LeMieux Half - Pads? Opinions?

AprilBlue

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I was thinking about getting a LeMieux half pad for my horse as he is getting older now and i don't want his back to become damagedI know that they are ridicoulously expensive but are they worth buying in the end? How have your expieriences with LeMieux half pads been? Do you recommend them?
 
Yes mine is lovely, the fur is thick and feels like great padding on the horses back. Ive only had mine since december but i lunge my horse in it aswell but has been fine and has stayed in shape so far! :D
 
We have the full LeMieux saddle cloth with half fleece and insert pads (saddler recommended for young horse who changes shape a lot) and it is lovely. Only thing I would say is that if you get a black one watch for the dye running as although it didn't come off on our mare (she is bay anyway) it did make a blue mark on the white varnished banister when I brought it home to dry after a torrential rainy ride!
 
I bought the half wool numnah and its beautiful. However, it doesn't suit my horse's shape and caused his saddle to tip up slightly at the front, causing a small lump of necrotic tissue on his back. Vet checked it out and nothing abnormal, Saddler came and said what the problem was caused by. It didn't appear overnight, was over a few weeks of use and is such a shame as it really is lovely. So, its back to the Nuumed half wool one which isn't as thick, just got him a new one and its really nice. We used them before, I just fancied the Le Mieux. Incidentally, the lumpy bit has just about gone since we stopped using it!
 
I have a cottage craft one and I've been very pleased with the quality having felt both in the shop I'm not sure I'd bother spending extra for the Le Meuix
 
Love these! I have 3 now, all bought from Your Horse Live. They have a stall with loads of bargain 'seconds'. The ones I have were 'seconds' due to stitching errors/ mis-stitched labels/ small marks etc which are not noticeable and do not affect their use. Think they were roughly half the usual price. Brilliant pads and such a bargain!
 
I've got a couple of the lamb skin ones and they wash really well and stay very fluffy and soft. Much softer than sheeps wool. Just becareful that your saddle still fits as they are very thick. Lots of people seem to forget to tell Saddlers that they will be using a thick numnah and then blame the saddler when their horse gets a sore back!
 
Hmm... £85 - £100 isn't much when compared to the £1500 - 1800 for the saddle eh?

I've never been one for designer labels but I do appreciate quality!
 
I only use Le Mieux or Mattes as I read cheaper one are made out of little bits of sheepskin sewn together whereas more expensive ones they use one piece so no places where the stitching can rub.
 
I saw the whole range at BETA and was very impressed - looked better quality than the Nuumed. I ordered myself a half pad and full dressage saddlepad, plus the fluffy overreach boots and a noseband cover.
 
Do people use them with the sheepskin directly to the skin or with a cotton numnah underneath?

Quite fancy one, but would need saddler to come out and check fit...
 
I use the ones that are a saddle cloth cos I don't like fiddling about with 2 things :) have a half lined one and a fully lined one. Got my saddles fitted with them on so fitting took that into account.
 
I only use Le Mieux or Mattes as I read cheaper one are made out of little bits of sheepskin sewn together whereas more expensive ones they use one piece so no places where the stitching can rub.

That was something I checked before buying one. Cottage Craft don't do this.

Nuumed, PE and JHL both use wool sewn onto cotton rather than sheepskin which is cheaper but has a very similar result.
 
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