Pink Equine Guide to buying Mattes Custom Saddle Pads

8 Reasons you should purchase Mattes Custom Saddle Pads

These days there are so many different brands of saddle pad available for sale that choosing the right pad can become a nightmare. Well, you need to look no further, because Mattes make the best custom saddle pads and in our opinion are head and shoulders above the competition. We are excited to be able to offer them alongside our own range of horse tack.

Want to know why Mattes make the best custom saddle pads? Here are Eight reasons.

Functional Saddle pad design – Many years of experience have gone into the design of Mattes custom saddle pads. The shape of each horse saddle pad is anatomically correct, sitting perfectly on the horse’s back, with a high wither cut, preventing any pressure on the wither area.

The manufacturing process and quality of Materials used – All Mattes custom saddle pads feature a double layer of POLYFLEX® a polyester non-woven felt fabric and either 180g/m² blended cotton twill or 400g/mm² velvet quilt that does not fade, even after the pad has been washed or cleaned many times. In addition, Mattes only uses the top 5% of merino lambskin in their pads. Natural wool ensures an even temperature over the horse’s skin.

Mattes Patented Correction® System – Enables the insertion of shims to assist with maintaining balance and straightness for horses that may change their shape throughout the year.

Trademarked Saddle Pad Composition – Customers can choose from several clever systems that have been designed to assist both horse and rider, such as “Saddle Fix”, “Spine-Free®”, “Mattes MER system”, “EWWA Spine”, and the “PM System”

The bespoke nature of Mattes custom saddle pads – Why not enjoy a unique horse saddle pad? Choose from 39 different shades of cotton and cotton sheen quilts or 16 colours in velvet. Up to 3 rows of rope trim and bindings in a choice of over 40 different colours, as well as 33 different colours of sheepskin.

Something to suit everyone – Mattes offers patterns to fit the general purpose, jumping or dressage saddles, and in 9 different styles, Eurofit, Square, Numnah, Half Pad, Western, Endurance, Treeless, Trekking, and Spanish Baroque.

Mattes the cost-efficient choice – Mattes custom saddle pads are not as expensive as you think. The price for a standard saddle pads and numnahs is less than £65.00, whilst the Half Pad starts for less than £50.00. If looked after these pads will last retain their colour and shape and last for years, making them an extremely cost-effective purchase.

Mattes the most comfortable custom made saddle pads for your horse – Whilst fashion and style are important, comfort for your horse is king! Mattes prioritise fit and form over everything, so why look anywhere else?

Mattes Custom Saddle Pads we sell

Square pads | Eurofit Pads | Numnahs | Half Pads | Baroque Pads | Trekking Pads | Western Pads | Endurance Pads | Treeless Pads | Saddle Pad Types | How to Order | About Mattes | Measuring your pad | Saddle Pad Care | FAQ |

About Saddle Pads in General

Saddle pads were originally designed to protect the saddle from sweat and horse hair and to provide a barrier between the horse and the saddle leather, wicking away sweat and keeping the saddle area cool while on horseback.

In modern times, the saddle pad is still an integral part of a horse’s tack but is also designed to look fashionable and compliment current horse and rider styles.

Pink Equine is renowned for its bespoke range of colour co-ordinated horse tack and accessories. Our attention to detail, personalized shopping experience, and bespoke manufacture, enable customers to harmonise their look and we have now partnered with saddle pad manufacturer brand E A Mattes, who match our high standards and whose saddle pads fit seamlessly with our bridle work enabling you to create a complete matching collection for your horse.

How to measure your saddle pad

The shape and size of your saddle will determine the size and cut of your saddle pad. For example, if you ride dressage in a dressage saddle, you will need a dressage cut saddle pad, similarly jumping and if you ride in an all purpose (also known as GP or General Purpose) saddle, you will need an all-purpose pad.

The key measurement is the length of the contact area of the saddle (including the saddle’s padding) on the horse’s back. The easiest way to do this is by turning over your saddle and using a flexible tape measure (such as a dressmakers tape measure) to measure along an imaginary line down the gullet, starting at the front edge of the padding (marked A on the diagram), all the way back until you reach the rear edge of the saddle padding (marked B on the diagram).

Ensure that the tape is taut and add at least 6cm to the measurement. This is the minimum back length for your saddle pad. Compare your measurement with our measurement table and choose the closest matching size (Please bear in mind when choosing a pad that quoted sizes for saddle pads may vary by +/-2cm and that pads may shrink by up to 5% when washed).

Saddle Pad Care

A Mattes saddle pad is an investment and with proper care and attention, you will be able to enjoy your saddle pad for many years to come. You should only need to change your saddle pad when you fall in love with another colour scheme because let’s face it, you can never have enough saddle pads!!

There is no getting away from the fact, that your saddle pad works hard to wick away horse sweat and pick up dirt and horse hair. To ensure your pad continues to function correctly and looks great for many years, you will need to take care of it and wash it regularly. Mattes encourage you to wash your pad as they benefit from a routine washing regime and have adapted a range of Mattes laundry accessories. In fact all Mattes sheepskin pads include a bottle of their special Mattes MELP detergent. The ingredients help the removal of dirt and horsehair and are even used in the lambskin production process to replace the oils lost in the cleaning process.

Regular washing not only removes detritus but also sebum and ammonia content, which if not cleaned can break down the sheepskin fibres. Thorough drying, preferably in a tumble dryer, ensures that your fleece is fluffy and your pad is clean and dry.

 

Step by Step process to wash and dry your sheepskin pads

 

 

If you don’t have the “extra water” option on your washing machine, it is recommended that you add an extra three or four litres of water to the machine, by pulling out the detergent drawer and pouring the water into it for the best results. Do not use an iron on your pad as this will almost certainly damage it.

Once your pad is dry it should be stored somewhere clean and dry and out of direct sunlight. Ideally, the pad should be hung on a saddle stand or something that the pad can be hung over so that it retains its natural shape. If you have any questions about how to take care of your saddle pad, please do not hesitate to contact us.

How to order a Saddle Pad from Pink Equine

It is very easy to order products from our online shop regardless of whether it is for yourself or you are buying a gift for someone else. You can sort by categories and specific products by price or alphabetically. If it is an in-stock item, find the right size and simply add it to the cart, then complete the checkout process for delivery of your orders. All our prices include VAT and our returns policy is included on the delivery & returns tab and on a separate page listed in the footer of our website.

If your saddle pad selection is custom, choose the style of saddle pad you require (dressage square, sheepskin half pad, all-purpose saddle cloth, GP, jumping, dressage etc), and decide on the type of quilt fabric (cotton, cotton sheen or velvet) and use the online software to begin designing your saddle pad.

You can view the design of your item and check if you are happy with the choice of colours, sheepskin, and rope trims and whether you wish to include any extras or accessories, such as “Saddle Fix”, or the Mattes Correction System. Once you are happy with the design and all the features you require, add your composition to the cart and begin the checkout process as normal.

As well as the UK, we sell Mattes saddle pads all over the world and regularly ship to the USA, Canada and Australia, where currency exchange rates make purchasing from us very economical. You can now choose your own countries currency and checkout without having to worry or work out conversion rates. We are always happy to assist with any queries, in any timezone, or in any language if you need more information on how or what to order.

Click on the image below to view the complete range of Mattes saddle pads.