Sheepskin/wool saddle pads?

[charlotte0916]

Hi all,

Currently looking for sheepskin/wool lined saddle pads and in need of reviews from those using them!

My saddle fitter has recommended the le mieux half lined ones but they’re three figures (gulp) so trying to see if I can find a reasonable alternative/find them second hand if they last well. She didn’t rate the nummed lined saddle pads.

Looking at:
• le mieux half lined saddle pads
•Premier equine merino lined saddle pads (with cuffs)

Has anyone found either have rubbed, fit poorly or not lasted well in their experience? Or alternatively been particularly good!

 

[sbloom]

Good sheepskin is expensive, I only recommend and stock Mattes which are even more expensive! Both LM and PE are okay, beware any with rear trim, it may be fine but you may need to size up as the saddle must not sit on the trim. LM are notorious for rubbing.

 

[jnb]

I always used Morpheus ones (I still have one I bought at Badminton in 2006!) - They are no longer made but you can buy on EBay or FB Marketplace

Don't worry if they've gone curly/matted, smother in human hair conditioner, wash at 30c in NuuWash or Woolite and brush afterwards while wet with a wire dog brush, the sheepskin will come back good as new. Dry flat, away from heat (very important: do NOT hang out to dry or on a radiator as the sheepskin will go hard)

PS there's a black half lined one on EBay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294405637458?hash=item448bf18552:g:XAAAAOSwbJNhRkx7

PPS and a practically new half pad

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304375351167?hash=item46de2f477f:g:q1cAAOSw6k9iCNE6

I do like Mattes as well but twice the price!! Stephens are also good.

 

[I'm Dun]

PE are horribly stiff material so I've give them a hard swevre! KM Elite are nice quality I think. I use half pad rather than full sheepskin pads and they work out much cheaper and much easier to find second hand

 

[sbloom]

Not all brands recommend human hair conditioner, a leather wash is a safer option if you're not sure, gentler even than wool wash and what Mattes recommend (they make their own one, Melp).

 

[Foxglove]

Evolution Horse are excellent

 

[nutjob]

I have a PE one. It's an older style so doesn't have the trim at the back. The material is very soft, but mine is different than those they sell now. I have washed it loads of times by rubbing in a load of human hair conditioner and washing on a cold wash. No other cleaning products. I have a sheepskin girth sleeve which takes days to dry so I try to use wool only now.

 

[criso]

Christ/Horsedreams or Mattes, expensive but worth it. Always worth looking on eBay.

I wash with the Christ detergent.

 

[Squeak]

Would one of the shires supafleece ones work? I've found them a different league to other fleece ones and to me they've seemed very similar to sheepskin ones but much easier to wash and much cheaper to buy.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I always used Morpheus ones (I still have one I bought at Badminton in 2006!) - They are no longer made but you can buy on EBay or FB Marketplace

Don't worry if they've gone curly/matted, smother in human hair conditioner, wash at 30c in NuuWash or Woolite and brush afterwards while wet with a wire dog brush, the sheepskin will come back good as new. Dry flat, away from heat (very important: do NOT hang out to dry or on a radiator as the sheepskin will go hard)

PS there's a black half lined one on EBay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294405637458?hash=item448bf18552:g:XAAAAOSwbJNhRkx7

PPS and a practically new half pad

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304375351167?hash=item46de2f477f:g:q1cAAOSw6k9iCNE6

I do like Mattes as well but twice the price!! Stephens are also good.

Thank you for reminding me! I was keeping mine for old times sake I think and stocked up when the late lovely Sally was closing down.
I have at least 3 if not 4 Morpheus half lined in black and brown (should be 2 of each), one is still in packaging unused! They are all FS, I must dig them out and sell as B will never be needing them.

 

[Squeak]

Deleted as I managed to delete the signature.

 

[bouncing_ball]

I don’t think multiple saddle cloths incorporating sheepskin is affordable.

I’d suggest either:-

a) a really good half pad with spine channel such as Mattes, ideally second hand. With high either thin cotton saddle cloth underneath.

or

b) thin cotton saddle cloths with the sheepskin liner that Eskadron do that can move to each saddle cloth as needed.

 

[I'm Dun]

I dont find the eskadron liner anywhere near as thick as a half pad, so worth bearing in mind if that might be an issue fit wise.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I use the nuumed wool ones and they last years some of mine are 10 years old but I brush the sweat and hair off regularly and wash them in melp, they are fraying a bit in places but the underside still looks perfect.

 

[Hackback]

Why does she not like the Nuumeds, out of interest? I use the half wool lined ones, my horse gets rubs if he has seams against his skin and the Nuumed work perfectly for us and sit neatly under my WH saddle too.

 

[Cob Life]

I have a PE wool half pad and a half wool lined numnah, I like both, the numnah is a lot softer as is a lot older (4+ years) so they do last well. The half pad I wouldn’t say is any stiffer than and of the LM pads I’ve felt

 

[Gloi]

I had a horrible experience with a beautiful sheepswool numnah I got a few years ago. I had been using it and it seemed fine but I did a longer ride on a warm day and untacking afterwards his skin had blistered and over the next couple of weeks the hair fell off the blistered parts. I think he overheated under it. I felt awful about it and haven't dared use it again..He did heal up fine though.

 

[TheLoneWanderer]

Thank you for reminding me! I was keeping mine for old times sake I think and stocked up when the late lovely Sally was closing down.
I have at least 3 if not 4 Morpheus half lined in black and brown (should be 2 of each), one is still in packaging unused! They are all FS, I must dig them out and sell as B will never be needing them.

I would be very happy to buy a brown one from you please.

 

[TheLoneWanderer]

Would one of the shires supafleece ones work? I've found them a different league to other fleece ones and to me they've seemed very similar to sheepskin ones but much easier to wash and much cheaper to buy.

I use these and they are brilliant.

 

[sbloom]

Why does she not like the Nuumeds, out of interest? I use the half wool lined ones, my horse gets rubs if he has seams against his skin and the Nuumed work perfectly for us and sit neatly under my WH saddle too.

They're not a bad product but any wool pad, as opposed to sheepskin, has a knitted backing and hair works its way through, eventually causing lumps in the back half of the pad.

Wool does not have the same qualities of shock absorption or spreading of pressure because the integrity of the structure of the wool is lost when it is shorn.

I had a horrible experience with a beautiful sheepswool numnah I got a few years ago. I had been using it and it seemed fine but I did a longer ride on a warm day and untacking afterwards his skin had blistered and over the next couple of weeks the hair fell off the blistered parts. I think he overheated under it. I felt awful about it and haven't dared use it again..He did heal up fine though.

I do hear of some of the less pricey brands having issues with clumps falling out of pads but never of horse's overheating under them. It's why they're used by many top level.endirance riders, the sweat wicking in effect helps cool the back. What brand was it? What else did you use with it (other numnah, type of saddle)? I think you were incredibly unlucky and the sheepskins itself may not have been the issue.

 

[Gloi]

I'll dig it out and see what brand it is, it's packed away upstairs.

 

[bouncing_ball]

I do hear of some of the less pricey brands having issues with clumps falling out of pads but never of horse's overheating under them. It's why they're used by many top level.endirance riders, the sweat wicking in effect helps cool the back. What brand was it? What else did you use with it (other numnah, type of saddle)? I think you were incredibly unlucky and the sheepskins itself may not have been the issue.

Do you recommend the spine free sheepskins? Or does it not matter? thanks

 

[TotalMadgeness]

I rate the Nuumed ones but I also have a Shires Performance 'fake sheepskin' half pad and I must say it is really rather good (and cheap).

 

[sbloom]

Do you recommend the spine free sheepskins? Or does it not matter? thanks

I do yes, but equally a trainer I respect swears that her customers' horses prefer their Mattes pads with no spine free channel.

 

[Gloi]

I'll dig it out and see what brand it is, it's packed away upstairs.

It's a LeMieux Pro Lambskin.
I had it under my gp saddle I'd been using for years with various other pads. It was all I had under the saddle.
It is a really beautiful thing though ?

 

[sbloom]

It's a LeMieux Pro Lambskin.
I had it under my gp saddle I'd been using for years with various other pads. It was all I had under the saddle.
It is a really beautiful thing though ?

I would say that there were other issues unless there was actually some kind of fault with the pad where they'd put in a non-breathable layer, but even then....more likely that not using with another pad, or some other fitting issue at the time, caused some serious friction burns. I've never come across it anywhere else.

 

[Gloi]

I would say that there were other issues unless there was actually some kind of fault with the pad where they'd put in a non-breathable layer, but even then....more likely that not using with another pad, or some other fitting issue at the time, caused some serious friction burns. I've never come across it anywhere else.

I really don't know what happened. He was quite sweaty though under it.
I no longer have the saddle or pony so can't repeat the experience.
I've never had the blistering issue before or since, fortunately.

 

[sunleychops]

Would one of the shires supafleece ones work? I've found them a different league to other fleece ones and to me they've seemed very similar to sheepskin ones but much easier to wash and much cheaper to buy.

Supafleece is an excellent alternative to proper sheepskin

 

[charlotte0916]

Wow thank you everyone - as per usual you’re all a font of information!

My fitter didn’t mind the nuumed half pads (if kept like new and checked to be sure they were going flat/bunched) but said that the wool pile wasn’t as dense as the le mieux lamb skin etc. so wouldn’t be as shock absorbing.

We’re using the half pad for shock absorption, a bit of flexibility as the work is dramatically increasing from what she’s previously done and to stop rubbing. I’ve got a nuumed half pad currently but my mare is also rubbing at the back seam of her current saddle pad - hence the recommendation to get a half lined one as it’ll be two birds with one stone.

 

[charlotte0916]

I always used Morpheus ones (I still have one I bought at Badminton in 2006!) - They are no longer made but you can buy on EBay or FB Marketplace

Don't worry if they've gone curly/matted, smother in human hair conditioner, wash at 30c in NuuWash or Woolite and brush afterwards while wet with a wire dog brush, the sheepskin will come back good as new. Dry flat, away from heat (very important: do NOT hang out to dry or on a radiator as the sheepskin will go hard)

PS there's a black half lined one on EBay

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/294405637458?hash=item448bf18552:g:XAAAAOSwbJNhRkx7

PPS and a practically new half pad

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/304375351167?hash=item46de2f477f:g:q1cAAOSw6k9iCNE6

I do like Mattes as well but twice the price!! Stephens are also good.

Thanks so much for these links - the pads look lovely! Extra brownie points!!