Hair Rub in Winter

Due to the brittle nature of the coat hairs in Winter and during the coat change in Spring, a lot of horses suffer from hair rub in certain areas including the saddle area. This is very rarely due to the saddle not fitting correctly and generally not painful. Mostly these areas are caused by the pads used under the saddle rubbing the hairs as the horse moves. Horses that move freely through their backs will have more movement towards the back of the saddle, and therefore rubbing is more likely to be visible. Rubbing that is more pronounced on one side or the other is a result of the tendency of the horse to be bent slightly more to one side than the other. This is a normal situation and is not an indication that the saddle does not fit correctly. We advise ensuring that any pads used do not have any hard edges or stitching and if the sheepskin pad is used directly on the horses skin, it is very important that the pad is kept clean and dry to avoid the sheepskin fibres forming small areas of knotted fibres, which can also cause rubbing, particularly if the horse is fully clipped. Please follow the manufacturers cleaning recommendations carefully.