Western Round Skirt Style Pad

Western Square Skirt Style Pad

Special “Wood” Felt - breathes, excellent shock absorption, and wicks away moisture and heat!!
Outer material breathes, dries quickly, resists fading, abrasion, chemicals and stains, wicks away moisture and allows heat to escape, black.

Open channel down the center to let out heat.  Each side instantly conforms to the shape of the horse & saddle.

***We have found that excess heat on a horse's back causes a loss of endurance, energy, and muscle fatigue and can lead to muscle atrophy.

All materials are MACHINE WASHABLE and very durable! Washing keeps the material wicking and breathing. Hair build up is fine.  Once sweat/dirt cakes up the bottom time to wash.

The short fibers work with the horse's coat resulting in much less slippage.

Movement of this special felt on your horse's skin doesn’t cause hardly any heat whereas many other pad materials can cause a lot of heat because of friction.

Bacteria won’t grow in the pad.

During a long hot ride you can dip your pad in some water, re-saddle and the wicking action will cool and soothe your horse's back like a swamp cooler!

Choosing the right thickness of pad:

We believe you should use as thin of padding as possible so you have as close of contact with the horse as possible, for better communication, (which is how we also build our saddles) but have sufficient protection for the horse's back. We feel the best all-around thickness for most horses we see and circumstances for western saddles is the 3/4”.  If your saddle fits very well no inserts are needed and should be removed. If you rope, do long rides, your horse has any muscle atrophy (dishing) behind the withers or you weigh 160+ lbs. a 3/4” thick pad would be the most suitable to protect the horse's back.

*When there is dishing behind the withers they need height for the saddle to be above the shoulder blade so it can rotate underneath the saddle for freer, pain-free movement.

*You do not add more padding where your saddle is too narrow/tight!! If we put on shoes that are too narrow do we add more socks to help the problem? The same goes for padding. Too much padding causes rolling of the saddle, which means you have to cinch much tighter, which interferes with the horse's breathing, and the tree of the saddle can’t settle into the shape of the horse's back, and therefore can’t do its job of distributing your weight!

Included with the pad is a complete set of 12 inserts (6-1/4” & 6-1/2”) to meet just about any fitting need. 3/4” inserts are also available for an extra charge.

About the flexibility of the fitting options:
The inserts work to correct many different problems. For example: If the horse or rider is asymmetrical somewhere on the back, the inserts can compensate. If the saddle isn’t fitting the horse, the pads can correct up to a point and will always at least improve fit. We will help you figure out how to use the inserts to compensate for your individual needs.

*Please note– sometimes when it appears the saddle is not fitting properly (like dry spots or sore areas on the horse's back) the problem can be that the horse or rider is out of adjustment, a chiropractor suited for either can sometimes be of help. Sometimes the problem is the horse has not been shod or trimmed properly. Sometimes the horse's mouth is out of alignment and needs his teeth worked on by a qualified neuromuscular equine dentist. It can be a combination of things.
For more information about our saddle fitting philosophies go to our Saddle Fitting Info & Philosophy page & see our Saddle Fitting Guide Page.

Use Instructions:
Example: If the saddle is a little too snug at the withers, take out the front inserts and put the inserts in the middle and back pockets, that lifts pressure off of the front, and creates a place for the scapula to rotate more comfortably.
If a horse is sway-backed, put the inserts in the center only to fill in and even out pressure. If you have no fit problems, then don’t use any inserts, but if you are going for a longer than normal ride you can add the 1/4” or 1/2” shims to all pockets for added cushioning.
We are here to help with any questions!! Feel free to Contact Us!

-New pads should be washed before use for optimum performance!
-Soak pad in cold water and then scrub majority of dirt and sweat off with a soft bristle brush.
-For washing 3/4” thick pads it works best to use the triple load front loading commercial washing machines, for ¼” or ½” pads they can be washed in most home washing machines.
-Do Not Use Soap as many horses have a skin reaction to soaps and once soap is in the fibers it is very hard to get it all out.
-Throw in with pad a few heavier washable shoes or tennis balls if you have them to help loft the fibers.
-Dry on AIR/NO HEAT
with shoes/balls (heat won’t harm the felt but it will cause the nylon wear strips and the cover material on the pads to melt and shrink). Finish drying in the sun or warm area inside.

*Washing actually enhances performance and increases loft. Besides dirt build up, another indicator that the pad is ready for washing is when you notice glossy hard areas; this is caused from the salt in the horses sweat building up on the pad, which doesn’t allow heat and moisture to escape through the pad's fibers.

What does Remuda mean?
It is what the cowboys call the horse herd they use for cattle work. They must change their mount at least three times a day. They use the same saddle and pad on every horse they use. So this pad will work great for any size Remuda, it is versatile enough to be used on any shaped horse and will make your saddle able to work on a bigger variety of horses without hurting them.