At Ecogold, we like to say “the horse is our customer more so than the human”. We are always excited to hear of our saddle pads helping a horse, but it’s not very often we get to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth (literally). Here’s a first-hand (and hoof) account of how an Ecogold saddle pad helped Brin and her horse, Zoey, get back into the show ring.
Brin: My sweet fancy show hunter mare broke down after only 5 months of owning her in November 2016. For almost 2 years we struggled trying to get her sound using all the latest and traditional vet treatments with little improvement. It was a daily challenge to remain positive that she could somehow get better when every month. Nothing got better and her future appeared to be headed to motherhood at age 9. She’s in my will and with me for life so my commitment is forever.
Zoey: In January 2018, mom brought in a new vet recommended by her new barn’s owner and trainer. She is a vet who is also an osteopathic vet extraordinaire. BINGO, I started to get much better with monthly treatments helping my spine, which was so kinked up with head, pole and neck injuries that my hind end was locked up. My new trainer works with me daily to teach my body how to go correctly using my hind end as they slowly, carefully bring me back.
The new dilemma: Zoey’s body has changed shape greatly being out of work and the saddle doesn’t fit anymore so what to do?
Brin: I heard about Ecogold pads from a friend and ordered the hunter pad which promptly got stuck in customs (of course). I had the great good fortune to call the company to get it out of customs and spoke to the wonderful John Da Silva, Ecogold’s founder and expert on saddle pad materials and engineering. We brought back our local saddle fitter who cut pieces of felt to make the saddle fit correctly until Zoey’s body is where it should be over the next year as muscles return and get stronger. While fitting the saddle, we called John and they discussed how he could fit the felt pieces onto his Ecogold pad that we shipped up to him with the felt pieces and the pad marked where Velcro should be placed!
How incredible is that a company who sells saddle pads for some of the greatest horses competing (hello, McLain Ward) in the world today will work with an amateur rider returning to the saddle after a 40-year hiatus from riding and showing her ponies in the 1970s. Sure, we have the internet to research and order products but calling a phone number and receiving such gracious assistance and commitment to help a customer and her horse perform and thrive is outstanding.
Thank you to Ecogold and John Da Silva in Canada from a very happy horse owner in Virginia.
