Does anyone have this pad? Likes and dislikes? Seems like a good price compared to other similar brands.
https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/smartpak-deluxe-sheepskin-dressage-pad-22488
I almost bought one of these but was glad I went to the store first. I passed on it, it doesn’t have enough of a wither rise to fit any of my horses and is stiff/bulky in person.
I’m a big sheepskin believer, all my horses are now in sheepskin lined pads – I like Lemieux’s the best in terms of price point, design, quality and longevity. I especially like that it comes with a generous wither rise and small velcro straps to attach to the d-rings to keep the saddle pad secure. I’ve used them for everything from XC lessons to hunter paces and been really happy.
The extra bit of money is worth it IMHO:
https://www.doversaddlery.com/lemieux-half-lined-cc-square/p/X1-190401/
Thanks for the review, beowulf. The Lemieux pad is not sheepskin, though…it is wool that is integrated into the fabric of the pad. Not sure if that offers as much protection and comfort as the sheepskin that has the wool still attached…
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That’s a fair observation. I can’t give you any scientific data to back my opinion, but feel the protection and comfort is on par with regular/traditional skin-lined sheepskin. I started using sheepskin directly on the horse’s back with a horse who was recovering from KS treatment; I noticed improvement in his general demeanor about being saddled almost immediately.
I converted to LeMieux about six years ago, after my Christ Lammfelle pad (which was sooo expensive) started falling apart after a year in. It was such a bummer. Someone actually gave me the LeMeiux as a gift and after I used it daily for a year, I ended up buying more colors. I now have about six of their pads that I’ve purchased over the years and all used regularly and wear really well. These pads are used 365 days a year, sometimes multiple times a day, and I’ve been really happy with their longevity. The only other sheepskin pad I would spend money on is Mattes at this point. They are very expensive, but wear well. I have one half pad that has to be twenty years old and is still in perfect condition.
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I got a Mattea half pad secondhand but new. It has lasted and washes beautifully. I also have a couple of other half pads and one of those dressage pads with sheepskin lining from “minor” brands, and a TSF 6 pocket shim sheepskin half pad I bought for another horse I was riding. They’ve all been good. Machine wash lukewarm with Melp, air dry. I don’t use them 365 days a year but when my saddles get a bit loose and I am waiting on the fitter.
The problem with any dressage square lined in sheepskin, if it’s white, is that the cotton part gets grubby like any dressage pad but you can’t bleach it because of the sheepskin and Melp is not great at whitening things.
I actually most recently was putting my Mattes pad under my baby pad, so they could be washed separately. I didn’t think it would work but it worked great.
They’re merino wool like the LeMieux ones, but I absolutely love my Premier Equine pads. I don’t have white, but my navy and black ones have been in daily rotation for a couple years now and they still look almost new. I just brush them routinely with a cat brush to keep the wool nice and it works like a charm.
