[mab]

Hello all,

wasn't sure if this should go under horse section or here but...

I've made a pack saddle for my Shetland pony but I need to pad the boards that rest against her back. The 'proper' pack saddle I used as a design template uses 1" thick felt pads, but I cannot find a supplier (at least not in my google searches), so I was wondering if anyone could advise on:

Where I can find such thick felt?

or

How to turn my shetland fleeces (have two) into thick felt?

or

What else could I use as padding?

thx

marcus

[clydesdaleclopper]

You could maybe try these people - I'm not sure if they do it that thick though http://www.worldofwool.co.uk/index.php

[mab]

Thx; I'll find out...

I have seen 1/4" thick and thought I could just use 4 layers, but whilst I'm OK at woodwork and metalwork & the like, I know nothing about upholstery or similar and don't yet know how to attach one thick layer of felt reliably to the wood, let alone making 4 layers stick together  .

[Bionic]

MAB, you could try needle felting to 'stick' the layers of felt together although I'm not sure if the needles would be long enough to get through all the layers.
There are plenty of utube videos to show you how to needlefelt. Its really, really easy. You just punch the needles up and down and the felt sort of sticks together by working one layer into the other.
Sally
 

[Fleecewife]

I'm thinking that Shetland probably isn't the best fleece to use in your saddle.  It doesn't have the resilience and bounce needed.  Traditionally Blackie (Scottish Blackface) was the fleece to use for mattresses and the like as it doesn't compress down.
 
If you use the thick felt, you could perhaps stitch the layers together right through the lot.   I don't know anything about equines - is a pack saddle sat on or just to support panniers?   If it's going to be sat on then you would worry about the layers sliding over eachother if they weren't well tied together.  Similarly, if there is a sideways force on the felt then the way of holding it onto the boards would be different than if it's just a downward force.  So you could use glue if there's no sheering force involved but you might need to staple it otherwise.
If the saddle isn't going to be sat on then the Shetland fleece would be fine - just make big thick wodges of felt.

[mab]

MAB, you could try needle felting to 'stick' the layers of felt together although I'm not sure if the needles would be long enough to get through all the layers.
There are plenty of utube videos to show you how to needlefelt. Its really, really easy. You just punch the needles up and down and the felt sort of sticks together by working one layer into the other.
Sally

needlefelt - OK I'll google some of those up  .

I'm thinking that Shetland probably isn't the best fleece to use in your saddle.  It doesn't have the resilience and bounce needed.  Traditionally Blackie (Scottish Blackface) was the fleece to use for mattresses and the like as it doesn't compress down.
 
If you use the thick felt, you could perhaps stitch the layers together right through the lot.   I don't know anything about equines - is a pack saddle sat on or just to support panniers?   If it's going to be sat on then you would worry about the layers sliding over eachother if they weren't well tied together.  Similarly, if there is a sideways force on the felt then the way of holding it onto the boards would be different than if it's just a downward force.  So you could use glue if there's no sheering force involved but you might need to staple it otherwise.
If the saddle isn't going to be sat on then the Shetland fleece would be fine - just make big thick wodges of felt.

It is a saddle for panniers, and it's only likely to be used for less than an hour at any time, but I don't know how much shear force it will experience going up and down steep hills (and the movements of the ponys back). 

Is it easy to turn it into felt (doesn't need to be pretty - just comfortable for Rosie)? Think I need to do a 'how to make felt' search...

Thx for the replies

m

[Welshcob]

I'm not a big felt expert but I know something about horses and how they move. When they are strapped to a pack saddle the thing will move a bit, worse when full, and with all that rubbing (and your pony's sweat) you'll probably felt the outer layer even more (good), but also the layers will tend to slide over each other (bad). Even if you have stitched them up, some of the stitches will come undone with movement.

Would you be able to maybe make a big, thick felt pad and stuff tight it into a leather cover that you could then rivet onto the wooden frame? That shouldn't move. Or you could try googling harness pictures for ideas?

Also I would put a numnah or saddle cloth under the pack, just in case. Saddle sores on the back/withers are quite painful 

[mab]

Would you be able to maybe make a big, thick felt pad and stuff tight it into a leather cover that you could then rivet onto the wooden frame? That shouldn't move

I guess I might  ; I just need some leather, and something to rivet it... This could take a while for me to organise.

I won't be using the pack saddle for long - even when i'm sure it's right; it's going to be brief experimental uses for now (well, once I've got pads on it), and I was going to use a blanket too  .

I'm going to try felting my wool, though it's anyones guess how it'll come out - but at least I can aim for nice thick pads. (even though it's the wrong type of wool).