Why do people use numnahs and/or saddle pads?

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Fools Motto

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Just curious.. my saddle fits my pony and doesn't move (pony is fat/round) so much better without anything under it. So this is what i'am doing. (It is ok to do this, isn't it?)
Surely if the saddle fits well without anything, the need to use something under it shouldn't be used. I know that sensitive TB's and the like are different, but ponies? Thoughts please. (Have you ever not used anything or know of anyone who does this?)
 
A saddle blanket is there to stop the saddle getting dirty and sweat stained. The type of saddle cloth will depend on the type of saddle and riding you do. Dressage saddles should always be used with a thin saddle cloth, western saddles have very little padding in them and are designed to be used with a thick pad. I endurance ride, so for extra comfort for the horse I always use wool or sheepskin. Using pads etc to get the saddle to fit should only be a temporary solution.
 
I am too lazy to constantly be scraping grease off the underside of my saddle. Mine are only thin but ensure the horse always has a nice clean surface on their skin.

ETS: if I forget to take a cloth to shows I just go without yes and no harm done (apart from having to clean my damn tack a second time in two days :p )
 
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It is fine to use a saddle without anything under it, a properly fitting saddle does not need all the pads that are seen in daily use, the only negative is that you will need to clean it more frequently underneath to stop a build up of grease.
 
Ours saddle share, so we pad up and down appropriately to adjust fit... Reg has his own jump saddle, but he likes sheepskin more than naked leather so he gets sheepskin.
 
Primary reason is to protect the underside of the saddle from sweat and grease. To answer your question, yes it is ok to use a saddle without a saddlecloth.
 
I use thick saddlecloths/numnahs as that is what I was told to do by my saddler. Some people may consider it silly and argue that my saddle doesn't fit but I Know my saddle does fit and would rather listen to what my knowledgeable saddler says.
 
Using a thin numnah or saddlecloth won't affect the fit of the saddle, which is why I think its rediculous when people use three of them to try to make an ill fitting saddle fit better. Same with people who put a thick pad under a well fitting saddle - all its going to do is make the saddle too tight. If you need or want to use a thick pad under the saddle, the saddle should be fitted with this in mind. It's fine to ride with no numnah or other pad at all if your saddle fits well, just means you'll be doing more tack cleaning! If the saddle slips less without a numnah that's an added bonus :)
 
sometimes I use a numnah, sometimes I dont, horse doesnt seem to mind either way. I had to bed my new saddle in without a numnah and i has serge panels so they were full of hair within the first ride anyway so I'm not bothered if it gets hairier!
 
My rapidly growing 4yr old needs a back riser at the moment so has a mattes pad with pockets for shims. Once she stops growing she will have a made to measure but will still have a thin numnah to wick sweat and keep my saddle clean!
 
Sweat is not good for leather and is even worse for wool flocking - panels will become hard, foam panels will decay faster. Only go without a pad for specific occasional reasons - showing actually in the show ring, having the saddle fitter check your saddle.

A thicker pad doesn't change how tight a saddle is - a too wide or too narrow saddle will have a tight spot, just in different places. What it does do is tilt the saddle backwards slightly on most horses - if the saddle is too narrow it is probably already tipping back so it will make it worse, on a too wide saddle it can be helpful if the saddle is slightly low in front, bringing it back into better balance, but a regular pad will not change the pressure points.
 
I always use a thin saddle cloth to protect the saddle.
But horses vary considerably in what they like one of mine is much the happiest with a memory foam pad on top of the cloth he has three saddles and he's the same with all of them
So the saddler allows for this when we do his saddles .
I just experiment until I find what works best with each horse.
 
They protect the saddle but also wick sweat away from the horse's muscles - some horses intensely dislike the feeling of sweat on leather against their skin (I can't blame them). It does depend on the horse and the saddle and the discipline, but I've found most refer some kind of pad.
 
But presumably you tried them and bought them to make sure they were a good fit with socks though:D

Nowt wrong with anything or nothing underneath the saddle, 'tis personal choice - provided that's how it was correctly fitted:)
 
blood_magik said:
my saddles have serge pannels and they're a pain in the behind to get hair off of.
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Gosh! Didn't know they still made saddles with serge panels these days???? I remember in my Pony Club youth (OK so a lllooonngg time ago:)) we all had serge panels and yes they were a total pain in the wotsits to clean.

On the advice of a saddle fitter I ditched my thick sheepskin pads and switched to a much thinner, lighter pad. Rode mare this morning, and it was soooo different. Amazing! A really nice, close contact and we just felt so much more connected somehow.

As (another) very experienced saddle fitter told me years ago: "its more comfy for everyone to ride with nothing on" :):):)

Absolutely!
 
I always use a thin saddle pad. Not a big fan of numnah's as they tend to come up a bit short in length on my wb. My lad uses numnah's on his pony.
 
There are some clips on youtube of me jumping my old boy a few years back and I had several comments asking why I wasn't using a numnah or saddlecloth and implying I was cruel! This was annoying because 1) there's nothing cruel about not using a saddlecloth or numnah for the reasons stated above, and 2) I was using a numnah - it was black and fitted perfectly under my saddle but people couldn't see it (my pony was a very white grey).
 
I use one under my shetland saddles as two are felt underneath and one is suede. It stops them getting dirty so when you have a nice cleab grey at a show you don't get a brown saddle patch for your in-hand trot up.
 
As mentioned already, for cleanliness on a traditional saddle. However I use treeless now and so need a pad with it. I bought a Suber to use with a new mare with significant muscle wastage (from a poorly fitting saddle) and the difference is incredible. I'll be using Suber pads with treeless on both horses permanently.
 
As everyone else has said for cleanliness. My youngster also has a prolite pad because she is still growing/ changing shape and unfortunately I can't afford a new saddle every couple of months.
 
Jesstickle said:
I am too lazy to constantly be scraping grease off the underside of my saddle. Mine are only thin but ensure the horse always has a nice clean surface on their skin.
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ditto. my horse lives out so I wouldn't want to wash/brush all the grease out of his coat either.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
Using a thin numnah or saddlecloth won't affect the fit of the saddle, which is why I think its rediculous when people use three of them to try to make an ill fitting saddle fit better. Same with people who put a thick pad under a well fitting saddle - all its going to do is make the saddle too tight. If you need or want to use a thick pad under the saddle, the saddle should be fitted with this in mind. It's fine to ride with no numnah or other pad at all if your saddle fits well, just means you'll be doing more tack cleaning! If the saddle slips less without a numnah that's an added bonus :)
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^^^ This!! :)

Too tight saddle plus thick padding = saddle that is even tighter.

I am lazy and can't be bothered cleaning my saddles more than once a week, so I use saddle pads. If you don't want to use a saddle pad or numnah, then you don't have to.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
Gosh! Didn't know they still made saddles with serge panels these days???? I remember in my Pony Club youth (OK so a lllooonngg time ago:)) we all had serge panels and yes they were a total pain in the wotsits to clean.
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Yup, company we bought them from only does serge panels. Lovely saddles, but a nightmare to keep clean when your horse has a winter coat that would put a yeti to shame. :o
 
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