Eskadron New Generation Fade Saddle Pad

I do not know what North America has against fun saddle pads, but we always seem to be stuck with the same solid navy blues and blacks. Europe on the other hand, they got things right. Whenever I go on a fun saddle pad hunt, I always am drooling over brands such as HKM and Eskadron. The unique colours and patterns these brands come out with is always something to be desired. Eskadron is always marketing their designs by going ‘matchy matchy’ with corresponding bonnets, saddle pads, boots, coolers, halters and grooming kits. This is genius because even though I have never been one to colour coordinate, Eskadron makes me want to suit up and strut in front of a camera. I stumbled across the Eskadron New Generation Fade one night when I was googling endlessly for new horse accessories, and instantly fell in love. This line came out summer of 2018 and I had never seen a saddle pad like it before, the geometric shapes and ombre colouration was truly unique. While there were many products in the New Generation line including an alternate spearmint/ink blue heart print, the smoking purple/ink blue geometric horse was my favourite.

First Impression

I was curious about the true colour of this pad, having seen oversaturated photos on Pinterest they differed from the photos displayed on the seller’s site. The colour of this pad met my expectations, looking just like the photos displayed on the store website. The feeling of the pad is very soft, the material almost like velvet. The diamond quilting is very well padded and the underside is a fine soft mesh for breathability and absorption. The horse pattern is on the left side of the pad, while the right said is bare. On the top of the pad on either side are the words ESK in slightly sticky silicon for increased grip against the saddle.

Fit and Feel

I ride in a general purpose saddle, so therefore I got in general purpose size, though it also came in Dressage size. It fit great in length and width as expected, forming nicely against her sides. My only complaint of this pad is that when layered with a half pad, the keepers are not long enough to securely velcro together. This pad felt cushioned when riding and no complaints or discomfort from Elan.

When removing the saddle pad, I found it to quite sweat wicking aside from a few areas where the padding met the seam, therefore less material to wick away. These areas have a white discolouration (top of the picture (back of pad), along the middle seam). I also found that because the underneath was a fine mesh, it made it easier for hair to stick and weave into the mesh of the pad. So I would maybe not recommend using this pad during shedding season like I unfortunately did.

Final Thoughts

I love this pad, especially because it is totally unique. Living in Canada, especially Northern BC we are so limited in variety for unique products unless you order out of town. While this pad was given to me and was ordered from Europe, Eskadron can be found in several stores in Canada and the USA. This pad is well made, and the fact you can accessorize with a variety of matching merch only adds to the appeal. I would love to buy Eskadron products in the future as I know that their truly unique products will not disappoint.

Always get back on,

Love Tess

*The opinions shared in this blog are of my own, and not a reflection of the company or its current and future products