We have seen many problems created by the well-meaning horse owner who uses gel pads. The spine at rest has a curvature called the thoracolumbar bow. Synchronization of the muscles around it allow the spine to straighten with propulsion. Consider the function of the saddle gullet, meant to allow your horse freedom of movement at his optimum performance level. His muscles engage, becoming taut and lifting his skeletal carriage (the thoracolumbar bow) to straighten into the gullet of the saddle. Gel is a heavy dense substance which responds to weight and pressure. The weight of the saddle bars and the rider coupled with the oblique and vertical forces of movement cause the gel to disperse and progress downward. This is counter-productive to the horse’s natural process of movement. Gel becomes ‘dead’ weight on the skeletal and muscular structure, inhibiting your horse’s impulsion and numbing the natural function of his finely-tuned apparatus. Cavallo Total Comfort System Saddle pads are a unique combination of four layers of technically-advanced materials that do not resist movement but rather respond and allow room for your horse to function in accordance with his structure.