This may be a dumb question but what is the purpose of the Navajo blanket over the western saddle pad? (Other than cosmesis)
I am pretty sure it is just for the pretty factor.
Also kind of a maintaining the tradition of the Navajo blanket, while still using the modern tech/knowledge of better padding material.
Well, “back in the day” when the West was getting going, Navaho Blankets were relatively inexpensive. Being made of wool, they could breathe with sweat of horse, keep his back warm, were THICKLY woven for cushion. Many Western saddles back then had no fleece on the underside, so one layer of cushion removed from today’s saddles. No one used a saddle pad under the Navaho back then. Horse didn’t get the good effect of his back’s skin breathing, sweat absorbtion into the wool.
So for a LONG time, Navaho blankets were kind of the “best” type of saddle blanket to have. They lasted well, could be washed in a creek, hung to dry, kept the horse from getting sored up. And pretty colors were a bonus!
There were other kinds of wool pads, wool blankets, pressed hair pads, often Cavalry inspired, available. Lots of men came thru the Cavalry, stayed out West when their enlistments ended. They had used the wool pads, knew how to fold the bed size wool blankets they slept in, to fit under saddles from their Cavalry training.
Wool was the best for padding, with all the bonus features of natural materials. Synthetics were really not invented or put into horse use until almost late 1970’s. Many did not work well, but some did. Things changed a lot after that, with all the interesting stuff we can now purchase.
There is a LOT of tradition in using Navaho blankets under Western saddles, much of from practical experience in daily horse use. Can’t ride a sore horse, so best to take GOOD care of him to be able to get your work done. Good padding blankets were a big part of keeping a horse usable in daily life. Same goes for all the other equipment, styles of equipment, that are labeled “Western”.
Yep…what they said. Mostly they’re just fashion now.
