About my products
100% Natural, Wool Felt Pads
Two thicknesses to choose from - 12.7/13mm and 17/18mm and both have a lovely soft texture to them.
My suppliers have let me in on a secret that you won't find 100% 'pure' wool felt pads anywhere - it's almost impossible for felt manufacturers (or a saddle pad brand) to state this, as felt mills that make this kind of felt also make other felts with viscose (which is derived from wood pulp) - hence why I can't say it's 100% 'pure'. It's kind of like a factory that produces products with nuts as well as products without - you can't say the products without nuts are 100% nut free, just in case a few were left in the bottom. Makes sense. The product I use however is a minimum of 90% pure (and quite possibly 100% if no 'nuts' were left behind) ... but is 100% natural, wool felt containing zero polyesters. It's as close to pure as I can get (don't worry, I exhausted every single avenue trying to find 'pure wool' felt ... it's like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow ... I'd love it to exist, but it doesn't). Oh and the wool in the felts I use is sourced from Australia and Germany - definitely not cheap indian wool that compacts and goes stiff and hard within a few runs.
All my pads are hand cut and handmade by me and feature gorgeous fabric wears at the girth, and strong yet supple veg tanned leather at the wither. Those with contoured spines have a full length of leather across the spine, which is also reinforced with webbing.
I only buy very small runs of fabric, so there will never be hundreds of the same out there. Quite likely, every pad will be unique, as these pads can also be engraved with your initials, name farm/business name, favourite saying - whatever you like!
There are no other pads that offer this distinct style on the market that I am aware of, and I am incredibly proud of them.
Kersey Pads
The saddle pad insert on a 12mm kersey pad consists of two layers. A thinner recycled cotton felt which helps ensure the pad retains its shape and beneath that, a layer of super soft 100% pure wool wadding - yes, this stuff is PURE and is made from Australian (to be specific, Victorian) wool. This combination ticks the boxes for me personally ... I desperately wanted an underlayer of wool close to my horse and have a breathable product that molded to my horse's back.
The two inserts and the cover are hand cut in complete pieces - which means there is only a holding seam and no fabric or felt joins along the spine, or anywhere else aside from right at the very edges.
The kersey covers are made from 80% recycled wool and 20% other fibers. I'm a bit pedantic (everyone has a downfall, right?!) so I also pattern match the fabric as best as I possibly can on both the top and underside. Add to that, they come in a range of colours (checks and plains).
The leather wear pads are a strong yet supple vegetable-tanned leather. The leather itself will take water and block, then dry to natural full-grain finish. It is also tanned using selected cattle hides and drum dyed to ensure maximum dye penetration and colour fastness.
Nothing lasts forever and I don't profess that my saddle pads will either, and even though I'd love to sell you more than one, it shouldn't be because one fell apart before its time! Hopefully, it's because you use it every day and want a second in the truck ... that or you're like me and can't resist one that matches your favourite arena shirts (notice the plural?)!!
With an approximate overall thickness of around 12mm, this is my go-to saddle pad to achieve a close contact for competition. They suit my quarter horses down to the ground, who I struggled to find saddle pads for without impacting the fit of my saddle.
The thicker 19mm pads just have an additional layer of the wool wadding so are super plush. They do compact a bit, but the initial loft is slightly higher than 19mm to offset this.