Which do you prefer? Fleece lined, or not? And why?
My preference is for a fabric that breaths. The plastic, waterproof covers seem to encourage mildew in our humid climate.
The fleece lining adds cushion if saddle is going to be bounced around.
I LOVE the cover that came with my Childeric. Canvas outside and inner lining is sheepskin
Why fleece lined of course, the barn cat prefers a softer cushion to sleep on. Now that we have a better cushion there are no more saddle scratches, no more “kitties in space” when said scratches are applied, harmony has been regained at the tack box … unless I run out of carrots.
Mine are both fleece lined with a canvas type outer layer. Nice soft protection for the saddle on the inside, and hay and shavings don’t get stuck on the outside. Also get the benefit of a little bit of water resistance, which is nice unpacking the trailer at a show in the rain.
I went the silly way and bought a just plain fleece one, with matching stirrup covers. It’s not that plain though; it’s rainbow-striped. It has held up extremely well for years. In that time, I have purchased two new saddles which each came with a cover that did not hold up at all, so back to the rainbow fleece.
The stirrup covers are nylon lined bags with a drawstring. I can’t tell you how many times people have told me, “wow that’s a good idea; I should get some!”
(I have no shame when it comes to colorful accessories. My horse often wears pink. Lots of pink. Because she looks exactly like Barbie’s Dream Horse. I even just got a pink sparkly dressage whip.)
The Lettia fleece lined ones are nice. I have two and replaced the thin cover that came with my Tad Coffin…for one that thing didn’t stay on well and two, the leather could get dinged up through it and the others like it I had in the past.
i think the fleece lined does a better job of collecting ring-dust on the saddle after a ride than the non-lined do. the fleece buffs the saddle as you cover it and move it around. the fleece also adds more padding in case a cat or a goat gets near our trailer :mad:
i have a weird one, it’s a suede (ish?) saddle cover… came with my new stubben zaria and the first i’ve seen in that material in a long time. it’s waterproof to a point and interesting but doesn’t do as good a job as keeping the tack buffed/cleaned as the lined ones do.
I have both unlined nylon and plain fleece. I really like my nylon ones because they are red and black and matchy-matchy all my stuff. However, on a daily basis the fleece one just seems nicer to my saddle. If I really had to protect it from kitty claws, I’d probably put the nylon over the fleece. However, I am the tallest boarder who currently rides the least, so my saddle is on the tippy-top row of saddle racks, well out of barn kitty’s reach.
I have nylon with fleece linings, but not just covers, the totes that zip up all around and have carry straps. I find in our damp climate these are somewhat better at keeping the mold off than just a saddle cover.
