The Benefits of Using Wool in a Saddle Pad
Wool has many natural properties that make it highly beneficial and useful in the saddle pad. A strong and durable fiber, wool is also easily dyed and produces colors naturally muted, to vivid and bright, helping to create beautiful patterns and designs that shine in and out of the show ring.
With a natural wicking ability wool is a perfect material for saddle pads. As horse’s sweat during work, a wool saddle pad will wick sweat away from the horse’s back, keeping them cooler, dryer and more comfortable.
The fibers of wool are strong but flexible allowing a wool saddle pad to naturally conform to your horse’s back. This along with wool’s inherent anti-slip properties help to keep your saddle in place keeping you and your horse happy.
Wool is also very versatile. Saddle pads are created with wool that is either woven or felted. Woven wool saddle pads can be hand-loomed or machined loomed, depending on the brand. Felted wool saddle pads are made when the wool is "felted" - made to fray slightly and fuse to the other fibers around it, creating a more solid appearance. Either way, the wool stays strong and durable and retains its natural abilities.
It’s not hard to understand why wool is a very popular material for saddle pads.