand, cream, burgundy, red, chocolate brown, teal, turquoise, lime, yellow, fuchsia, sweet pink, aqua, tangerine, fandango pink, or purple. The conchos and mule tail horse hair tassels can be added to complete the very stylish design at an additional charge of $30. The price for one of these pads would be $149.95 with just the color of your choice and leather strips or $179.95 with the added conchos and tassels.

The Impact Gel Contour pad has a very similar resemblance to the first example above but it is created and built unlike any other pad on the market. Impact Gel is strategically positioned at critical pressure points to provide ultimate comfort and protection for the horse by reducing the energy waves from the tree of the saddle and filling in the spaces between the saddle and horse’s spine. It is lighter weight, more energy absorbent, and cooler with a felt lining in either black or grey. This piece of art work costs $189.99.

The Professional Choice SMx Air Ride pad is only one example of all the crazy designs and color combinations that are available on market to meet your specific preference. For riders looking for a more “eye catching swatch of color” to make your tack have a little extra pop to it, going for a more vibrant and outspoken design is the answer. This particular pad is 100% wool which wicks away moisture, absorbs shock, is lightweight, and highly breathable. It allows even air circulation in every direction, helping moisture to evaporate quicker and the horse to cool off faster. Priced at $189.99, the sky is the limits when looking for a unique and colorful design.

These simple but glitzy blankets are another more traditional and stylish part of western showing décor. They are made with New Zealand Wool and come with light oil or dark oil leather corner plates. You choose your own concho style, which can be really blinged out with crystals or just a more plain round style. The color variation is also available in black, cream, pink, light, blue, purple, royal blue, teal, lime, red, or lavender. Additionally, you may add light or dark leather wears to the design. These bad boys are priced at a whopping $299.99! I find this quite interesting due to the fact that these blankets are over $100 more expensive than the pads, even though you will have to also purchase a plain pad to go underneath this blanket. I told ya’ll that purchasing the bling for the ring was not cheap!