Dead sheep or imitation?

[Mynyddcymro]

Just after some advice please!
Last time I drove my Shetland he was rubbed terribly by the girth - everything was like normal - this is the first time he's been rubbed but he was very sore so I haven't driven him since.
I've decided to get a sheepskin cover for the girth to give his skin some more protection but was wondering if it had to be sheepskin or would a lambswool cover be good enough? There really is quite a price difference!

Thanks in advance x

 

[Leam_Carrie]

I used to use faux sheepskin on a TB who got rubbed easily, which worked well.

 

[nix123]

If theres a big price difference i'd be tempted to try the lambswool one first.

 

[cptrayes]

Buy lambswool. Sheepskin is not normally one piece, it's made up of loads of small bits stitched together. I once took apart a saddlepad and I'm not kidding it was over seventy pieces of skin fragments. Wool woven onto a backing does not have seams that could rub. Real wool though, not synthetic.

 

[Shooting Star]

lambswool all the way! It's probably just me but sheepskin always ends up going stiff - think I don't wash it correctly though .

Would definitely go natural fibre over synthetic fleece either way, wool / sheepskin will breath but man made fleece is likely to make sweating & therefore possibly chaffing worse.

 

[Mynyddcymro]

Brilliant you've all been really helpful!

 

[Gloi]

Make sure you've got the breeching tight enough. I didn't at one time and when I got home the girth had rubbed because the saddle was being pushed forward as we went downhill and it was making the girth rub behind his elbows.

 

[Mynyddcymro]

That's interesting thanks Gloi, I adjusted everything like normal but he was rubbed like you say behind the elbow on his left side only. I've been driving him for 18 months now both clipped and in a summer coat and this is the first time we've had any trouble.