What do you put under half pads?

[tyner]

Back in the day we used to use a really really light quilted sheet / blanket thing under the fleece to keep it clean.

They were very light almost like a dishcloth and we'd thow it in the wash everyday so you always had something clean on the horses back.

They would be washed a billion times and sometimes so threadbare they were nearly transparent but they always had a clean surface under the saddle and it would keep the fleece in better shape so it didn't get dirty as easily.

When I got horses again after 20 years I guess these don't exist anymore. Well this was in Europe/USA and not in the UK as I am now. Is there anything like this here?

I'm seeing gel pads shims and fleece and lots of interesting pads. It's great that the technology has evolved and I love the range of things. Unfortunately I am a bit OCD about cleaning and so I'd like to be able to put something clean under the pad each use so I don't have to wash it as frequently and break the fibers.

The quilted cotton pads even the simple ones are too thick to put under a fleece when the saddle and pad fit well. I'm using a succession of Turkish bath towels under my nice fleece/memory foam and gel pads but if I ever moved yards to a real place it would be embarrassing.

I know people will say to "get a saddle that fits" without, but it's not always realistic with young horses when they're changing week to week and even when the saddle fits with a very thin pad I'd like to be able to have something clean on his back each ride.

Thoughts/suggestions or should I lower my expectations and accept a little dirt doesn't hurt.

 

[marmalade76]

I usually use half pads on their own, nothing better than the real wool against their skin. The wool can be brushed, hosed and even washed in a machine, as long as you're gentle with it when it's wet and don't let it dry out too much or too quickly (will go stiff and shrink a bit otherwise) it'll be fine.

As for "if the saddle fits" brigade, I doubt any of them do endurance or stay out hunting all day, for some activities you just need more padding.

 

[teddy_]

I have an Equiline ‘Baby Pad’ that I put underneath my sheepskin half pad. It really is very thin - probably 1/3 of the thickness of a conventional saddle cloth (I.e. Le Mieux, or similar).

I got mine from Royal Equestrian: https://www.royalequestrian.co.uk/product/equiline-baby-pad-wilton/

 

[Barton Bounty]

I sometimes just have a saddle cloth under the half pad, depending how thick the half pad is.

 

[SpeedyPony]

I usually use half pads on their own, nothing better than the real wool against their skin. The wool can be brushed, hosed and even washed in a machine, as long as you're gentle with it when it's wet and don't let it dry out too much or too quickly (will go stiff and shrink a bit otherwise) it'll be fine.

As for "if the saddle fits" brigade, I doubt any of them do endurance or stay out hunting all day, for some activities you just need more padding.

I agree about brushing off sheepskin- also a really thorough groom of the saddle area with a clean body brush before putting the saddle on minimises dust/grease.
I am one of the if the saddle fits types though, and do stay out hunting all day- I have used sheepskins occasionally when they have changed shape in between fittings, but once the saddle has been refitted they are, IME, a-okay with just a cotton numnah even all day.

 

[Squeak]

I just put a cotton saddle pad under the half pad and haven't had issues with them changing the fit. What about a good old fashioned jay cloth? Or cut up a cheap t shirt?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I don't use anything underneath either I brush them regularly and wash in melp in a laundry bag and they don't take too long to dry.

 

[[153312]]

I usually use half pads on their own, nothing better than the real wool against their skin. The wool can be brushed, hosed and even washed in a machine, as long as you're gentle with it when it's wet and don't let it dry out too much or too quickly (will go stiff and shrink a bit otherwise) it'll be fine.

As for "if the saddle fits" brigade, I doubt any of them do endurance or stay out hunting all day, for some activities you just need more padding.

Sorry but if the saddle doesn't fit for the all activities you want to do, the saddle doesn't fit, and is something to be discussed with a qualified saddle fitter. Pads and clothes do change saddle fit and need to be taken into account when fitting, adding more under a saddle is going to change how it puts pressure on the horse's back

*awaits barrage of hatred*

 

[[153312]]

hey, someone had to say it.....i volunteered as tribute

 

[I'm Dun]

Is it a chamois leather you are thinking of?

 

[teddy_]

Sorry but if the saddle doesn't fit for the all activities you want to do, the saddle doesn't fit, and is something to be discussed with a qualified saddle fitter. Pads and clothes do change saddle fit and need to be taken into account when fitting, adding more under a saddle is going to change how it puts pressure on the horse's back

*awaits barrage of hatred*

I think you have misinterpreted what Marmalade is saying.

No doubt her saddle does indeed fit; I understand her comment to mean that she finds the additional padding suits activities she partakes in, with her horse (sheepskin is one of, if not the best absorber of concussion for this purpose).

The point was more along the lines of some people will state that if your saddle fits you shouldn’t need a half pad, and so on, so forth. That doesn’t mean a saddle won’t fit with a pad.

 

[Ceifer]

I thought this was more common in racing? But I might be mistaken

 

[m.l.c coloured]

Do you mean something like the old fashioned stable rubber what looks like a tea towel,the white ones?

 

[MuddyMonster]

I think you have misinterpreted what Marmalade is saying.

No doubt her saddle does indeed fit; I understand her comment to mean that she finds the additional padding suits activities she partakes in, with her horse (sheepskin is one of, if not the best absorber of concussion for this purpose).

The point was more along the lines of some people will state that if your saddle fits you shouldn’t need a half pad, and so on, so forth. That doesn’t mean a saddle won’t fit with a pad.

Ditto this and to add to it, sheepskin is brilliant at wicking away moisture which if you are out all day, you absolutely want.

I have my saddle fitted for a Thermatex saddle pad. Nothing to do with the thickness but I love the technical properties of it and when you are on long and/or fast rides, I find it much better for wicking away moisture as a cotton pad will just absorb it. Yuck.

I'd use a half pad and get my saddle fitted for that but found it makes it my saddle move a bit laterally on my wide barreled pony when we tried it as an interim, so Thermatex is ideal long term.

No one would recommend putting a half pad under a well fitting saddle and expecting it to not adjust the fit, but I don't think that was the point being made.

 

[marmalade76]

Sorry but if the saddle doesn't fit for the all activities you want to do, the saddle doesn't fit, and is something to be discussed with a qualified saddle fitter. Pads and clothes do change saddle fit and need to be taken into account when fitting, adding more under a saddle is going to change how it puts pressure on the horse's back

*awaits barrage of hatred*

Even with a perfectly fitting saddle, extra padding/cushioning/shock absorbing is needed for certain activities, usually those that require several hours in the saddle like hunting, endurance, long hacks, fun rides - these activities are not the same as doing a couple of dressage tests or a couple of rounds of show jumps. Yes, this should be taken into account when fitting and generally I found my horses leaner at the end of the hunting season than at the beginning but perhaps you have your flock adjusted every six months?

 

[tyner]

oh thank you all for writing in here.

Maybe these pads were/are a German thing.

Or maybe it was just the system I grew up with We also had white barn floors which I found is not everyone's experience!

The saddle fits well with the fleece pad. When he gets older and builds up more muscle he probably won't need it. In the meantime, I'll just have to get a few more fleeces to keep in rotation so nothing gets dirty.

What about the VIP gel pads? Are those easy to keep clean?

 

[Reacher]

Sorry but if the saddle doesn't fit for the all activities you want to do, the saddle doesn't fit, and is something to be discussed with a qualified saddle fitter. Pads and clothes do change saddle fit and need to be taken into account when fitting, adding more under a saddle is going to change how it puts pressure on the horse's back

*awaits barrage of hatred*

Steph Bloom (saddle fitter) on here recommends pads like the Invictus and Winderen as they provide shock absorption. Obviously it is advisable to check with a saddle fitter if the flocking needs adjusting to accommodate the pad