Do I need the $150 saddle pad?

Julie at the barn asked me about my saddle a few weeks ago as she is in the market for a Western saddle. Her question led me to realize that I've now had the saddle four years (where did the time go??), and the saddle pad for the same amount of time. No complaints with the saddle; I love it. But the saddle pad is another story.

When I originally bought the pad, I selected that particular one because I couldn't find anything else in the stores in our area, the print went well with the saddle, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money since I wasn't really convinced that I'd be riding a lot. I believe I paid about $35 for the pad. It's nothing great, just a typical Western looking pad with a woven print top and faux fleece bottom with some sort of padding in between.

Now that I'm riding more, and another person is also riding Bestie, I am not liking the pad. In fact, it's gotten to the point where I feel kind of irritated whenever I look at it. Why? A) The fleece is fake - not breathable at all and it has gotten sort of crusty feeling in spots. B) The pad is quilted, so it has flat spots and poofy spots, and the fill seems to be redistributing oddly, all of which I wouldn't imagine would be comfortable to Ms. Bestie. C) It is 32 x 32 inches, and while she is indeed short-backed, I think a slightly bigger pad would hold its place more securely under the saddle.

So I've been poking around the internet for weeks looking for a pad. I want wool. Real wool. I want it to have a snappy pattern that makes me happy when I look at it. It needs to be sized something like 33 x 33 or 33 x 34. I want wool fleece, real wool fleece, on the bottom. All those tacky bottomed pads kind of give me the willies. And it can't weigh too much. I've seen some pad descriptions proudly proclaiming a weight of 5 pounds or heavier, and that just seems like too much for my dainty mare.

Which brings me back to the $150 pad. It meets all of my criteria. Every single one of them. But I'm hung up on the price. It just seems like a lot of money to pay for a pad. But it IS the only one I've found where I've been able to say "check, check, check" as I run through my criteria. And the construction does seem more equine back-friendly, hopefully hedging against future chiropractic expenses. And presumably a $150 pad is of great quality and will be around forever. I think I'm talking myself into taking the plunge.