Anyone have a saddle with this type of panel? They are a synthetic flocking on the inside and the flocking is encased in breathable neoprene. Suppose to eliminate lumps, etc that can occur with natural wool flocking …so a smoother contact with the horse’sback ??? Pessoa is one brand that uses it. Looking for feedback/reviews on them.
Most saddle panels are lined with a foam on the inside to help with the inconsistency of wool. I would say it is industry standard at this point.
Sheltona01, interesting, i didn’t know that. Do you know if the Thorowgood T8 (synthetic) saddle panels are lined with foam?
My Pessoa with AMS panels is coming up on 4 years now and I am still a fan. I bought a bag of the flocking material at the same time as the saddle and wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if it were nothing more than a type of polyester, not anything magical, just a synthetic fiber. It compressed significantly over the first 3 months of use and I went from zero saddle pads with the new saddle to a regular amount of saddle pads after the panels compressed. Flocking adjustments are easy due to the way the panels detach from the tree, and I have to make adjustments about once a year to beef up the areas that need a more custom fit and smooth everything out again. There is no indication yet that a complete reflocking is necessary and I would guess it might be another 3-4 years until I decide to strip the panels.
Overall, a very positive experience with cheaper maintenance than with wool flocking, and this particular saddle was a godsend for my sensitive, tricky-to-fit horse. But I don’t recommend sacrificing the fit of the tree or fit for the rider in order to make an AMS saddle work, they aren’t that special.
Yes, they are lined with Prolite, I believe. Not 100% sure it is polite, but for sure they are lined.
