In the past on rainy hunt days, I have always just let my tack get wet and cleaned it afterwards. When I rode in someone else’s saddle cover, it felt slick. Does anybody have a waterproof saddle cover that they like and isn’t slick when wet? I bought a new saddle in the spring and I really don’t want to get it soaked over and over again quite yet.
Thanks
Coming over from Dressage/Eventing land: I had a Dressage show last weekend in an absolute downpour, and warmed up in my rideable waterproof CWD saddle cover. It was not slippery at all, even though it was so soaked I figured there was no way the saddle was dry underneath it - nope, it was bone dry underneath. It has Velcro flaps for the stirrups too, so it was easy to get on/off while horse was still girthed.
I’ve never hunted, not sure if the CWD red plus obnoxious branding might be a faux pas, but it’s definitely what you’re looking for in terms of functionality.
I quite like my cashel ride-on cover. It fits both my jumping and dressage saddles.
The only seam is the one around the edge to hold the elastic in, so there’s nothing to rub your saddle. And the underside, while smooth, has a bit of grip to it, so you don’t slip around at all. The stirrup slots are wide enough to fit my wide track irons, without letting in water or bunching up under my legs.
I have a couple of saddle rain covers that are fantastic–I got them from Tack of the Day. Saddle stays dry underneath, and they are grippy enough that I have done jumping lessons in them without issues. I haven’t hunted in one, but I would. They are black and unobtrusive and they stay in place during a long ride. After excessive use, the nylon part under your leg/stirrup leather will wear out and lose waterproof nature, but the seat won’t. For $20ish, I can forgive that.
Otherwise, the only disappointment I’ve had from them is that I gave several as Christmas gifts two years ago but was disappointed that they did not see much use–turns out some people just don’t ride when it is raining, which hadn’t occurred to me.
Correction: I double checked, and the brand that I bought from tack of the day is from Intrepid International, not Cashel! It is a very similar design, though.
I used to have one with a grippy material on the seat by Tally Ho (unfortunately I sold it). However, I couldn’t find any just now when googling. This one by Duratech is similar: http://www.sstack.com/English_Cases/Dura-Tech-Sureseat-All-Weather-English-Saddle-Cover/.
Seeing as I just rode in my brand new saddle in an absolute downpour the other day, I was thinking about a waterproof saddle cover as well. Thanks to those of you who recommended specific covers!
