ZOMG - western saddle pads! What a bewildering array! How to choose?

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

I’m thinking of ordering myself a Fabtron Flex tree Lady Trail saddle. This will be the first western saddle I’ve ridden in this decade.

For the past year and a half, I’ve been riding in an Ovation Show Jump saddle with a Thinline pad underneath, and a plain old cotton saddle pad.

How does one choose a western saddle pad? They all look like they do something specific - but I’ve no clue what I’d want mine to do!

What do you use, and why?

Thanks!

[Fillabeana]

Well, I start by using a cattle blower to blow the dirt and dust off my horse’s back. That way, there might be a little dirt but nothing to cake or be abrasive. This also helps a BUNCH with keeping the bottom layer saddle blanket clean.

The base layer is a $40 New Zealand Wool single layer saddle blanket, 32x30 or thereabouts. The wool allows sweat/moisture to wick up and evaporate. It is about 1/4" thick. With no abrasive dirt crusties, I only need to wash the blanket about once per year. I put it in a plastic bag, in a muck bucket, and drive around on the ranch roads for a day or so! If the blanket gets smelly, I just spray it with some Veterycin and that makes the stink go away.

The second layer is a wool felt pad. Somebody did a study of the concussion absorption of different types of fancy saddle pads, and the best shock absorbing properties were from a reindeer-fur felt pad. I don’t think you can buy a reindeer felt pad, but you CAN buy a wool one, and in thicknesses from 1/2" to 1" or more. The thickness you buy would depend on how your saddle fits a particular horse. I have a few different pads so my saddle can fit a few different horses’ backs. But anyway, if the saddle fits and the pad is an appropriate thickness, the wool felt does a great job of absorbing shock from roping, etc.

A couple of companies:
Diamond Wool:
http://www.statelinetack.com/item/diamond-wool-contour-cowboy-pad/E006941/
You can shim if needed with this pad:
http://www.statelinetack.com/item/diamond-wool-contour-relief-pad/E006939/
Really nice pads-Five Star wool pads- I buy them used via Craigslist or a consignment store:
http://5starequineproducts.com/saddle-pads/contour-horse-pad/

The difference in price has to do with the quality, and quantity, of virgin wool in the pad. Diamond makes a ‘more virgin’ version that costs what the Five Star pads do. I expect the Five Star pad to last longer than my $60 Diamond Wool pad.

If your saddle is a good fit, and you aren’t roping heavy cattle, a doubled (30x64") wool blanket would work fine, especially if it has wear leathers.

I have a friend who uses basic acrylic fleece cut out to match the contour of his wool felt pad, he washes these as you would a baby pad. He has good luck with this, but I’ve had horses that got terribly itchy from the acrylic fake fleece. Wool doesn’t have that effect.

I’ve heard nothing but bad reports for the fancy gel pads and such.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

Trust me, I will never be roping heavy cattle.:lol: I have a cattle phobia.:yes:

So it sounds like the wool felt pad will serve the same purpose as the thinline half pad I have now, and I’d use the wool blanket the same way I use my cotton pad on my jump saddle. Makes sense. Thank you for clearing up my confusion!

[pook]

TheAlpacaHorse.com makes THE best and most natural saddle blanket . 100% organic hand woven alpaca from New England and made in New England. They are at least 1/2 inch thick and retain their spring and cushion for years.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

Those are beautiful blankets pook.:yes: A little out of my price range right now - but I’m definitely saving the site. Santa may think I’ve been good this year, you never know.

[bugsynskeeter]

I loved my WonPad…it also comes in different thicknesses.

[PletchersMom]

Diamond wool saddle pad with cut back. That way it doesn’t rest on withers. Love my pad. Ride western 3 day a week for past 2 yrs and still looks brand new on both sides.

[Fillabeana]

The intriguing thing about the alpaca wool, is that it does not contain lanolin.
If you have a horse that gets really sweaty, and a lot of dirt/trail dust, mixed in, the lanolin can ‘help’ make a heck of an abrasive ‘crustie’ on the blanket.

Alpaca wool (as opposed to Llama wool) is very fine, and very soft. The fibers can be very fine, with a natural crimp or ‘spring’ built in. It would have great shock absorbing properties as a saddle blanket, and be great for a person or horse that had problems with sheep’s wool.

So…I’d love an alpaca saddle blanket.

Maybe I’ll figure out how to crack out the giant loom that my husband’s aunt left him…and the spinning wheel, put it in front of the TV…and our friends that raise alpacas volunteered to give us some fleece…
And I really have time for that…maybe not so much. So my NZ wool blanket liners do just fine.

Oh, and you CAN use a wool pad like the Diamond Wool ones without a liner. Just be sure that you don’t have anything dried and abrasive on the bottom.

[Renae]

For general bopping around trail riding something like this is just fine http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=32e083b3-9d1a-4cd6-ab48-e89073c9613e

[Sacred_Petra]

I killed my diamond wool pad in about 3 months of average riding, my boss wore out his won pad in about 9 months. The best pads I’ve ever used are the classic equine sensorflex pads. We put a year of hard (pads were used about 7 hours a day on horses in training for advanced competition) work on them, and they were still in very good condition, with good cushioning and breathability. They’re a little pricy, but totally worth it!

[pook]

I have 2 saddle blankets from The Alpaca Horse that I have logged 100’s of miles on this past year, thru heat, humidity, cold, and rain. My horse’s back is never,ever sore, never have a problem with “cold back”,and it does wick away the sweat with never any abrasion that sheep’s wool can cause(and god forbid- cotton and or foam).The best investment I have made for my horse.Very easy to take care of and they never seem to wear out ! The Alpaca Horse also has a Facebook page in addition to the website.

[katarine]

I have been perfectly happy with my Professionals Choice pads for a reasonable price. I love my really good wool navajo too but the Prof Choice works fine.

[mypaintwattie]

I’ve been very happy with the Classic Equine pads. I have an ESP Wool Top pad with the felt bottom that I’ve used for about 5 years that still looks brand new, and a ContourFlex pad that I’ve had for 2 years that is holding up great. My good friend has ContourFlex pads that are well over 6 years old and used daily and are still in great shape.

[Tee]

I have you basic $100 (ish) Pro Choice pads and have been very happy with them. Daily use on two horses and they’ve held up for 6 years or so and still look great.

[katarine]

[QUOTE=Tee;7043761]
I have you basic $100 (ish) Pro Choice pads and have been very happy with them. Daily use on two horses and they’ve held up for 6 years or so and still look great.[/QUOTE]

me too- DH does NOT take care of his tack, so I slap at it from time to time. His Prof Choice pads are in fine shape.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

Thanks, y’all. I wound up getting one like this, only with a pretty pattern on top.

[cowboymom]

I have one very similar to that-they do need replaced from time to time but I’ve had very good luck with mine/ours. We spray them down really well with the hose now and then and dry in the sun and pay attention if they’re getting compressed but for the most part they last and perform very well for us. And when they are no long saddle pads they make awesome dog beds!

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=cowboymom;7043904]
I have one very similar to that-they do need replaced from time to time but I’ve had very good luck with mine/ours. We spray them down really well with the hose now and then and dry in the sun and pay attention if they’re getting compressed but for the most part they last and perform very well for us. And when they are no long saddle pads they make awesome dog beds![/QUOTE]

So you do hose yours off? I asked the lady at the tack shop how to take care of them, and she said she just lets hers dry in the sun and then scrapes it off with a shedding blade.

[cowboymom]

Yep we do hose them off, thoroughly… then dry in the sun and we brush them lightly with a curry so about the same treatment.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=cowboymom;7045993]
Yep we do hose them off, thoroughly… then dry in the sun and we brush them lightly with a curry so about the same treatment.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I’m so used to throwing my pads in the washing machine. I know I can’t do that with wool, obviously, but I’m glad to know I can hose these off.