An actual sheepskin as saddle pad?

P

Penny Eater

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 November 2008
Messages
228
Visit site
Ok, this is an odd one, but I've got to ask! Has anyone used a real sheepskin (not a shaped numnah/half pad, but a 'straight off the back of the sheep' one that you'd use as a rug!) under their saddle as a half pad type thing?
Do you think it might work if you pulled it up into the gullet and it wasn't too thick or big for the saddle? Or could you get it shaped to a half pad shape by someone (any ideas who?!) who does that sort of thing? I'd ask Mattes if they weren't all the way in Germany, most inconvenient!

Yes I know about altering the fit of the saddle so please no comments about that. It's a treeless saddle and I use a thick memory foam pad underneath currently anyway.

Thanks :)
 
I've seen one of those on ebay recently, it looked like just a rectangle of sheepskin is it shaped at all and if not do you find it pulls down over the horse's withers? That's my main worry I think.
 
That's exactly what it is - a rectangle of sheepskin. However it is 2 pats stiched together so there is a seam that runs in the gullet of the saddle..

There is a simple but effective mechanism to attach it to the saddlecloth that sits over the top, which prevents it from pressing down on the either.
 
Ah so it could work. Do you happen to have the measurements of it? I'm not planning on putting a saddlecloth on top of it though, he sweats under it hence why I'm wanting to try the sheepskin.
 
I use a proper sheepskin, and never had any trouble with it. I trimmed it into a half pad shape with a pair of industrial scissors
 
I've been thinking of doing exactly that. On eBay there's a company that sell merino wool sheepskin for about £20-25.
 
Good sheepskin pads do have a spine cut out plus the wool is trimmed to be very even, and very resilient. There are different qualities of sheepskin. I am not sure whether there might be other differences but it would be a risk using another type of sheepskin.
 
Interesting that you say about the spine being cut out, I'm using a mattes wool half pad at the moment that doesn't have the spine cut out and we've not had any problems. Someone I know was using one of the 'spine free' versions and found the seams either side of the spine badly rubbed her horse's back. I wouldn't use one with the spine cut out for that reason, thanks for the tips on wool length etc though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top