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How do you clean your saddle pads?

J

JF Ranch

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Joined
Sep 6, 2006
Messages
508
Location
North Fringe of the Nebraska Sandhills
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?
 
JF Ranch said:
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?
Click to expand...

Turpentine and a match not only cleans a saddle pad, but it also does a wonderful job of getting rid of excess vermin. :wink: :shock: :D
 
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.
 
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.
 
Heck ya take em to town and stick them in the washing machines at the laundry mat.. :D :D



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.... :D :D :D
 
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.
 
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.
 
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!!!!!!!
 
DJL said:
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.
Click to expand...

We like Cool backs too
 
One time, a long time ago, before our Marine became a Marine, he put his saddle pad in my washing machine. Now I don't have too much of a problem with that, but all that hair had the capabilities of plugging up the sump pump......which it did.......water all over the basement floor :? I had to take the pump out and unplug it YUK


I would rather clean pens with a pitchfork than clean out the sump pump :x
 
If you have access to one, a pressure washer is the best deal.
I use Najaho wool blankets. What I do is soak them in a tub of water with dish detergent. The longer you let them soak the easier the job is but if its winter you only need to let them soak for 5 minutes.
Then I lay them on the dog kennel and put more dish soap on them and brush them with a stiff brush. I use a gunsmithing extra soft wire brush that is so soft you could brush your skin with it but a regular brush like you would use for scrubbing floors would work just as well. I used to use an old fashioned scrub board but I find brushes work faster. Then I hang them on a fence and hose them off with a regular garden hose to get all the soap out of them.
 
I to use a pressure washer. I wash all my pads I've used every weekend afterall Iprefer to wear clean cloths and I make a liveing off my horses so they deserve clean pads. A For those of you who have a hard time getting them to dry. I have and old panel that is atached to a cable to the cieling of the barn after I wash them Ihang them on a rung upside down and hiost it up to the cieling of the barn wearthey are out of the way.
 
I use Soapweeds method, if I do anything at all. I also often use a Warmpad, which has a neoprene bottom that doesnt collect hair. I think I change latigos more often than blankets though.
 
If you use the fleece type pads, (Which I have to on one of my horses, she's allergic to neoprene. All the hair falls off and she gets nasty puss filled blisters everywhere the neoprene touches. So much for SMX cinches!)
AFTER you pressure wash, or hose them, or whatever you do, and you've hung them up to dry, you can use either a sheep carding brush, or a large dog slicker brush(Heavy duty one, don't get the "Soft touch" one) to fluff and smoothe out the fleece. Eliminates all those little bumpy matted areas, helps remove stubborn imbedded horse hair also. Good job for a naughty kid that needs some manual labor for humbling bad attitudes, lol!
 

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