# Materials for Girths and Pads



## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

A tragic thing happened today. My lovely sheep skin girth died. RIP sheep skin girth. :-( I was washing it in a bucket of warm water and it just disintegrated. My half pad did the same thing earlier in the week. I've had that set up for two years and have put a couple hundred miles on it.

So it's time to move on and get a new girth and pad. 

I'm looking at either a woolback, coolback, or mohair girth. 

And either a coolback or woolback saddle pad.

Or something else, if y'all have a favorite material for these things! Advice?


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## TrailheadSupply (Sep 6, 2012)

I'm a mohair fan !!!! We have a gentleman who hand weaves them for our store.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

mohair cinch, and wool pad. Can't beat it


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

Mohair girth, wool pad all the way.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Thank you! I've always leaned towards wool pads, but I've never ridden in a mohair girth, despite the good things I've heard. I'll give it a try!


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## Kayceelynn (Nov 13, 2012)

I prefer either wool but it can be expensive.... Or my second choice is the professional choice cinch
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## justicehorse (Oct 17, 2012)

Another big vote for the mohair girth!!! It may not hold up as long as other materials, but it absorbs the sweat, breathes/expands the best, and there is no rubbing/chafing.

As for pads, I use the Equipedic pad, which is wool bottomed. They are very expensive, but last forever.


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## Faustinblack (Aug 16, 2011)

I'm using a coolback pad for my aussie saddle and so far its doing great. I'm hoping the get the girth and breast collar to match it soon.


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## PintoJumper (Nov 21, 2012)

Thinline makes a great endurance saddle pad. I also like to layer a ogilvy pad and half pad. Not much beats a wool pad under a good fitting saddle though.


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## clippityclop (Jul 12, 2012)

First, bummer to hear about your sheepskin pad! I have a merino seat saver for my wintec dressage (the saddle I do most distances in) and a full merino cover for my western style endurance saddle. I wash them in the washer, but let them air dry - so far, they've held up! But they sure do stink like a dead animal when they are wet! LOL!

I use different pads by Toklat - the coolbacks are nice, especially the thicker ones. I make my own english pads (I like clean pads for every ride so I made quite a few) but my favorite has to be general synthetic fleece - I sewed 6 layers of fleece (or 4 layers of double sided fleece) and it works GREAT -just the right thickness, doesn't slide, breathes wonderfully, doesn't build up heat and soaks up a good portion of the sweat. Washes up in the washer and is new again. 

I agree about mohair - I have them both for my western and my dressage saddle. I also use a synthetic (it's poly, not neoprene) girth for the horses who can't survive a string girth and they work well, too - the poly girth holds my heart rate monitor on really well - no shifting.

fyi - there is a difference between the english fleece toklats vs the toklat regular woolback - one has a different type of 'pile' than the other and varies in thickness as well - I don't remember which, but worth researching before you place a $100 order.:wink:


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