Hi all! I've just recently started riding western and I need some advice/tips from some of you more experienced riders.
I've ridden English for years and LOVE how this and easy to wash the saddle pads are. Western pads are so much thicker and I'm not sure they're so washing machine friendly. I prefer to wash my pads at least every 3rd ride if not more often, but at the moment I only have one western pad and the crazy long drying time cuts into my riding time. Please share with me what you've found works best for getting the thick, bulky pads clean and dry!
Also, it seems it would be much easier to use a super thin pad underneath so it saves the thick pad from all the dirt...much easier to wash. Anyone know of a good brand/place to buy something like that? Most western pads don't seem to be nearly as "fitted" as a lot of English pads, so I'm concerned about material getting bunched up and causing pressure points.
Any thoughts/tips/advice are very much appreciated! Thanks!
What I've always done is invest in a ton of western saddle pads, hose them down at the car wash (or with your garden hose) as needed and leave them outside to dry while hanging if possible. Always have a saddle pad in the ready for riding though, so you aren't waiting around for your saddle pad to dry!
It is a bit of a chore maintaining western saddle pads, but certainly worth the effort
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Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. - John Wayne
Thanks for the reply, Nikki! I was kind of thinking that rotating several pads might be my best bet. I have heard other people say they hose them at the car wash too. Guess I'll just have to build up my pad collection little by little as they seem to be a bit pricey for the most part. I definitely prefer the wither relief pads, but have only used one brand (and I can't even remember the name). I would greatly appreciate opinions on which brands are worth the $ and which ones aren't so good if anyone has input in that department. Thanks!
I like the riensman tacky too pads, their a little pricey (mid range) but they are easy to clean and they dry superfast, I rotate between two of them and it works great, they have a neoprene on the inside that I find breathes very well and keeps my horse cool, they seem to be super comfortable and they have wither relief ones (I use that one to) They come in a wonderful assortment of colours, paterns and sizes, including cut back, built up, round skirt etc. you can find them on any good tack web site, ebay or at your local tack store. I've had mine for 10 years and they are still going strong.