Saddle pads / numnahs - thick, thin, dead sheep??

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Walrus

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Have recently splashed out on a new saddle and girth for pony and am now wanting a new saddle pad or numnah to go with it. Have had to go up a size in saddle seat so old numnah, which was a close fit anyway is now probably a bit small.

Anyhow, have been reading and would like to get something decent for him ( birthday coming up!) am currently riding him in a padded Disney saddle cloth ( don't ask) but that has rubbed his hair slightly along the back edge, sensitive hardy native he is.

Am debating the le mieux lambswool lined numnah which I've stroked in the saddlers and is beautiful but I'm concerned it's a bit thick, the saddle fits well so not sure whether to go for something thick or will that cause issues? What do people think of the le mieux vs an anky pad or a poly pad. He gets quite hot so something that wicks away sweat would be good. Am keen on some sort of pressure relief aspect too as he's short backed and I'm tall so am conscious of concentrated areas of pressure.

Thanks

Tesco cheesecake for tea!
 
Hi . . . we have, and use, the Le Mieux under Kal's jump saddle which fits fine and the LeMieux doesn't seem to interfere. I like how it wicks the sweat away (it is only a half pad).

We just use a thin-ish cotton dressage square under his dressage saddle.

Hope that helps.

P
 
I have a LeMieux jumping numnah and it is amazing, the lambs wool is great and it's the same colour as the numnah.
 
I used to use Le Meiux numnahs with my old saddle - they are lovely if you need that much 'padding' but would make my current saddle too tight as it is a better fit than my old saddle.

You might get on with Morpheus Designs short wool saddle cloths if you are worried about your saddle cloth altering your saddle fit too much. They are not as bulky as Le Mieux (the wool is 10mm rather than the standard 26mm) - but you still get the benefits of wool (shock & sweat absorption) plus it is easier to wash/dry than sheepskin.

Can't comment on anky pads, I only use proper high wither style saddle cloths - my horse doesn't actually have high withers but non-high wither designs always seem to pull tight no matter how much I pull them up in the gullet. You don't seem to get the same range of colour options in these though!
 
My saddle is as close as a perfect fit as you can get and thus I can only use thin pads, as that's what it was fitted with. Hkm do nice pads but not expected to last years with every day, good thing is you can switch them and the colours as they are about 20quid. Anky, polypad etc wouldn't work for my saddle and tbh I like to feel closer to the horse. I personally don't like to see an anky type pad and then a sheepskin - I would feel miles away from him!
 
Can't help on brand recommendation, but I have always been told by saddlers that unless you have your saddle specifically fitted to take a thick pad underneath, you should only ever use a thin one as it will affect the fit. The exception to this (you'll be glad to hear!) is the half pad, as they won't interfere being only half.

Might be wrong, but I got that from multiple saddlers and it does make sense to me.
 
i dont like the collars on the le meiux and feel they could cause a pressure point if not completely clear of the saddle. Have a look at Nuumed 1/2 wool numnahs.
 
WildRider said:
Can't help on brand recommendation, but I have always been told by saddlers that unless you have your saddle specifically fitted to take a thick pad underneath, you should only ever use a thin one as it will affect the fit. The exception to this (you'll be glad to hear!) is the half pad, as they won't interfere being only half.

Might be wrong, but I got that from multiple saddlers and it does make sense to me.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm, this confuses me because the areas that I would be most concerned about a pad affecting fit would be the areas that the half pad covers - the whither and shoulder area?

Anyone had any experience with mattes numnahs?
 
If you have spent vast amounts of money on a new saddle you'll have taken great care to get one that fits perfectly. Don't waste all the effort and money by putting a thick numnah underneath it and changing the fit of the saddle. Thinner the better, it should only be there to keep saddle clean.
 
I'm in love with my Le Mieux Close Contact Half Lined Saddlecloth In White, I use it under my Ideal Close contact and this was recommend to me by my saddler when she fitted the saddle, I also like my Thermatex Numnah which is quite thin yet very smart and wicks all the sweat from my horse :) Hope this helps!
 
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