I have a fussy sensitive horse…a princess and the pea type… that I’m considering purchasing one of these pads for. I’m pretty sure saddle fit is not my issue in this case but rather just a general fussiness over the small stuff. I’ve been eying those amazingly expensive wool lined pads like the Mattes and a couple of spinoffs. Has anyone noticed any real improvement using these style of pads with horses that seemed to dislike standard fabric pads or were just generally fussy that way? Are they a PITA to keep clean? Any recommendations on brand for a budget conscious person? Any brands to avoid? Can “fake” fleece even come close to real wool for a true “Princess” type horse? 
Well I can say they are a PITA to keep clean. If they are real sheepskin, they will shrink if you wash them, and you have to block them each time to prevent them from getting half size.
Also they yellow. However our vet-chiro recommended them for my horse who would get clogged pores from any sort of gel pad and he did like them.
The easiest way to see if your horse likes one is to borrow one if possible and try one. Mattes are a great pad. I recently bought one off of a friend who picked it up for $40 at a tack swap and decided she didn’t like a white pad because of how it shows the dirt. A little dirty, otherwise like new. She kindly sold it to me for what she paid for it. If new is too pricey, try finding a good used one either online or at a swap. If you go for a name brand like Mattes, they hold their value as long as the wear isn’t excessive. Not sure that it would be show suitable but Toklat Woolbacks are a high percentage of wool (just a touch of synethic for wearablity).
Wool and sheepskin cleans up nicely. The care specifically for Mattes can be found at: http://www.mattes-usa.com/index.aspx?index=Care.
Yes. My sensitive chestnut TB is much more comfy in his sheepskin pad. I’m using this Roma pad from Jeffers – it’s a great value at $63:
http://www.jefferspet.com/product/dressage-square-quilted-pad-by-roma174-5850.cfm
I got the pad in the spring and used it all summer. It washes up great and has held up well. I liked it so much I just bought a second one. It’s not as thick a sheepskin as the Mattes, so there’s less bulk under the saddle.
I also have two Mattes half pads, which I like to use on top of a thin pad, but for this horse I prefer the all-in-one.
I wash all of the sheepskin pads in my washing machine with Woolite detergent and cold water, then lay them out to dry.
I have a mattes. I use it all the time. I find I have to adjust my tree wider. But on my one guy it makes a HUGE HUGE difference.
If your saddle is a great fit, then I wouldn’t add one… it would be like putting on thick wooly socks and then sticking your feet into shoes that fit well with a thin cotton sock.
I have never had a problem with keeping mine clean… I just toss it in the wash on gentle.
wool pad
I have a horse that will get hives if the wind changes direction so maybe not the best test case but i did try a wool pad on him and he developed large welts under the pad that lasted for several hours. Guess he didn’t like it…
Jill
I have a sensitive red head that I am slowly realizing will only be happy in sheepskin everything. My wallets a little lighter but I don’t have any more rubbing problems.
The best advice I got was to get a little cat or dog wire brush and brush the sheepskin regularly to keep it clean and fluffy and looking like new. And when I do have to wash it (which I avoid as much as possible) or when it gets wet or sweaty I brush the sheepskin while it’s wet and believe it or not it drys looking like new instead of matted.
Thanks for the feedback! Larkspur…thanks for that link! What an amazing price for a wool lined pad! I was figuring I’d pay at least twice that much!
Good point about the saddle fit too and allergies.
Thanks again!
Definitely look at Roma and Equine Comfort, or even Fleeceworks, if you’re looking for new but are freaky about the Mattes price.
I’ve been using sheepskin for years - wouldn’t go back to gel or anything else. You can pick up nice pads on eBay or watch Tack of the Day, every once in a while, they have the Mattes for a great deal.
Synthetic will NOT work - it mats down to a hard ball, bleah. Sheepskin forms to your horse’s back, provides amazing cushion, and breathes (important to us in CA where the summers get hot). I’ve never had one shrink - but I wash in cold water with Woolite and dry on a fence railing in the sun, no dryer time. I’ve got pads that are several years old and still in service.
Roma Pad
I have a friend who is selling a used Roma with the sheepskin (her hubby lost his job) for $35. From the photos, it looks to be in good shape and fit for schooling but probably not showing. PM me if you’d like her info.
Yep. :yes:
His Princess and the Pea shows a difference. Sadly. The real deal sheepskin is it. And next to his skin, thank you very much, NOT on top of a baby pad. (which makes sense if you’re using it for the cooling properties in summer anyway–I’ve never been so amazed as to see all the half-pads ON TOP of pads as in the Olympics. Heat dispersion is one of the major benefits of real sheepskin… but I digress… )
The cheaper pads like Roma and some of the Ebay ones don’t do it. At least for him. I am sure that is partially about saddle fit and cush–he prefers treeless, but with a tree fitted slightly wide, a thick sheepskin half-pad and thinline, we have the same degree of bliss.
I have Stephen’s and Bartl for him. I do have a Fleeceworks full sheepskin shaped pad for showing–the Fleeceworks is nice, and washes up a little better, but isn’t quite as dense as the other two, and is only slightly cheaper.
I use half-pads UNDER a square on a daily basis. Real, expensive sheepskin cleans up easily with brushing… and then the half-pads launder easily. I wash every other month or once a quarter or so using woolite. Square pad over to keep saddle clean.
I have two half-pads. The older one (five years now!) gets the dirty-horse. The white quilting on it is really done and doesn’t clean up AT ALL. The newer one gets clinics and lessons and such, or when he’s clean(er) following them. The quilting is a nice hunter green.
I scored a half-lined square Bartl pad on Ebay from a UK seller for like $80 USD. Even with shipping it was less than $110 USD and much, much more pad for the money than anything I can find in catalogues here. I got it in hunter green, and have used it for lessons. Haven’t washed it yet. The dark coloured quilting is key. Brush the sheepskin slightly when it’s still wet with sweat, then curry it when it dries. Voila.
I haven’t tried the ones Arete Saddlery is carrying yet. I’d like to. They are the pads that Thinline uses for their half-pads.
You get what you pay for though, and truly, the more dense, expensive pads stay clean longer and clean up easier.
With winter coat I can get away with a very dense, expensive synthetic fleece pad I have. BUT–it slips. The other benny of real sheepskin is it doesn’t slip. I have a WOOL pile/fleece pad, which is more non-slip, and more cooling… but has nowhere near the cush. You get what you pay for.
It’s a PITA. Mr. Fussypants gets far, far nicer things than I do. :uhoh: And I’m sure when my teacher rides him, you can’t tell one bit of difference. For me it’s a relaxation in the back that IS noticeable. He warms up immediately and is very through. With other pads (and I’m sure fit changes too–it’s not JUST a pad!) it takes longer to warm up, and sometimes we never quite get to through.
I orginally got the first sheepskin pad because of heat issues in the summer. We’d travel for a lesson and it would be ten to fifteen degrees hotter and WAY humid, and we’d both really suffer. So it was only by accident I discovered how much he loffs them. Princess. (sissy :uhoh: :winkgrin: )
Jaime…in this case it is a certain Prince also that needs a more cushy pad. He’s so fussy about anything that makes him even a little uncomfortable.
Thanks to all of you for your input again! 
Engel
unless you buy Engel sheepskin. Very high quality, dense fleece – affordable price.
I have four numnahs like these. Dobbin and I LOVE them. Cushy on his back, easy to clean.
http://www.natureswish.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=ST3320D#
Hm, I think Engel might be the brand Arete has?
And yes, DB, I suspected as much. They are soul brothers, aren’t they? Lol!
FWIW, I prefer pads with no rear roll, for putting UNDER a light schooling pad. While it is doable with the rear roll, it puffs up the pad and makes things look bulky. For an all-in-one pad it doesn’t matter a bit.
(it also cracks me up that Mattes has a quilted pad with the rear and pommel rolls, but NO SHEEPSKIN LINING. People just want the ‘look’ in that case. I’d be VERY HAPPY to NOT NEED sheepskin. I was deliriously happy when I could be a cheap pad 'ho. I loff collecting cheap pads. :lol: )
I also wash in cold water w/woolite and dry on a rack. If there is an actual sheepskin, believe me it will shrink.
They just do. They are a natural product.
I’ve never had one shrink. Huh.
At least not enough to notice.
[QUOTE=MelantheLLC;3694367]
I also wash in cold water w/woolite and dry on a rack. If there is an actual sheepskin, believe me it will shrink.
They just do. They are a natural product.[/QUOTE]
Maybe the better ones are pre-shrunk? I know my Mattes hasn’t shrunk at all. I kinda wish it would.
I love my mattes half pad and my saddler thinks it’s wonderful too. I always use it over a mattes thin pad. It’s great because it has no fluff on its spine so no pressure there for the horse. Coming from New Zealand with all our sheep we always wash wool very carefully. Get a good wool wash product and just hand wash in warm water and rinse in warm water - not hot - not cold. Spin in washing machine. Dry out of the sun flat or on a rack. Brush it up when dry. And no, synthetic is nowhere near real wool - go for the real deal. I haven’t had a sheepskin pad shrink but I think they would if washed incorrectly…
My geldings both LOVE their sheepskin pads. I would go with the real deal sheepskin. The Roma pads are great and not too pricey. I have the thinline sheepskin pad and a matters. Love them!! I always wash mine in cold water with Leather Therapy and I’ve never had one shrink.
