I tried a used OrthoFlex and both the horse and I hated it - although I couldn`t figure out what bothered my horse at the time. I wanted a Reactor Panel but couldn`t afford one. At the time I owned a tack shop and designed and manufactured biothane products. I had a box of scrap leather and fleece that my grandfather had left. I decided I would try to make my own panels to attach to my County dressage, my main goal to distribute weight better. I had my design planned when I discovered Free`n`Easy Saddles which solved all my issues and was more affordable.

I still love my Free`n`Easy saddles and have 4 of them. But I kept coming back to my original idea because I still thought there should be a way to apply the some of the same design principles to "regular" saddles and then especially for treeless saddles. Now that I am focusing on saddle fit in general, I`ve seen so many horses with sore backs from treeless saddles. I have also been researching treeless saddles trying to identify those that I felt kept the structure of the horse in mind. There have been some definite improvements, but still a lot of issues.

So I finally got serious about designing a panel insert and pad that could work for any saddle. My first phase worked beautifully in many ways, but actually wasn`t as successful for the very non-structured types of treeless saddles as it was for treed and more structured treeless and it wasn`t aethetically appealing to many people.

As I have been collecting books on saddle fit I re-read an excellent book by Joyce Harman and realized that part of my original panel concept was something she recommended. So back to the drawing board and the final result is ready.

I am a fan of high quality foams that will not lose their ability to return to shape and most importantly, have a fast rebound which can react with the speed of your horse`s motion. I have found an excellent foam that has some of the best shock absorption qualities available, as well as my above requirements - it is also the foam used in Free`n`Easy saddles. I can also make this foam available in custom cut shapes for those who need to replace foam in existing pads that has failed or does not have all the needed properties.

The Kinetic Pad inserts are available with or without a shell pad. Many people already have various pads with insert pockets and they are expensive. So if you already have a pad that fits your saddle, I can work from a tracing and create custom inserts. Or we will have several sizes and shapes (or will take detailed measurments for custom pads) and sell the pads as well. Options will include cotton, synthetic wool or 100% wool for the bottom (also investigating other breathable products) and the top can be either suede or cordura. All pads will be shaped to provide wither relief (something missing from a surprising number of pads out there.)

Pricing ranges from $120 for standard insert, $160 for an adjustable insert, and the pads will range from $100 to $150.