Saddle-Pad Protector

Description: This saddle-pad protector, manufactured by Chillee Gear LLC, absorbs moisture and aids cooling. The three-eighths-inch-thick product lies underneath your saddle pad or blanket, against your horse's skin.

The pad protector's inner, "active" layer, sandwiched between sheets of cotton fabric, works like a sponge, absorbing and holding your horse's sweat as it accumulates under the saddle. This helps keep your horse cool and dry, even on hot days. Less sweat also extends the life of your saddle pad and saddle.

The pad protector comes in styles to fit beneath either English or Western saddles; custom designs are also available. Air-dry after use. When necessary, brush clean using mild soap and small amounts of water, or dry clean.

The test: The Trail Rider's Saddlebag Savvy editor, Heidi Nyland, tested the pad protector while reconditioning a friend's horse, Lakota, after a long winter off. On the first 80-degree day of spring, Nyland placed the Chillee Gear pad underneath the gelding's usual saddle and pad. She made sure that her white saddle pad was clean so that she could tell if any sweat or dirt leached through to her tack.

"The pad protector was surprisingly thin," Nyland says. "The fabric looks like an old-fashioned, quilted mattress cover, but has a sheen that lets you know that it's high tech. It fit smoothly under my saddle and didn't add bulk. At first, I was worried that the smooth fabric might not stay in place, but I was soon surprised that the saddle didn't slip during ground work. When I mounted up, the saddle stayed in place.

"After an hour of riding in the afternoon sun, I un-tacked to note Lakota's sweat marks and the condition of my saddle pad," she continues. "Typically, Lakota sweats evenly from spine to sternum, and requires a lot of post-ride grooming. But after using the Chillee Gear pad, his back was smooth, cool, and nearly dry. My saddle pad remained clean, other than a few loose hairs. Underneath the girth, however, he was hot, matted, and sweaty.

"Overall, this pad protector gets an A- rating," Nyland says. "It'll keep your horse's back cool and will cut down on saddle-pad washings after long summer trail rides. It would also be great to use under bulky, hard-to-clean Western saddle pads.

"I was most surprised at how the pad helped me cut down on grooming time," she concludes. "After the ride, I still brushed Lakota down, but I didn't have to use a sweat scraper and multiple brushes, as I normally would. He just needed a quick brush-off on his back where it was covered by the pad's techno fabric."

Cost: $39.95
Contact: Chillee Gear, LLC,
260-255-1688; www.chilleegear.com.