Memory Foam - a saddler's thoughts.

Back 2 saddle racks denting saddles! Some time ago (no idea how long) I remember seeing that in a mag & they advertised a pad thing 2 sit on top of rack so saddle say on the pad not rack- any1 any idea wot they called/where 2 get cos I can't remember the name & googling didn't help & now really want them for my new saddles!
 
Chocy said:
Back 2 saddle racks denting saddles! Some time ago (no idea how long) I remember seeing that in a mag & they advertised a pad thing 2 sit on top of rack so saddle say on the pad not rack- any1 any idea wot they called/where 2 get cos I can't remember the name & googling didn't help & now really want them for my new saddles!
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Maurice Emtage of Colne Saddlery supplies them. They're plastic and slot over the top of those metal racks. Maurice is at most of the big shows or would supply by post if you ring him direct. I think they're about £10....
 
Memory foam is designed to "form" when it is warm.

However it is also a closed cell foam, which means it dosn't breath and is a great insulator. Something to keep in mind when using it in a saddle pad. :)
 
Open cell foam is basically sponge rubber - it breaths and absorbs water.

Closed cell is the opposite - it is water proof and dosn't breath at all. Am in NZ and one of the biggest uses here is for camping mats - it stops the cold coming up thru the ground, also spa pool covers as it keeps the heat in.

Hope that makes more sense. IMO riser pads and memory foam saddle blankets, need lots of holes in them so they don't cook the horses back.

I'm not a fan of foam packed saddles either for the same reason, plus closed cell foam does break down after a period of time (depending on use) and looses its bounce.
 
JennyNZ said:
Open cell foam is basically sponge rubber - it breaths and absorbs water.

Closed cell is the opposite - it is water proof and dosn't breath at all. Am in NZ and one of the biggest uses here is for camping mats - it stops the cold coming up thru the ground, also spa pool covers as it keeps the heat in.

Hope that makes more sense. IMO riser pads and memory foam saddle blankets, need lots of holes in them so they don't cook the horses back.

I'm not a fan of foam packed saddles either for the same reason, plus closed cell foam does break down after a period of time (depending on use) and looses its bounce.
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That all makes sense, thanks for the explanation.
So, latex is... rubber? And open cell? And doesn't degrade over time... or does it? *toddles off to Wiki*

Ah, and the Ecogold Triple Protection half pad has 3 layers of foam, 1 of which is Memory foam the other two open-cell but different types. Description here cos I cba to type it all out:
https://www.ecogold.ca/product_info.php?products_id=111&osCsid=a8u6hagr5e8tbphdfds337vbu2

Very interesting. Love the video of the pads protecting the M&Ms, bellatrix!
 
Kerilli - you have a heated tack room :eek:? I didn't know Tempur mattresses have to be replaced after 10 years - I'm keeping mine forever at that price!

:confused: - I have always been told that if the saddle fits it shouldn't need anything under it apart from a thin cloth of whatever shape/colour (:p). So I don't buy any of the pads/foams/dead sheep etc. What did the Barnsby saddle fitter say about the thickness of pads? 1" seems ever so thick, but maybe it's just me being thick....?
 
Only a plug-in radiator, but tackroom gets toasty. Don't want things going mouldy etc. Have to have a mouse-repelling plug-in thingy too though, they do like the toastyness...!
Obv the saddle fit (width, curve or not of tree, etc) is essential and that is the most important thing, but the pads/foams/dead sheep are for shock absorption most of all, esp when jumping big fences, or doing lots of sitting trot, say.
This saddler has done a lot of work with top SJers over the years, and we were talking about how much force comes down on a horse's back when landing over a really big fence with a rider on (esp a tall/big male rider... no matter how brilliantly balanced etc they are you can't get away from the physics) and he said some use 3 pads under a saddle (that fits perfectly)...
He'd taken measurements for my mare and brought the saddle made to those measurements, then I mentioned about using a sheepskin pad, he was 100% fine about it, said it does NOT alter the fit of the saddle (it is not like 'wearing thick pairs of socks in boots' as some people say, that is an enclosed shape that can get tight, whereas with more pads the saddle just goes higher, there's a limit though obviously!)
I think it depends on the squooshyness of the pad (nice technical term there). 1" isn't much imho. Prolites don't squoosh, some other makes do (I had a Bay Jacobsen memory foam one that squished from 1" down to about 2mm). Sheepskin - it varies depending on the quality, pile etc. I bought a Fleeceworks one at Burghley and am chuffed to bits with it... but I still want to try an Ogilvy 1/2 pad (as used by Nick Skelton at the Olympics), and definitely an Ecogold Triple Protection one too! It's like the Holy Grail or something... ;) ;) ;)

FW, that looks lovely. Fingers crossed it fits perfectly and is as comfy as it looks!
 
The Oglivy pad is similar-ish to the EG one, k, but slightly bulkier, at least in its unsquished state. They are also slightly more expensive here. I liked their pad a lot but probably not quite as much as the EG. That said, sj'ers seem to prefer them, while eventers/DQs are more likely to go EG, although I suspect that's marketing as much as anything as the companies have pursued those markets almost from the start.
 
What I cannot understand is that people don't keep their saddles in their homes (along with all the other paraphernalia)

As I use flair and cair, potentially they do change volume depending on how cold they are. Would have tiny icky bags if it hit -15oC again with no heating!!!

Only time my kit sleeps outside is when on tour in the lorry!
 
Jen_Cots said:
What I cannot understand is that people don't keep their saddles in their homes (along with all the other paraphernalia)

As I use flair and cair, potentially they do change volume depending on how cold they are. Would have tiny icky bags if it hit -15oC again with no heating!!!

Only time my kit sleeps outside is when on tour in the lorry!
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but it's such a faff! before my tackroom was built i had some tack in the house and most still in the lorry (argh, thieves' heaven, i was lucky) and carrying it all around etc every time i wanted to tack up a different horse drove me crackers. having it all together in the tackroom just makes sense to me.
 
Tricky for people who commute by train! ;)

Or even anyone with a lot of tack. I have a student with an event horse, a city job, and a Smart Car. She would stuggle! She is also somewhere with a secure, warmed tack room though.

Plus, there are much colder parts of the world where people use all this equipment and these concerns are more relevant. Here is hardly ever gets cold enough to actually degrade any material, let alone those made for outdoor use.
 
Really should post a picture of my house - there are 6 saddles, and around 15 different bridles squished into a tiny utility (that's a lie as bridles now made it into the corridor!). Along with horse armour, swords, lances, bows, arrows etc taking price of place in my living room (at least they look cool IMHO!)
 
I have a 'tack room' in my house ;) my kitchen was extended into the old coal shed and it makes the room an awkward shape, so I saw the perfect spot for my tack! I even have a horse washing machine!! :D

It is a bloody fact though, I don't drive and getting my tack to the yard can be a bugger! I'm pretty good at cycling laden with bridles, saddles etc etc
 
PapaFrita said:
How on EARTH did you notice what sort of half pad he was using???
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I didn't recognise the logo when I watched it on t.v., the saddlepad was quite fat and obvious, so i bought the Daily Telegraph with huge photo of him jumping and the logo clearly visible, and uploaded it (either here or fb, i can't recall) and other people recognised it (TS i think was prob the first).
Yes, I really really am THAT much of a fanatic about saddle pads... ;) ;) I had to know!
 
kerilli said:
I didn't recognise the logo when I watched it on t.v., the saddlepad was quite fat and obvious, so i bought the Daily Telegraph with huge photo of him jumping and the logo clearly visible, and uploaded it (either here or fb, i can't recall) and other people recognised it (TS i think was prob the first).
Yes, I really really am THAT much of a fanatic about saddle pads... ;) ;) I had to know!
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Blimey. I couldn't even tell you what colour his tack is (but I'm guessing it's brown ;) )
 
My experiences of memory foam as a saddle fitter:

Panels of memory foam CAN be useful where the horse has a high wither and/or is narrow - the deeper a panel and the more flocking you use the more it can compress and become hard over time. Also applicable where the rider is relatively heavy for the size of saddle, as the foam will bounce back after being ridden, unlike flock.

If you have a yard full of vaguely similarly shaped horses, and many pro SJ yards do, and you can swap saddles from horse to horse, using shims. You need to know your onions to do this.

I have seen one type of memory foam panelled saddle not work at all for a particular horse, though I gather the brand is often better for wide horses and this was high withered. He hated the cold hard panel and would freak out before the saddle had a chance to warm up and soften. It went back.

Remedial pads - the only one I will use is the Mattes correction system, give me firm, natural, breathable materials and shims that I can sculpt, every time.
 
sbloom said:
Remedial pads - the only one I will use is the Mattes correction system, give me firm, natural, breathable materials and shims that I can sculpt, every time.
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How does that differ from the Nuumed one? Genuine question as I have the nuumed one which is sheepskin with 4 pockets for foam shims like the Mattes one appears to be.
 
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