Sheepskin half pads - which one?

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Maia

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As the title says really, one of my horses has lost a lot of condition due to a year out of work. Saddler rekons that his saddle ought to be fine in 8-12 weeks once he has muscled up again and suggested using a half pad under the saddle in the meantime to effectively bulk out the gaps between his topline (or lack of) and the saddle as saddle is now too wide.

I've been looking on the net but there are so many different makes available and a big price difference to match!! Quite like the look of the Rambo sheepskin half pad which I've seen for £25 but then I also recognised the Stephens and the Bartl ones which are twice the price but given they are ones that I have heard of before I didn't know if they were better??

So what would you recommend? The other option is to buy a second hand saddle in a narrower fit and just use it for a month or so but tbh for the cost of buying, refitting and then selling for the sake of a few months really doesn't seem worth it and saddler seemed to think a half pad would make up the size difference between the two width fittings.

Also, should the pad go between the horse and the saddlecloth or the saddlecloth and the saddle or in the case of bulking out the width does it not make any difference?

Thanks in advance
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I have tried many different makes due to horse needing one on his back (rather than for saddle fitting issues). The Christ Horsedream Lambskin one is without a doubt the best one i have in terms of how well it has worn - it washes beautifully and is a really nice one.

The Roma one was hlaf the price and TBH looks it now it has been washed a few times - hasn't retained its thickness as well.

The Griffen Nuumed memory foam one has retained thickness, but has not washed as well as the Christ one and looks more 'bobbly', horse does not seem to go as well in it, could be the thickness.

So for my money the Christ horsedream ones are the best, and if you need it for padding, I'd go with one of those as they retain the thickness and look great even when repeatedly washed.
 
If you're after a budget one and don't mind synthetic sheepskin Shires do a nice one for £13.50. I haven't washed it yet though, not fantastic quality like the expensive ones but does the job and my horse finds it comfortable.
 
Not fussed on budget tbh but don't want to end up throwing money away either - its the thickness that I'm more concerned about as need to bulk up the gap between the horse and the saddle a fair bit. Kizzywiz - thanks for the offer but I'll probably just nip down to one of the local saddlerys on Monday as I want to start riding again asap.
 
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Not fussed on budget tbh but don't want to end up throwing money away either - its the thickness that I'm more concerned about as need to bulk up the gap between the horse and the saddle a fair bit. Kizzywiz - thanks for the offer but I'll probably just nip down to one of the local saddlerys on Monday as I want to start riding again asap.

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In that case I'd get the Griffen nuumed one with the memory foam in it - it's the thickest one I've got and holds its shape the best.
 
I have a Bartl, Stephens & a Fusion half saddle pads. They are all genuine sheepskin & all are really good, can't really fault any & they all wash up well but I do use Biosol for that.
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i have a mattes platinum half pad, which is gorgeous. been washed in the machine many a time, and still soft and thick. was quiet expensive bit worth it imo
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I've got a nu-med 1/2 sheepskin saddle cloth then an equi-gel pad on the top at the moment. I've only got the equi-gel on because my horse has lost quite a bit of weight since his saddle was fitted. It was recommended to me by my saddle and is good because it doesn't have anything along the middle so can be brought right up into the gullet of the saddle so there is no pressure on the spine http://www.ejeffries.co.uk/Equigel/index.html
 
I have one of the Le Mieux (sp) from www.horsehealthwessex.co.uk. I have the one with pockets to adjust it, and it is lovely!! Its not cheap, but is thick without being really chunky, and looks really smart
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Also being adjustable makes it hugely adaptable throughout the year.
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I have a Kieffer one (Martin Wilkinson Saddlers) had it about a year and it's been great washed many times in machine at home and always comes up fluffy. Think they are about £40???
 
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