sheepskin pad

[amc2]

Hello-

anyone care to offer hubby some advice on the correct way to use a sheepskin half pad.

finally convinced my man to stop hunting in a square ap quited pad- and invested in a lovely christ sheepskin 1/2 pad to pamper the worlds best hunt horses back on those long sweaty hunts...so what does he do?

goes out and buys cheap quilted SHAPED PAD to go against horses back to put his sheepskin pad on top of and then saddle on top.

I explained the reason for the sheepskin- to be AGAINST the horses skin- to no avail....he saw a lady on our hunt who had her 1/2 pad on top of a quited pad so that is the WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE.

anyone care to offer advice- which i will happily print out and give him??

[Equibrit]

He needs a FULL sheepskin pad.

[J Swan]

Tell your husband to "DROP IT" and when he does, say, "LEAVE IT".

And get thee a full sheepskin pad. Trust me - it is SO worth the money.

You can get a great one on ebay for 99$ - through Saddlery Liquidators.

I am saving up for another one as we speak.

[Painted Wings]

Yeah, I bought a full sheepskin pad from Fleeceworks and never looked back. We hunt 3-4 hrs and I feel better giving my horse some extra cushion. I wash in woolite after each hunt and only use it for hunting.

[Jumphigh83]

Another vote for the full pads....you really need two since they take so long to dry..I wash in Leather Therapy Wash and Conditioner in rinse. DO NOT leave them in your hot truck when wet(they dry up nasty....but you can resurect them by re washing) Dryer on fluff (air dry) for a few minutes helps the fleece to get fluffy again. Expensive but worth it.

[AilleXWest]

I use a half pad as it makes my saddle fit some much better. If I am home I use a baby pad under. If I am out hunting I use a fitted pad under it. You need to put something under it to keep it clean. They are he** to wash.

[texang73]

I use a half pad sheepskin with a baby pad on top of it just to help keep the saddle cleaner... Sheepskin is meant to be against the horse's skin in order to work properly (in terms of comfort for horse and dissapating (sp?) or holding heat to/from the horse's back (depending on the weather... wool - aka sheepskin - is the BEST for that!). After each ride, I let it dry fully then gently brush it out with a body brush to help clean it between washings and restore the loft (I only wash mine when it is really icky). It's not hard to wash, just get some MELP detergent and machine wash delicate cold and air dry.

I got mine on Ebay here: http://stores.ebay.com/Sheepskin-Headquarters-LLC

[J Swan]

texang73 - those are good prices. How has your pad held up over time?

[texang73]

It h as held up really well so far. Engel pads are German, so well made.

[Ponyclubrocks]

I have half pads, full pads plus some of the mattes which are sheepskin panels sewn onto a cotton quilt pad. In all cases I use then with the sheepskin against the horses body. Isn't that the whole point of getting the real thing? If it's just for cushioning above another pad, get any ole fleece, wouldn't matter what it was made of.

In between washings, I air dry them then brush them out. I don't baby them in the wash however, I use regular detergent, sometimes a capful of bleach, hot water on regular cycle, then I throw them in the dryer for a fluff up. They have all been used and washed extensively and have held up beautifully. Worth every darn dime.

[gkittredge]

Hello-

anyone care to offer advice- which i will happily print out and give him??

Husbands are always right
:D

Well, you asked!

[amc2]

Husbands are always right
:D

Well, you asked!

as promised......im printing this one too.......

[gkittredge]

What I do really like about this thread is that the Mistress of the Hunt and I were having a discussion not three days ago about a Sheepskin pad. I was / am in the need for a new pad as my saddle is just a wee bit wide for my horse at the withers. I was told to get an “up-front” pad. We were searching for a new pad and in the stack of white pads I saw it. There in the middle of the stack was a thick, glistening, must have been made by angels, soft, luxurious full sheepskin pad. As my hands ran over it a choir of heavenly voices rang out. It was as if it was summoning me. I got the same rush holding it as I would running through the tool department at Sears. People who were having a conservation with me, their voices faded into the abyss as this pad and I retreated to a warm, safe place in my heart and childhood memories. I was reminded of youthful happy times when I could actually buy what I wanted without being told “NO!” …. Sigh….:cry:

Then, like a cold slap in the face I lurched from my delight having been ripped from my place of delight with “you know you can never get those clean and it is just not the right pad for a hunt!” Her voice scratch in my ears like a child with their fingernails on the chalkboard. I placed the pad back on the shelf and moped out of the store; head hung in shameful defeat.

But now I find my spirits rejuvenated and testosterone levels rising to learn that others are hunting perfectly well and cleaning their sheepskin pads in the washing machine time after time. So later today I just might “go get the car washed,” sneak down to the tack store, look both ways over my shoulders, slither to the pad section, turn off the surveillance cameras and emerge victoriously with a full sheepskin pad.

I can just feel the triumph building inside – so excited!!! Victory will be mine!

I know I’ll pay for it when I get home. But, I’ll have the pad! Whoooo Hoooo!

Thank you COTH for providing the elixir of freedom.

Gregory

[Terpn]

For hunting is it alright to have the natural color of the sheepskin or does the wool have to be white?

[Jumphigh83]

You GO Gregory!!! (I experienced the SAME rush when I handled "THE pad" for the first time!!!) Strains of the Halleluah(sp???) Chorus ringing in my ears! (GREAT anecdote!!!):lol::lol::lol:

[SimpsoMatt]

I washed my first Fleeceworks pad in the washing machine. It fell apart after 2 washes. I took the fragments back to the tack store, and they sold me a new one for half price, along with a bottle of some special soap and recommendations to hand wash it. After 2 hand-washings with the special soap, it's starting to fall apart.

[Badger]

I wash my Fleeceworks in a frontload on gentle with Leather Therapy wash. Toss in the dryer on "Air/Fluff" along with a couple towels to help pull the moisture out. My full pad is heading into it's third season, and my even-older half-pad is holding up well to. I do not wash after every ride: just let the pad air dry in the trailer and brush with a stiff brush until it looks like it needs a washing.

[lizathenag]

Be thankful that your partner is sharing your passion and don't sweat the small stuff!

[Painted Wings]

I'm into my second season with my fleeceworks pad. Wash it in Woolite in the top load machine after every hunt. I use leather therapy for a time or two to help the skin.

[Snow Princess]

I am also into my second season with the real wool pad .. I have the high withered model and use it the same way only for hunting with a direct wash in the machine after hunting when it is still soaking wet.
I also use the saddleright pad on top of the sheepskin so wool is against horses back with all the fluffy wool you don't even see the brown leather saddlerite pad. The brand of my pad is made by Griffin.. nu-med.. 100% wool purchased at the tack box in Middleburg.

http://www.saddleright.com/

These are well worth their $200 price....Put on Patrick's Christmas wish list!

[kellyb]

Tell your husband to "DROP IT" and when he does, say, "LEAVE IT".



:lol::lol::lol:

[Romany]

I second the Griffin Nuu-Meds, as no dead sheep were involved in their manufacture (they're made from wool woven on to a backing).

Wash and wear really sweetly, and correctly cut for the shape of a horse's back, and not so bulky as to make a saddle pinch (the Fleeceworks ones look and feel divine, but are too thick imho).

[Beverley]

Gee, I never bought them real sheepskin, only the fake, or a cotton shaped pad, or no pad at all. Never any back issues, even hunting hard 6 or 8 hours. If the saddle fits, what's under it (if anything) seems of minor to no importance. If the saddle doesn't fundamentally fit, no amount or type of padding can prevent a sore back. I 'do' have a Saddle Right pad at present, which gets used when the big guy's saddle needs reflocking and the saddle guy can't get there for a few weeks.

I do have a real sheepskin pad, given to me a couple of years ago, but the dang thing is awfully slippery.

[Snow Princess]

I ride a variety of horses and use the saddlerite pad more as preventitive medicine so to speak.. obviously my 2 saddles can't fit every horse perfectly.

[Lori]

I have had Equine Comfort pads for years. I use them daily, brush off with a stiff brush when dirt gets on there (my pads have their own beastie brush now). I think Legacy Tack has them for 99.95.
I wash in a front load with a little bit of Rambo wash and air dry. I have not had a problem with them falling apart in any way (knock on wood!).

[Ponyclubrocks]

I washed my first Fleeceworks pad in the washing machine. It fell apart after 2 washes. I took the fragments back to the tack store, and they sold me a new one for half price, along with a bottle of some special soap and recommendations to hand wash it. After 2 hand-washings with the special soap, it's starting to fall apart.

But while I do wash mine frequently, it is always in a front load machine, never one with an agitator.

[PlainBay]

I purchased mine from VTO Saddlery for 99.95 it i sthe Equice Comfort Brand. I love it.

[SimpsoMatt]

But while I do wash mine frequently, it is always in a front load machine, never one with an agitator.

I think the agitator definitely was a major part of the problem with my first pad. I don't have a front-load machine. So I hand-washed my second pad, and it's holding up a little better, but the sheepskin is already starting to pull apart in a couple of places. I held off washing it as long as I could, but eventually it gets pretty gross even though I brush as much of the dirt out as I can after each ride.

[J Swan]

Matt - if you feel like taking a chance on another pad - the Equine Comfort Pad seems to hold up a lot better.

I've had mine for several years and it looks brand new.

[rebeginner]

I never saw the answer to that question. I have loved the effect of real sheepskin under my old dressage saddle and would like to have the same for hunting under my jumping saddle. However, I don't want to spend the $$ on a non-traditional color. Presumably, "white" would end up looking not quite pure as the driven snow after a couple of hunts, but should I start out with the more creamy colored "natural" sheepskin?

[J Swan]

My white pad has stayed white. Which is surprising because until this drought hit - all the fixtures were clay mudpits. We'd often come home filthy.