How do you clean your saddle pads?

[JF Ranch]

Does anyone actually CLEAN their saddle pads?

I am guilty of letting too much hair build up on mine. I am assuming that many of you do too. That darned hair gets so embedded into the fleece or felt that it's almost impossible to get off without damaging the pad.

Whenever I've tried to clean them, I have found myself in a time consuming, miserable job with a pressure-washer and have never really happy with the results.

I suppose more frequent cleaning would help, but there's never time around here for that. I hate to buy expensive pads and throw them away after a year or two when they've gotten caked with sweat and a thick mat of hair.

If anyone has a good method of cleaning them I'd really like to know.

Or do you simply buy cheap pads in bulk and replace them frequently?

[Soapweed]

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

We've gone to buyin the 1 inch felt pads with neoprene on the underside. The hair doesn't stick to it at all....none whatsoever.....if they smell like they need washed...we turn em bottom side up and wipe them off with a sponge with 1/2 n 1/2 bleach n water and then let em dry. I won't ever go back to them old pads that have fleece on the bottom side.

[S.S.A.P.]

We use a 1/2 hospital felt pad
http://www.westernshop.com/cgi-bin/product_detail.cgi?id=43d794bf4ffffffbb816c3650eaea225&product=12957

They are washable if you get it done before they get to crusty (99% of the time I chuck them) - washing most pads/blankets distorts them, making some lumpy, even though you try to be careful.

[greg]

yur supposed to wash them?

[Mrs.Greg]

[katrina]

Heck ya take em to town and stick them in the washing machines at the laundry mat..



This reminds me of a story... When I lived in Kimball someone accidently blew up the laundry mat with oil patch coveralls... We all knew who it was cuz they came to work on the oil rig in new coveralls....

[Big Muddy rancher]

I just hang the pads on the fence and use the pressure washer. Even the felt pads. Best done in the summer cause they can take awhile to dry. Those thiner felts under pads are nice cause they are cheap to just replace. The son has a grey felt with neoprene underside that he likes but uses a thin felt under in the summer.

[DJL]

I use the pressure washer with good results. If the hair is built up into a wad, hitting it on an angle that cuts underneath the hair will blow most of it off. I personally like Cool Back pads underneath my expensive pads, as they don't take the hair off over the loins like felt ones do. I don't know if this happens to any one else or just me and my fast walking horses? The Cool Back pads are easy to wash in a machine or with the pressure washer, and fluffy and good as new.

[Faster horses]

Mr. FH has gone to a Professionals Choice Air Ride pad that he is very happy with. They don't slip and are supposed to be easy to clean. Before that we used a navajo wool blanket under a felt Ultra Pad and then just had to wash the navajo in cold water AT THE LAUNDRYMAT.

When we used to use more blankets, I always wanted an old wringer washer for washing them. It works great!!!!!!!

[Judith]

I use a pressure washer also. Works like a charm

[Nicky]