Posted 2009-09-20 7:39 PM (#110906) Subject: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420 Location: Iowa
Hello; Has any one had any experiance with these 3/4 inch inch thick wool pads? It might have been an inch thick, not sure. It was all grey in color. I was thinking about buying one. My question is how do you clean it? I would think that sweat and dirt would get trapped in the wool and be very hard to clean. They are kinda spendy, but look very comfortable. Anybody have one?
Posted 2009-09-21 5:25 AM (#110916 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420 Location: Iowa
The salesman told me that it is suppose to wick away the sweat from a horses back & keep him cooler. As thick as this pad is, I'm afraid with another pad under it, you have a hard time keeping the saddle on right. ???? I know neoprene would be a bad choice for a stand alone pad.
Posted 2009-09-21 8:00 AM (#110918 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Veteran
Posts: 270 Location: Roanoke IL
if you go to any roping/rodeo events, you will see that many of the cowboys have a thin navajo type pad against the horse, then something like a wool felt pad over top of that. It's easier to clean one of those little blankets, and it keeps your felt shock absorbing pad cleaner. They don't have trouble keeping their saddle in place. Just don't use too thick of a blanket, and if you have trouble with saddle roll, get a thinner felt pad. They come in several thicknesses.
Posted 2009-09-21 8:52 AM (#110921 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 303 Location: Grapeland, Texas
I have the 3/4" 5 Star pads and am really happy with them. They have a sponge deal that will pull the hair out of the pad. I just use a garden hose with an attachment that gives a pretty hard stream of water and hose it down. You are not suppose to leave them laying flat or turned upside down to dry. I lay mine over my fence, wooden, to dry.
Posted 2009-09-21 10:13 AM (#110927 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Veteran
Posts: 214 Location: lyle,mn
Go to 5 star saddle pad website and read about wool pads. They have alot of good information. I got my hubby one for fathers day. He loves it. Wool breathes better.
Posted 2009-09-21 5:15 PM (#110941 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420 Location: Iowa
Thanks guy's. I checked out the 5 star site. That has some very good information on it. I think I'll go ahead and get one. Then I can get a Maytex blanket to throw over the top when I show.
Ok, those 5-star pads are over $200 each. The one I looked at was $100. They both look alike from what I can remember. I wonder what makes 5-star pads $100 more. Maybe the one I looked at was made in India or somewhere.
Posted 2009-09-21 7:13 PM (#110945 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Elite Veteran
Posts: 781 Location: La Cygne, KS
Have you tried wool on your horse before? Would hate to see you pay a lot of money only to have your horse allergic to wool. My friends MFT breaks out in hives and becomes so irrated with extreme itching with wool items such as blankets, pads and coolers. I love wool for the wicking ability, but they are harder to clean than neoprene style pads.
Posted 2009-09-21 8:29 PM (#110948 - in reply to #110945) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
I've used those Dixie Midnight pads under any blanket I use. they are 1/4" thick and allow all the sweat to drain out ( by gravity). My blankets stay dry and for the most part clean. Since this type of pad is very porous, some hair and dirt does work it's way through and onto the blanket. But not much. These under pads are made of some sort of spun plastic. So you just dunk them in some water to clean.
Posted 2009-09-22 5:02 AM (#110956 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 391 Location: Columbia, KY
Toklat makes a pad called woolback- I've used the same ones for years. they are thick, washable and dry pretty fast. plus you can use both sides. I"m pretty sure they make them for all types of saddles.
Posted 2009-09-22 8:40 AM (#110962 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 368 Location: Georgia
I recently switched to a Skito Dry Back pad and it is great. You can remove the inner pads and throw the blanket in the washer. You can also rinse the inner pads. I purchased the Skito with the 100% wool fleece underside and it is really soft. I have already washed the blanket and it came out really nice. You can order replacement inner pads also, so I am thinking this blanket/pad combo should last a really long time. Again, the Skito pads are not cheap but I rationalized it by thinking of it as an investment. The Skito can be custom ordered to fit any saddle.
Posted 2009-09-22 11:16 PM (#111013 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378 Location: Nebraska
I'm not trying to change any opions but would like to make a few statements. I wear wool clothing in the winter from the stetson on my head, the pendleton shirt on my back, the pants over my legs to the socks on my feet. The reason I wear them is to keep me warm and dry. as wool gets wet it swells and prevents moisture from getting completely thur the wool and traps heat in to keep me warm, unless it is a downpour or I fall in a water tank I will stay dry. But come spring my "wooleys" get cleaned and put in the closet till next fall. But just for giggles next July or August toss on a wool pendleton shirt go out and throw about 400 bales in the barn. It will make you think about being cooler and breathability.
Posted 2009-09-23 5:10 AM (#111016 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420 Location: Iowa
I think the wool pad is the way to go. I checked out Smith Brothers web site and they have them listed for around $100 also. Thanks for the input everyone.
Posted 2009-09-25 9:11 PM (#111113 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Regular
Posts: 74 Location: NW
first off, there really is no such thing as a "100% wool" pad. What the differences in wool pads boils down to, is the amount of VIRGIN wool in them. The one & ONLY one w/the most virgin wool is the 5 Star - it has 92% virgin wool, & the 8% balance is reworked wool w/a max of 1-2% of that being allowed for synthetics. The NEXT closest are the Slones, Wrights, etc - they only have 55% virgin wool & their remaining 45% balance is reworked wool & is allowed up to 18-20% of that to be synthetics. What this boils down to is this: The 5 Stars w/their much greater amt of virgin wool are softer, plus they have the highest rating for compression & concussion. The others are stiffer - & much lower rating. (here is a lengthy but interesting article: http://www.5starequineproducts.com/SaddlePadsArticle.html A wool pad that is "picky" feeling is not from the wool - it is from the synthetics. True virgin wool is SOFT - ever worn any of the Merino wool items? Someone above said they thought wool made their horse sweat more - not so. GOOD wool BREATHES - therefore, the sweat will be cleaner & disapate & keep your horse's back cooler & less chance for soreness. The neoprenes, air cells, less virgin wool pads will NOT do that - they will hold in the heat. There are also needled wool felt pads ( Diamond Wool are big name ones) that are not a compressed, virgin wool - they will compress, can be prickly & not allow the breathing as much.
dawnb, so glad hubby is still liking his 5 Star & longears, you too! If I can help anyone at all w/these pads, pls feel free to contact me. No, they are not the cheapest pad out there, but you get what you pay for. And I can guarantee you, if you get one & decide for whatever reason you don't like it, you will have NO problem selling it. I get people constantly looking for good used ones & I just can't find them very often.
OH - also, they are not hard to clean at all. As I think it was longears said, w/the 5 Stars, you get the dry cleaning sponge that does great for inbetweens, but a pressure washer (or carwash) w/only cold water cleans them up like new.
Posted 2009-09-27 10:26 AM (#111155 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Expert
Posts: 1205 Location: Arkansas
We have used 5 star pads for some years, and still are using the first ones we purchased, and do really use em. We like wool, and mohair. I have had a couple of animals who were allergic to neoprene, but not the mohair... good luck with whatever you decide.
Posted 2009-10-12 3:20 PM (#111774 - in reply to #110906) Subject: RE: 100% Wool Pad
Veteran
Posts: 151 Location: Manitoba, Canada
I don't use a wool pad, but I am going to invest in a good one next year. I know a saddle fitter whose advice on wool pads -- any pad, actually - was to get one with a shaped fit, and to get one that was thick enough that if you placed your thumb on one side and your index finger on the other and pinched with your nails, you shouldn't be able to feel your nail through the pad. Generally, 3/4" minimum was required for that.
For my pads, when dry, I toss them on the floor and run the vacuum over them. The revolving brush cleans better than anything else I've tried.
However, mostly I used a pad that's a neoprene type. I don't know what it's called, but if you ever see those sticky neoprene bubble layers on the bottom of your pad for grip, that's the stuff. My pad is made of layers of only that, about 1" thick. When you hold it up, the air blows right through, water runs right through it, it dries in minutes, and cleans with a hose.
100% Wool Pad
