Haf pad: Yes or no?

[got2ryd]

Would love opinions! Especially if anyone has tried the 8200 VPR
model. Don't know if it's worth the extra $50 or so over the
Sympanova (sp?). The claim is that the heat dissipation is much
better. Any better/worse than Skito? Thanks!

[Karen Standefer]

I LOVE HAF pads.  Have used them since 2001.  I used Skito exclusively before that.  I sold all of my Skito pads and haven't looked back.  the 8200 VPR has the advantage of  the cushioning being on the top of the pad, which helps further get a treeless saddle up off the spine.  The newer technology is suppose to make it cooler, too.  I don't ride in really hot weather, and have always thought that the sympanova cooled better than anything.  I would LOVE to have sympanova on the bottom of the 8200VPR because it also helps keep the saddle from slipping after the horse gets sweaty. 

I've had the same HAF pads for over 10 years and they are still in perfect condition.  They last forever! 

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[Barbara McCrary]

I like HAF pads but I have one horse who doesn’t. It rubs his hair around the loins into little balls and then pulls the hair out by the roots. He is not a happy horse when that happens.

 

Barbara

[irish horse]

I have the 8300, and love the sympanova backing. Haven't tried the other type. I've only done 25 mile rides so far, but the pad has held up well. I did replace the foam: first I added 1/4 inch felt to the Haf foam, then replaced all of it with Equipedic. I thought the Haf foam was a bit wimpy, the equipedic is great. Pad cleans up nicely, drys quickly, no issues with my horse.

-kerrie

[Sarah Chambers]

They seem to work for a lot of people. I had 3 of the 8300's that I
used with my freeform saddles. They worked on 50's but I had heat and
rubbing on the lower edge issues on multidays and 100's. I sold them
all after that. I also replaced the foam with Skito foam as the foam
was pretty wimpy and seemed to break down quickly.

I did like how easy they were to keep clean. I have changed back to
Skito with wool bottoms and have had no further issues.

[Marirose Six]

I bought a HAF pad & ended up using it on horses in training, eventually sold it. My main mule just didn't like the feel of it & wasn't shy to let me know. Eventually I used it on another mule--nice even sweat patterns. A couple weeks after using it on his first 50 roan patches of hair popped up in spots (black mule). Apparently the haf pad wasn't dissipating heat. That's when I sold it.

Marirose

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright,

[Karen Standefer]

Guess it depends on your environment.  I've had my original foam for 10 years and other than having some horse hair stuck in it, it's like new.  I use double foam on narrow horses and single on my wide horses. 

I also like them because they don't hold sweat, so don't get heavy like the Equipedics.

[Sheri Devouassoux]

I bought an 8200 with Sympanova last August. I loved it until it fell
apart in the washer the second time I tried to wash it (cold water,
gentle cycle). The distributor was nice enough to replace it (the
importer refused to replace it and said that it was my fault it fell
apart). The replacement pad has a deformity on the underside. It
looks like a wart. I am not sure how that $135 pad made it through
any sort of quality control. My opinion of HAF pads is that the
quality is not nearly what they were when the pads were first made. I
have talked to many people who are still using the pads they boought
5-10 years ago. However, almost every one I have talked to that
bought a HAFpad with the last couple of years has had problems with
the pad. The stitching has come undone, the nubbies on the underside
just fell off (that was what happened to my pad) or some other sort of
issue.

I bought the 8200 model originally because it was sized to fit my
saddle the best of all the models available (Ansur treeless saddle).
The inserts are not removable on the 8200. I had hosed the pad off
many times to wash it with no issues other than it takes a long time
for the foam to dry and I boarded at a barn where I just didn't have
a good place for it to dry overnight. I had washed it once before in
my washer and let it air dry in my basement with no problems. Then
the second time I tried that....well the pad was completely unusable
after that. Then the replacement pad had that bizarre deformity on
the underside (which does not seem to bother my very sensitive
gelding, but I still find it annoying that such an expensive pad could
have made it through quality control). I really, really like how cool
it kept my horse's back and it also kept my treeless saddle from
sliding around but due to my two not so favorable experiences with the
HAF pads and the complaints I have heard from others that have
recently purchased HAFs, I doubt I will spend the money on a HAF pad
in the future.

I used a Skito pad for the first year or so that I had this saddle,
and overall I really like the HAF better than the Skito because my
saddle does not slide around as much and it also seems to keep my
horse's back cooler as compared to the Skito. I would gladly purchase
another HAF pad in the future if I knew that it would last like the
old ones. But most people I have talked to have to replace their
newer HAFs about every 6 months to a year. I just can't afford to do
that, so I will be shopping for a different pad soon.

Sheri Devouassoux

[Mary K]

Ok, this is part gossip part experience so take it with a grain of
salt:

in discussing foam replacement for my beloved Skito pads (wool
underside, open cell foam panels inside, scrubby stuff top side) I
discovered that the Skito "firm" foam is no longer firm in comparison
to my first inserts. Decidedly softer. Does not work to keep my
Freeform channel up and open. Here's the gossip part: I called a
trusted vendor who said that the Haf pad foam is best, despite recent
issues with their actual pads. She recommended I buy the Haf pad
foam, and cut it down to fit my Skito pad. A couple of days later the
foam arrived--Wowzer! It's a zillion times firmer, definitely does
what I need it to do. However, she also mentioned that Equipedic has
improved their foam, and the shape of the FF-oriented pad, so that I
might want to reconsider that company after having not enjoyed my
first experience (not enough tenting over wither and overly soft foam--
both issues fixed now according to this vendor of many different
pads). She also mentioned a secret test going on with an entirely new
pad that she is liking the looks of ;-)

Thank you all you inventers/distributers of this specialized equipment
we all love to geek out about!!!!

Mary K.