Walking On Volume 3, Issue 8, September 2016 | Page 10

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A Clean Saddle Pad Is
Healthier For Your Horse
By Gary H
Most people probably don’t ever think about how
dirty their horse’s saddle pad might be. Not only can it
bother your horse, but it can also shorten the life of the
pad itself. A clean pad protects the underside of your
saddle and checking it regularly, you can spot signs of
saddle-fit problems such as spotty sweat absorption and
patchy hair accumulation.
After a few hot, sweaty rides, your horse’s saddle pad
can get really nasty. The sweat and hair become stuck
on it and can be an irritant to their skin and can even
become a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. This
can encourage sore skin and muscles, fungus and bald
patches. Always check your saddle pad after a ride and
clean it as necessary.
Before you clean your pad, you need to know what
kind of material it is made of. Then you should concentrate on removing the dried sweat and grime first, then
the glued on hair will come off a lot easier. You can use
a soft bristle brush and the sticky side of duct tape to
remove the hair off of any kind of pad,but e specially natural fleece and wools. This only works when done often
and when the pad isn’t too dirty.
You can use your home steam cleaner if your pad is
cotton, nylon, synthetic fleece or wool. (Use infrequently
on real wool.) Always test an inconspicuous area first,
to be sure. Use a mild solution, like Woolite and run a
second cycle with plain water to rinse it real good, so the
soap won’t come in contact with your horse.
Another option would be to use your shop vac. It
will help to run a small stream of water on the horse
pad before you start vacuuming to get the caked on hair
loosened up first. This is a good choice on all materials
except for the Neoprene pads which are too smooth to
vacuum.
If you have a pressure washer, you can clean nylons
and neoprene. You can also take your pad to the carwash in town and hang it up with the floormat hangers.
Spray at 45 degree angles to do the best job. Just be ready
to take a heavy, soaking wet blanket back to the house.
You could throw it in the back of the truck or you could
take a washtub with you. When you get home, hang it
10 • Walking On

on the fence to dry. Keep in mind that this may take a
day or two.
Something else to try would be your water hose on
the slick surfaced pads. You can also hose down nylon, synthetic fleece, synthetic wool, felt and horsehair.
You can use a foaming hose attachment with a mild
detergent or disinfectant to really do the job. After it is
washed, try to wring out some of the water, then hang
to dry. Don’t use water on open-cell foam, though. That
will ruin it.
Another way to clean your saddle pad is to put it in
your bathtub. This would be for the materials that need
to be soaked to get clean, like hand dyed real fleeces and
wools. These can’t have any leather or trim on them,
though. Let it soak 10 minutes, then swish it around in
the water. Rinse and hang to dry for a day or two. Then
you will need to vacuum it to get the rest of the hair off
of it. You could also use a big washtub for this method.

How about using your washing machine? You can
clean synthetic fleeces and wools in it. Use the gentle
cycle, cold water and a mild detergent. Hang to dry. This
method is not for stiff structured pads. Oh yeah! You
might want to run an empty cycle to get all of the hair
out of the machine before someone washes a load of
clothes in it.
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