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Wool, Foam or Air? by David Young, British Master Saddler |
Depending on which manufacturer you talk to and what they use in their saddles, you will get very different opinions as to which material is best. But how much is marketing and how much is fact? Having worked with all three materials, I must admit to a bias for wool, which I find significantly superior for the reasons stated here. Foam Pre-formed Panels Pre-formed foam panels are made in molds and designed for more of an assembly line production process geared toward speed and cost reduction. The problem is that horses’ backs are not pre-formed to match them. Foam does not conform to the polymorphous shapes of horses’ backs. It cannot be adjusted to compensate for asymmetry. Foam panels very often bridge in the middle even when the saddle appears to be balanced. Soft foam panels collapse and may create extreme pressure on the horse’s back and withers, causing soreness. Harder foam panels often have sharp edges that bear most of the weight instead of distributing the weight over a broad surface area. Air Panels When air panels first came out there was a lot of buzz and enthusiasm that lasted for a couple of years of trial. Many saddles were converted to foam at a dear price and later reconverted back to wool. Although a clever and interesting alternative, they have failed to replace wool as the premium material for a variety of reasons. Air is unstable and tends to expand and contract as temperatures change. There have been many problems with leaking valves leaving the rider with a “flat” before a big competition. Unlike wool, you can’t just compensate with a little more padding to get you through. As the rider’s weight goes forward the air tends to be forced in the opposite direction leaving the back unprotected. If there is too little air pressure, the horse’s back may be exposed to the tree. If there is too much, the saddle often rocks on the horse’s back. A Swiss study indicated that some riders reported a lack of communication and effectiveness via their riding aids when riding on air panels. Wool Flocked Panels Wool has always been the saddler’s choice for flocking panels. Wool flocked panels are not assembly line made with the one size fits all attempt in mind. Wool is extremely comfortable on the horse’s back and disperses the rider’s weight over a broader surface area, assuming the correct design and fit of the saddle. Because wool flock consists of “long individual strands” it can easily conform to the polymorphous shapes of the horses’ backs. Foam, regardless of how soft it may feel, does not compare to wool’s ability to conform. It can be easily adjusted to compensate for asymmetry in the horse’s conformation. It can be completely replaced in older saddles for relatively little cost. Wool provides stable support for the rider’s weight and it has no sharp edges. An often-heard criticism of wool from manufacturers who use foam panels is that wool knots up. I rarely find knots in wool panels unless it was improperly flocked by a novice. If there are knots, they can easily be removed and replaced with fresh wool. Typically wool only knots when it is being removed from the panels.
Article provided by County Saddlery. For more information, visit www.countysaddlery.com. |
