Baretek English Pad

I bought the English Baretek when it first came out because it intrigued me — it looked like a really comfortable alternative to a bareback pad, since it offered more shape and support.

When it arrived, I realized that the only question I hadn’t asked was the seat size (it comes in only one size). I ride in a 17.5 or 18″ saddle and it simply wasn’t large enough. Because my legs are very long from my hip to my knee, the blocks were in the wrong place, making it uncomfortable to ride in.

The pad is well made. The suede material is “sticky” and the blocks would give you support (providing you fit). It fit my horse fine, although I would recommend using a therapeutic pad underneath it as there is no gullet. One thing I really liked about it was that it uses a dressage girth so you have none of the weird cinching issues that can occur with bareback pads.

I do think that it’s overpriced. It retails for $240-$270 and to be honest, I like my regular suede bareback pad, which cost $150, just as much. But it certainly looks cool! It sold in a flash on eBay, so lots of other people wanted to try it, too.