Why use sheepskin saddle pads?

There are a number of reasons why your horse may need a sheepskin pad…here are the top three:

Young horses

During the first year under saddle, your horse’s back muscles will be developing, and no matter how careful you are, there are likely to be periods when the back gets tight. During this critical training period, providing extra cushioning via a sheepskin pad will give your youngster the most comfortable saddling experience, which will almost certainly increase their learning curve and decrease pain-related reactivity.

Back issues

If you’re dealing with a horse with kissing spines, spinal arthritis, or an under-muscled or atrophied back, sheepskin may make the difference that lets you rehab and continue working these horses at a high level of performance. Sometimes it’s as simple as raising the saddle to provide proper clearance while developing healthy muscles. Other times, sheepskin provides the protection needed to keep the back healthy.

PLEASE NOTE: If you choose to use sheepskin-lined saddle pads, your EQ saddle will need to be set up to accommodate the extra width. This can be done by the EQ Team before we ship your saddle, or we can guide you through an assessment and adjustment via our remote fitting process.

Aging horses

As your horse ages, the muscle fibers in the entire body - including the back - change. They become stringier and less “spongy”. This will happen even to horses who are in regular and strenuous work. It’s just part of the aging process. When you begin to notice age-related changes in your horse’s back, sheepskin might be just the thing to give your horse a great deal of comfort that a softer/thicker cushion of muscle used to provide.