Sheepskin numnahs without the spine

[RSH]

I've seen lots of sheepskin half saddle pads on ebay some that have sheepskin on the whole of the underside & others that don't have the sheepskin along the spine. My horse has a very prominent spine and needs quite a bit of padding so I'm not really sure which type is the best for him.

Now my understanding is that these half pads go on top of a normal saddle pad (well that's how I've seen them worn) so my question is does it matter whether or not there is sheepskin along the spine or not? I would have thought that it would be more comfortable for there to be sheepskin along the spine but I'd like other peoples opinions.

 

[Pondrider]

Hi RSH

Generally sheepskin should be next to horse as using an additional pad underneath sheepskin defeats the object of having sheepskin!, plus is more likely to get pulled down and cause problems. If you like a cotton cloth between saddle flaps and horse, a sheepskin-lined numnah would be a better purchase than a half-pad and separate cloth numnah.

I would guess that people who use cotton cloths under sheepskin pads might be doing it so they don't have to brush clean or wash the sheepkin very often?

Whether you choose gulletted/spine-free version or not will depend on how your saddle fits in both clearance/fit at the front arch/points and width throughout the gullet length - if in doubt, can you perhaps ask your saddler (or maybe your Instructor) for advice, as some of the better pads can be expensive to buy, although often well worth it in the long run.