Barn World Post: Saddle Pad Cleaning – a necessity for clean equine tack
Cleaning your 5 Star saddle pad is quite easy as the pad is made from 100% wool and is extremely durable. With standard care, your pad will last two thousand hours or more.
To begin, get your saddle pad wet with clean water. When you spot a soiled area, just rub in a circular motion with your fingers or a rubber curry comb. You may use a gentle detergent to remove stubborn stains if necessary. When finished, just hang your pad and allow to dry. It’s important to remember that the pad should not be laid on it’s back to dry. You want to maintain the natural shape of the pad by avoiding leaving it upside down to dry.
It really is that easy. The saddle pad is made with 100% wool using steam, heat and pressure to remove any concerns about distortion or shrinkage when you clean your own pad.
How to Clean Saddle Pads
Combing
You should periodically use a rubber fingered or flat curry comb with your 5 Star saddle pad cleaning sponge (free with every new pad) to prevent the hair and dirt from building up under the bottom of your saddle pad. An occasional brushing will do the trick on your equine tack. When using the sponge, use a circular motion on a dry pad and wipe the dirt and hair off of the sponge as it builds.
If your pad has a heavy build up of dirt and sweat, use the rubber finger curry to loosen it up, but be gentle so you’re careful not to cut the felt. As it comes up, use a vacuum to remove the grim and dirt from the saddle pad.
Keeping your saddle pad clean will allow it to breath and pull moisture away from your horses back. Your saddle pad is one of your most important pieces of equine tack and should be kept clean for a great riding experience
This will keep the old hair and dirt from collecting and working it’s way into the pad. This interferes with the ability of the pad to breath and pull moisture away from your horse’s back.
Washing
It should only be necessary to wash your equine tack saddle pad after around one hundred hours of use. Of course, if your saddle pad begins to feel hard or ‘bulky’ on the shoulder or loin areas, it’s time to clean your tack. When washing, avoid using soap as it may leave a residue that could irritate your horse. When washing, move from the center to the outer edge of the pad in every direction. A preferred method is to hang the pad by the gullet hole and rinse from the center outward. As you go, you may want to rotate your saddle pad so the dirt will be carried away and you won’t be just soaking the pad.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO NEVER LAY YOUR SADDLE PAD FLAT TO RINSE IT OFF. This will only push the sweat salts and dirt into the pad. To dry, hang the pad by the gullet hole or lay over a rail to help maintain it’s natural shape and contours. Never lay the saddle pad on it’s back as that’s the best way to help it lose it’s shape, will stretch the leather and may damage the lacing on the inside of the pad.
Once it’s dry, you may ‘loosen’ it back up by flexing the pad in the areas that may seem stiff. This will also help restore the compression protection and loosen the felt up again to help breath and wick away moisture.
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