Best Sheepskin Saddle Pads - Your Opinions Please

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Joyous70

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Which saddle pads on the market are the best?

Im looking for a half lined saddle square, with gullet free

I currently have 2 x Roma Merino sheepskin, which are lovely, however, since being washed a few times the skin on the sheepskin has gone stiff :mad: so im looking for saddle squares which only have the wool and not the sheepskin backing.

Thanks in advance :D
 
Hmmmm... I use Griffin Nuumed ones that I buy off an eBay seller who is very reasonably priced (top-results?)

Here's how I care for mine - and they keep condition very nicely:
1. Smear a little human hair conditioner over the woolly bits
2. Wash on a quick 1/2 hour wash (cool) with Nuumed Nuuwash
3. Put on radiator to dry
 
The sheepskin will go stiff and hard if you wash it unless you're really careful and use the correct chemicals!

The NuuMed ones are prob the ones you're looking for, as they've no skeepskin, just the wool.
 
Airzonahoney - would you mind tellilng me who the e-bayer is who sells them please, as ive paypal money burning a hole in my pocket ;)

Kallibear - did think i might have to get Nuumed as you say they have no skin just the wool, shame theyre so expensive :o but saddler has insisted nothing other than sheepskin on my boys sensitive back and i woudl rather spend the money and get one thats going to last.
 
To be honest, while Nuumed numnahs are okay, they are no comparison in my opinion to the lambskin numnahs such as Mattes, Lemieux, Bartl and Christ Lamfelle. I have Lemieux and Nuumed and the Nuumed is much less dense and has a harsher feel to it.
If your horse has been recommended sheepskin, then I would stick with a proper sheepskin not wool.
 
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NuuMed for me. They do make differing weights in wool so the more ounces the thicker the wool. Had mine for ages and they are as good as when I bought them.
 
My boy came with a Bartl one and from the pics i have of him it's at least 6/7 years old. I had his new saddle fitted with it (v important) and even my saddler remarked that they last well. It's slightly worn on the lower girth straps (ie leg area) but the newer ones are re-inforced there now. I'll be buying him a new one for the spring as it's a darn good investment for the years ahead and washes up fine.
 
tabithakat64 said:
I really rate the mattes ones :)
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Me too!

I bought a Mattes Platinum dressage numnah off Ebay for one of mine who was showing signs of being a bit cold backed. It has transformed him.

I haven't tried to wash it yet, as the manufacturer's instruction say that it is best to let it dry and give it a good brush and a shake.

It was a close run thing as to whether I put it on the horse at all. I nearly kept it as a pillow myself!!!
 
Ahh thank you Touchstone :)

I have seen a really nice Lemeiux one that i wanted, but im really worried about buying another lambskin, for it to get stiff after it has been washed, the two Roma ones i bought ive only had since June this year and im gutted, they have been washed on 30 degrees on a delicate cycle and have gone really hard :confused:
 
Use pantene hair conditioner on the LeMieux ones, wash by hand (or on a wool wash!) then leave to dry, and they come back looking and feeling as good as new!

I have had the half pad for over a year now and I haven't actually washed it yet, it's still as fluffy and soft it was the day I unwrapped it, and most days gets used for 2 horses. However I do put a nulnah underneath so that keep sit clean. I would definatly reccomend them :)
 
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Joyous70 said:
allibear - did think i might have to get Nuumed as you say they have no skin just the wool, shame theyre so expensive :o but saddler has insisted nothing other than sheepskin on my boys sensitive back and i woudl rather spend the money and get one thats going to last.
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A good NuuMed will be the same cost as a good sheepskin, if not cheaper. They're all expensive :eek:

It's the wool part that's important: low friction, excellent heat distibution, and good shock absorption. That's why they should be used next to the horses skin, not ontop of a numnah. The skin part of it doesn't really make a difference apart from making the whole pad a bit thicker (not ness a good thing). As someone said, you get Nuumeds in different weights: the thickest ones are on par with the top sheepskins but the thinner ones are a bit sparse.

The 30degree wash will be the cause of the stiff skin! It's leather after all and you'd get the same if you put your bridle through the washing machine! Try lightly oiling the skin through the fabric top, hair conditioning the wool then rewashing, on a cold wash, with a proper sheepskin wash chemical (the big names such as Bartl, Stephens etc do them)
 
Good quality wool numnahs are just as good as sheepskin in my opinion, but as others have said there are different weights of wool and some are much more dense than others - as always you pay your money and take your choice

But I would try to revive your Roma ones, its crazy they have lasted so little time. Washing at 30 degrees is fine but did you use a biological powder? This is v v bad for sheepskin, always use a liquid soap that's designed for sheepskin or wool. Also (probably obvious) never use Vanish, its a killer to sheepskin. Are your Roma ones really crackly or just a bit stiff? I'd try rubbing oil in from the sheepskin side and leave them for a while in a hope that the skin will absorb it. Then wash them again and shove them on a washing line so they keep moving. Oh and the tannery we deal with says add fabric conditioner when you wash them (I've never bothered, but that's what they say and they should know!)
 
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