Wool and Sheepskin saddle pads

They're not the same - sheepskin has the skin on it and wool is made from the wool sheared from the sheep and made into a furry fabric. For wool the sheep lives to make another saddle pad for sheepskin it doesn't.
 
Confusingly some ebay sellers list sheepskin as lambswool and some list lambswool as, well, wool. Need to read the description if you have a preference but both will perform similarly :)
 
ahhh okay thanks! Yes this is about ebay, I'd listed mine as used real sheepskin and posted numerous photos and stated it had been used and washed but still having to issue a refund and return as buyer isnt happy she wanted a sheepskin numnah not wool
Thanks for your help!
 
The key word is skin :). Yep, lots of people confuse it, for instance NuuMed only do wool numnahs but people call them sheepskin numnahs all the time. They are different - sheepskin has the fibres stacked up much better as they've never been pulled apart - it wicks better and absorbs concussion better than wool. Not to say that wool doesn't have its place...and lambs sheepskin if that makes sense, or even lambswool, is actually TOO soft in many cases to do the job really well.

You can see the difference if you check the backing which will usually just be seen on most pads - sheepskin is clearly leather, wool is in a knitted backing.

Hope that helps :)
 
Sorry to hijack OP, but whilst on this subject, I wanted to get my horse a sheepskin numnah to wick sweat away but have been warned that it may make my saddle fit incorrectly. Is this true? If so, how do you avoid this or what is the point in having them?? Thanks!
 
sbloom said:
The key word is skin :). Yep, lots of people confuse it, for instance NuuMed only do wool numnahs but people call them sheepskin numnahs all the time. They are different - sheepskin has the fibres stacked up much better as they've never been pulled apart - it wicks better and absorbs concussion better than wool. Not to say that wool doesn't have its place...and lambs sheepskin if that makes sense, or even lambswool, is actually TOO soft in many cases to do the job really well.

You can see the difference if you check the backing which will usually just be seen on most pads - sheepskin is clearly leather, wool is in a knitted backing.

Hope that helps :)
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Not entirely convinced of that sbloom....

Taken from Nuumeds website:

British wool can absorb up to 30% of its own weight in moisture before it even feels damp keeping your horse more comfortable for long

And then from Australian top medical grade sheepskin description:

Medical Sheepskin Rugs have very dense and springy wool fibres which supports the body and allows air to flow freely helping to regulate body temperature ... cool in summer and warm in winter.

It can also absorb up to 30% of its weight in water without feeling wet.


As for cushioning, I'm equally not so sure Merino wool (which is typically very soft and silky) is more cushioning than the slightly coarser and springier british wool?

We make both by the way, but mostly make wool ones rather than sheepskin (unless seriously pressurised lol)
 
As my TB is sensitive I only use sheepskin not wool,as I find sheepskin provides better protection.I have found you need to read the full description of product you want to buy to ensure you are getting sheepskin and not just wool.As for saddle fit I have never had a problem whether I use a half pad , full GP sheepskin or GP half lined .
 
Fimbacob said:
Sorry to hijack OP, but whilst on this subject, I wanted to get my horse a sheepskin numnah to wick sweat away but have been warned that it may make my saddle fit incorrectly. Is this true? If so, how do you avoid this or what is the point in having them?? Thanks!
Click to expand...

The saddle should be fitted to be used with a sheepskin. Usually a saddle is fitted to the horse and using a thin cotton numnah underneath to keep the saddle clean is fine.
If you want to use a sheepskin, then you would have to allow for the thickness of this when fitting the saddle.
 
In my mind it's about how it wicks the water away from the skin, and I'd hazard a good guess that the aligned fibres of sheepskin do it quicker. The bit that soaks up the water is chemically and structurally the same so I would expect it to absorb the same amount, weight for weight, but there is also often more weight of wool in a sheepskin pad :)

Agree that British coarser wool is better for absorbing concussion, I count Merino in with lambskin I guess. I find most merino and lambskin pads lack body.

The only thing that a thicker pad like sheepskin really changes is the front to back balance, via the front clearance. To get a bit scientific, with the withers being narrower than the horse's back where the rear panels sit, the angle the pad sit at is more vertical at the front than at the back. If you imagine measuring the vertical distance, at a right angle to the ground, at the front of the pad, it will have an effective thickness which is actually thicker than the pad itself, because you are effectively passing a diagonal line through it. The back is more or less horizontal, or at least closer to the horizontal, so is effectively thinner.

Hence, a saddle fitted to allow for a thicker pad should be slightly loiwer than ideal at the front when looked at with no pad. It should be in perfect balance with the pad and the rider in the plate.

I can't see that it really changes anything else if the design is good and it doesn't interfere with the gullet etc.
 
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