Mattes or Stephens sheepskin with gel-eze fancy bits!!

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equa39

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As title really. What do people think of the Stephens half sheepskin numnahs with gel-eze patches on shoulder & back points. I've bought a new - but 2nd hand - Albion SLK dressage saddle for my sharkfin TB. His wither also slopes really far back so saddler has fitted the saddle but recommended using my prolite pad or deep sheepskin pad. But I've also noticed since using it that it sits / digs in his shoulder more than i'd like. I'm wondering if the Stephens are worth the price versus, say a 2nd hand Mattes or Nuumed. Opinions please....
 
I'd be more inclined to get a mattes correction pad.
I have a second hand mattes, a few were new nuumeds and a lemieux, I think the mattes is far superior of the three.
 
ester said:
I'd be more inclined to get a mattes correction pad.
I have a second hand mattes, a few were new nuumeds and a lemieux, I think the mattes is far superior of the three.
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Really!! I have a 2nd hand Mattes (& Nuumed...just in case) enroute to me so thats good to know, thank you
 
I actually have used a Mattes shim just under the saddle very successfully too albeit only on one side.

I recommmend one of these (with wide teeth) for all of them - nuumed used to give them out at shows :). Not for use all the time but stops them matting (the nuumeds seem to be worse for this over a few years, I declined to resurrect a couple of my Mum's!

Mattes do different grades, I think mine was a silver.
1553105613736.png
 
ester said:
I'd be more inclined to get a mattes correction pad.
I have a second hand mattes, a few were new nuumeds and a lemieux, I think the mattes is far superior of the three.
Click to expand...

They're all different products, even if from sheep. Mattes is medical grade sheepskin, 30 mm long with 20 micron width so very resilient. It absorbs shock more than you'd expect sheepskin to do and will absorb sweat and spread pressure the best. LeMieux are lambswool, merino, which is much finer, wavier usually, and shorter. It's a nice product, soft, but won't do what British sheepskin will. NuuMed are vegetarian, wool not sheepskin, so the wool loses its structure, again it just can't function like sheepskin. The Mattes as the thickest pad will change the fit of your saddle so it should be refitted to accommodate it, the Lemiuex less so and the NuuMed barely different to a cotton pad. Pros and cons (and very different prices!).

ester said:
I actually have used a Mattes shim just under the saddle very successfully too albeit only on one side.

I recommmend one of these (with wide teeth) for all of them - nuumed used to give them out at shows :). Not for use all the time but stops them matting (the nuumeds seem to be worse for this over a few years, I declined to resurrect a couple of my Mum's!

Mattes do different grades, I think mine was a silver.
View attachment 30565
Click to expand...

Silver is actually wool fleece rather than sheepskin, now they only do what was the platinum finish, proper medical grade sheepskin. And they have stopped recommending brushing the pads for some reason.

OP Mattes make one with sheepskin right down under the front panel "legs" and you may find this creates less pressure, if the pressure is at the bottom edge of the half sheepskin lining, or do one with a wider wither area if the pinching is by the top of the wither. Highly recommend.
 
Yes, I do know they are different products? Otherwise there wouldn't be much of a comparison to make :). I did misread the OP re. sheepskin though.

yes the silver is wool not sheepskin and actually changes the fit of my saddle the least of the three.
The lemieux did end up shrinking a bit so that it became too short for my 17"
A couple of my nuumeds came out their bargain bin as I lived so close and I do like them, just not as much as the mattes one I have. It seems a shame that mattes have stopped doing that option.
 
ester said:
actually have used a Mattes shim just under the saddle very successfully too albeit only on one side.
Click to expand...
My wonky Tammy is shimmed assymetrically in her Mattes correction numnah (by the saddle fitter who works with and has the full approval of the physio). IIRC it's more shims on the rear right and front left panels. This stops the saddle slipping to the right, despite Tammy insisting that her girth is done up very loosely :D.

The Mattes shims are thin so you can tweak adjustments precisely by layering them.
 
sbloom said:
They're all different products, even if from sheep. Mattes is medical grade sheepskin, 30 mm long with 20 micron width so very resilient. It absorbs shock more than you'd expect sheepskin to do and will absorb sweat and spread pressure the best. LeMieux are lambswool, merino, which is much finer, wavier usually, and shorter. It's a nice product, soft, but won't do what British sheepskin will. NuuMed are vegetarian, wool not sheepskin, so the wool loses its structure, again it just can't function like sheepskin. The Mattes as the thickest pad will change the fit of your saddle so it should be refitted to accommodate it, the Lemiuex less so and the NuuMed barely different to a cotton pad. Pros and cons (and very different prices!).
QUOTE]

Ooh may I get your advice?

What are engel lammfell saddle pads sheepskins like? How do you rate those? https://www.engelsheepskin.com/shee...th-pommel-cantle-roll-black/?portfolioCats=56

And the eskadron underlay? https://www.divineequestrian.co.uk/products/eskadron-lambskin-underlay-dl-only This seems like a great idea, that is thin enough not to change fit, but I guess as it is lambswool, it is like the Lemieux?

Also the thinline pads? I wondered about the thinnest under saddle? Worth adding? Or whether bulk effects gullet area? https://thinlineglobal.eu/product-category/dressage?v=d3dcf429c679

Or I wondered if could just sew something like this in? https://thinlineglobal.eu/shop/dres...ooster-insert-saddlepad-numnah?v=d3dcf429c679

I have see a thinline stephens sheepskin combined pad? But might be too bulky? https://thinlineglobal.eu/shop/dres...ssage-saddlepad-full-sheepskin?v=d3dcf429c679 Says merino wool sheepskin, but doesn't say medical grade
Click to expand...
 
sbloom said:
They're all different products, even if from sheep. Mattes is medical grade sheepskin, 30 mm long with 20 micron width so very resilient. It absorbs shock more than you'd expect sheepskin to do and will absorb sweat and spread pressure the best. LeMieux are lambswool, merino, which is much finer, wavier usually, and shorter. It's a nice product, soft, but won't do what British sheepskin will. NuuMed are vegetarian, wool not sheepskin, so the wool loses its structure, again it just can't function like sheepskin. The Mattes as the thickest pad will change the fit of your saddle so it should be refitted to accommodate it, the Lemiuex less so and the NuuMed barely different to a cotton pad. Pros and cons (and very different prices!).
Click to expand...

Ooh may I get your advice?

What are engel lammfell saddle pads sheepskins like? How do you rate those? https://www.engelsheepskin.com/shee...th-pommel-cantle-roll-black/?portfolioCats=56

And the eskadron underlay? https://www.divineequestrian.co.uk/products/eskadron-lambskin-underlay-dl-only This seems like a great idea, that is thin enough not to change fit, but I guess as it is lambswool, it is like the Lemieux?

Also the thinline pads? I wondered about the thinnest under saddle? Worth adding? Or whether bulk effects gullet area? https://thinlineglobal.eu/product-category/dressage?v=d3dcf429c679

Or I wondered if could just sew something like this in? https://thinlineglobal.eu/shop/dres...ooster-insert-saddlepad-numnah?v=d3dcf429c679

I have see a thinline stephens sheepskin combined pad? But might be too bulky? https://thinlineglobal.eu/shop/dres...ssage-saddlepad-full-sheepskin?v=d3dcf429c679 Says merino wool sheepskin, but doesn't say medical grade
Read more at https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/...el-eze-fancy-bits.774042/#7gcBYjjYsjX4ZVDu.99
 
Blimey, sorry, too much work to do today to be able to deal with all that! I like and recommend Mattes pads, I haven't used any of those. The basics are the thicker the more it performs, there are some other variations but that's the basics. I am currently trying to get some high performance foam to offer as shims to fit pretty much any shim pad.
 
ester said:
Yes, I do know they are different products? Otherwise there wouldn't be much of a comparison to make :). I did misread the OP re. sheepskin though.
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Wasn't aimed at you specifically, was guiding people generally, most don't realise the differences.

Oh and OP I should have said I really don't like those gel eze patches, we hark on all the time about only having smooth undersides to our saddles, why would you want an irregular finish pad? And much gel is far from proven, some of it creates heat through friction etc, not breathable, not that good at absorbing shock...just something for the marketers to bang on about.
 
sbloom said:
Wasn't aimed at you specifically, was guiding people generally, most don't realise the differences.

Oh and OP I should have said I really don't like those gel eze patches, we hark on all the time about only having smooth undersides to our saddles, why would you want an irregular finish pad? And much gel is far from proven, some of it creates heat through friction etc, not breathable, not that good at absorbing shock...just something for the marketers to bang on about.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!!!! That's what I needed to hear!!!!! I couldn't work out / am not informed enough to decide if the gel-eze is simply a marketing ploy as I secretly suspected...gel seems to be a bit of a craze 😁😁😁
 
If you already own one of the more modern gel pads, your horse likes it and you're not finding any problems, then carry on :D. Otherwise shop only for products that contain proven "ingredients" - the best foams can usually be traced back to the maker and you can check the performance figures. Thinline renames its foam so that's not traceable but it's a good pad.
 
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