Using Suede Vs Wool On Skirt.... What Can I Pad With?

[stef73433]

I have seen alot of saddles now a days that are using suede rather than wool for the skirts.. i want to do this as well.. what would be good padding material between bars and suede?

Cactus Saddlery is an example of a maker who does this. Their site says they use just neoprene padding. Would it need to be something specific to hold up over time and stress?

[BOB BRENNER]

Have been working with this concept for a while and have found that a good quality 1/4' to 3/8" thick closed cell neoprene has worked for me. I think the concept is interesting and can see some possibilities, but wonder how the foam and leather will hold up over time.

Also, have found that you need to increase the gullet width to allow for the foam. For 1/4" have added 1/4" to 1/2" depending upon the situation and 1/2" to 3/4" for 3/8'. I think the foam needs to be cut 1/4" to 3/8" shorter than the shirts for a better fit and skived back around 1" and glued well.

Respectfully,

Bob

[stef73433]

Is the idea of the foam simply padding for the horse? If you ride a quality pad, is foam even necessary?

[BOB BRENNER]

As I understand it, the barrel racers want to be as close to the horse as possible, thus the popularity of the treeless saddle. The two saddles I made with this method were for students of a Pro. She did not like the treeless saddle and saw this method and liked it. My customers are happy with the saddles ( until the next "new" thing comes along).

Bob

[stef73433]

I was referring to bottom of skirt, but I'm glad to hear you have built a tree less.I thought about this, but found very little on it and being novice decided I would try a treed saddle first.I'd love to see pics if you care to share?

[RidersChoiceSaddleCo]

We have used many products to do this including closed cell neoprene. Most of it works fine but as pointed out earlier if they are using a good pad they are protected anyway. Once of our best projects included a woman whose horse was so short backed that she couldn't use a bottom skirt on the saddle so we used a new product called Sil-Cush that is made nearby. It is a silicon based pad that looks like a sponge and is highly responsive. We used that on the bars of the saddle and covered it over with suede so that the bottom of our western saddle looked almost English.